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06/16/2026

We left before sunrise on Day 9, and the destination was one that most Ring Road travelers never reach.

Route F35, also called the Kjölur highland road, cuts through the center of Iceland from north to south. It is not a dramatic river-crossing F-road, but it is a long, serious gravel route through one of the most barren and beautiful stretches of the island.

Volcanic plains. Distant glacier-topped mountains. No traffic. The kind of driving that reminds you how empty Iceland's interior actually is.
The endpoint was Kerlingarfjöll and the Hveradalir Geothermal Area, Iceland's third-largest geothermal zone, ringed by rhyolite mountains whose colors shift constantly as the light changes through the day. We spent three hours there before the weather turned, with snowfall and winds pushing in from the higher elevations. Guide to Iceland
Leaving early was the right call. The return drive looked completely different under a storm sky, and we made it back with time to stop and shoot along the way.
That night, at Austurbyggð Cottages, we had the best aurora display of the entire trip.
The full Day 9 route, F-road logistics, and what to bring: epicscenic.com/iceland-ring-road-itinerary

Have you driven any of Iceland's F-roads? Which one left the biggest impression?

06/02/2026

Day 8 of our Iceland ring road was one of the most surreal driving days of the entire trip.

The stretch of Route 1 between the Mývatn geothermal area and the northwestern coast crosses one of the emptiest landscapes we had ever driven through. Black volcanic plains in every direction. No towns. Barely a building. At some points, we felt like the only vehicle on the road for miles. The occasional power line across the horizon was the only sign that other humans existed somewhere out there.

About halfway through, we stopped at a lone gas station, essentially the only one for a very long stretch of road. The moment we stepped out of the car, the wind hit us hard enough that opening the car door took real effort. Completely flat, open terrain with nothing to slow it down. Iceland's weather is not a backdrop here; it's a presence.

Later in the day, we reached Hvitserkur on the Vatnsnes Peninsula, a 15-meter basalt sea stack rising from the bay. According to Icelandic folklore, it was a troll caught by the sunrise, turned to stone before it could destroy a nearby monastery. From certain angles on the black sand beach below, you can see why. At low tide, you can walk to the base of the rock for close-up shots and reflections on wet sand.

We ended the night at a quiet farmhouse guesthouse near Blönduós, with almost total silence around us. The kind of silence that only exists far from anywhere.

Full day-by-day Iceland ring road itinerary at epicscenic.com/iceland-11-day-ring-road-fire-ice-itinerary/

Have you driven this stretch of Route 1? The isolation caught us completely off guard.

05/27/2026

Stuðlagil Canyon doesn't get the attention it deserves.

The drive in is a gravel road through sheep country, with no signs pointing you toward anything dramatic. But the canyon at the end of it is genuinely one of the most striking landscapes in East Iceland. Hexagonal basalt columns lining a gorge, with a glacial river running through it in a color somewhere between blue and green that doesn't look real in photographs.

We visited twice. The first time, the wind made it difficult to stay near the rim. The second visit, the following morning, was completely calm, and that's when the place finally revealed itself. Drone footage, unhurried viewpoints, the whole thing.

The lesson from Stuðlagil: East Iceland rewards people who are not in a hurry, and who are willing to come back.

If you are building an itinerary for this part of Iceland, the full road trip guide is at epicscenic.com. Stuðlagil is covered in detail, including access notes, best viewpoints, and what to pair it with nearby.

Have you ever returned to a place on the same trip just because conditions weren't right the first time?

05/19/2026

Day 6 was one of the most varied days of the entire trip, and also the one that taught us the most about planning in Iceland.

The morning started at Svartifoss inside Vatnajökull National Park — a waterfall framed by dark hexagonal basalt columns formed roughly 300,000 years ago. Those same geometric shapes directly inspired the design of Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík. The hike is about 3.4 kilometers return from the Skaftafell Visitor Centre, well-marked, and accessible year-round in fair conditions. A short detour on the way back to Hofskirkja, one of Iceland's last traditional turf churches, is worth the 10 minutes.

From there, the landscape changes completely. The Eastern Fjords are one of the most underrated stretches of the entire ring road: coastal cliffs, mountains dropping into the North Atlantic, and almost no crowds. Most itineraries rush through or skip this section entirely.

We ended the day at Stuðlagil Canyon, and this is where things got complicated. Stuðlagil holds Iceland's most impressive basalt column formations, lining both sides of the Jökla river through a steep, narrow canyon. The drone footage from inside is some of the best we captured on the entire trip. But the first attempt was a near-disaster. Wind conditions were extreme: sand was hitting us, hitting the camera, getting into our eyes, and flying the drone was completely out of the question. We made the decision to leave and return the next morning.

That call turned out to be the right one. A few things worth knowing before you go: wind at Stuðlagil can be severe even when the surrounding area seems calm, and fine sand in those conditions can damage lenses and sensors quickly. Cover your gear, check the forecast specifically for the canyon, and build flexibility into your schedule if you can.

Full Day 6 route, photography tips, and accommodation notes at epicscenic.com/iceland-ring-road-itinerary

Have you made it to the Eastern Fjords? It's the part of Iceland most people seem to skip — curious whether that matches your experience.

05/15/2026

Day 5 of our Iceland Ring Road trip was the most visually dense day of the entire journey.

It starts at Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon — a narrow, winding gorge where the Fjaðrá River has carved through moss-covered cliffs for thousands of years. Popular, but still quiet enough to feel like you have it to yourself if you time it right. Two stops nearby that almost everyone skips: Kirkjugólf, a natural basalt formation that looks remarkably like a man-made tiled floor, and Stjórnarfoss, a small waterfall layered against dark volcanic rock.

Midday, the drive toward Skaftafell shifts the mood entirely. The plains along this section were once covered by glacier. What remains is wide, empty, and almost lifeless — the kind of landscape that makes glacial retreat feel very real without needing a sign to explain it.

The afternoon picks up at Fjallsjökull glacier lake, a less crowded alternative to Jökulsárlón where icebergs drift in near silence. Then Diamond Beach, where those same icebergs wash ashore against jet-black volcanic sand. A harbor seal was moving through the channel while we were there, threading its way between the ice.

The day ends with the hike to Mulagljúfur Canyon. Short trail. Steep enough to filter out the casual walkers. At the top, late afternoon light falls across a valley of towering cliffs and cascading waterfalls — one of the best views on the entire Ring Road, and one of the least visited.

If you are building this itinerary, give Day 5 more time than you think it needs. The stops are close together on a map, but each one asks you to slow down.

Full route, tips, and interactive map: epicscenic.com/iceland-11-day-ring-road-fire-ice-itinerary/

Has anyone made it up to Mulagljúfur? Curious how many people actually stop there versus just passing through to the lagoon.

05/06/2026

Day 4 of the Iceland ring road — and this is where the trip shifted into a different gear entirely.

To reach Landmannalaugar from the south, you leave the Ring Road behind and head into the highlands on the F208. That means river crossings, rough volcanic gravel, and zero cell service for long stretches. A high-clearance 4x4 is not optional here.

What you get on the other side is extraordinary. Rhyolite mountains layered in rust, olive, and pale gold. Geothermal vents rising quietly through the terrain. A landscape that feels genuinely remote in a way that most of Iceland's popular stops no longer do.

We drove in for the full experience, hiked a scenic viewpoint above the valley, and stayed long enough to catch golden hour on the way back — one of the best decisions of the whole trip.

The F208 is only open in summer, typically June through September, depending on conditions. Worth checking road.is before you head out, as conditions can change fast.

Everything you need to plan this day — vehicle requirements, what to bring, where to stop, and how to time it — is in the full Iceland guide: https://epicscenic.com/iceland-11-day-ring-road-fire-ice-itinerary/

Have any of you driven an F-road in Iceland? Would love to hear what conditions were like when you went.

04/29/2026

Day 3 of the Iceland Ring Road itinerary brought us to the South Coast, and it was one of the most visually intense days of the trip.

Reynisfjara Beach is not like any beach you've seen. The sand is completely black, the basalt columns rise straight out of the cliffs, and the cave mouth at Hálsanefshellir opens right onto the shore. It looks surreal. But this beach has a serious side: the sneaker waves here have no warning signs before they hit. There are red marker posts on the sand, and you are not supposed to cross them. We didn't.

From Reynisfjara we drove up to Dyrhólaey, where the peninsula juts into the sea and the view from the top stretches in every direction. Then through Vík, a quick stop at Yoda Cave, and east toward Kirkjubæjarklaustur to stock up on gas and groceries for the highland days ahead.

For anyone planning the South Coast: wind, waves, and limited fuel stops are the three things to plan around. The full day breakdown with logistics is in the guide.

👉 https://epicscenic.com/iceland-11-day-ring-road-fire-ice-itinerary/

Had any of you been to Reynisfjara? Were the waves as intense when you went?

04/22/2026

We just launched our Iceland series, and days 1 and 2 set the tone for everything that followed.

We landed at Keflavík and drove straight toward fresh lava flows still steaming from a recent eruption near the Blue Lagoon area. That same afternoon, Reykjavík, a grocery run, and then south toward the coast into wind and rain. Day two brought geothermal fields, a walk behind Seljalandsfoss, and volcanic caves most people drive straight past. By evening, the Northern Lights showed up without warning.

Eleven days. Full Ring Road plus F-roads and the Highlands. The complete free guide is live.

Have you been to Iceland, or is it on your list? What's the one thing you'd most want to see? 👇



[https://epicscenic.com/iceland-11-day-ring-road-fire-ice-itinerary/]

04/08/2026

Day 4 of our Canadian Rockies loop, and the one that surprised us most.

We pulled into Maligne Canyon at 6 AM, first car in the lot. The trail was completely quiet, the light was low, and the canyon delivered. From there, the drive south on the Icefields Parkway back toward Canmore gave us Athabasca Falls, a lunch stop near Saskatchewan River Crossing, and Waterfowl Lakes before the mountains started to open up.

The Parkway hits differently on the return. Same road, different light, different mood.

Full Day 4 breakdown, including what to prioritize if you're short on time, is on our site.

Have you done this loop? What was your favorite stop on the drive back south?

04/05/2026

Ravens in Maligne Canyon do something most visitors never notice. They nest directly on the rockwall, just meters from the walking trail.

This clip was filmed inside the canyon during a quiet morning visit. You can see one of the adults feeding the chicks up close, on the vertical rock face, with the canyon walls framing everything around them.

Maligne Canyon is one of the deepest slot canyons in the Canadian Rockies, and the trail stays accessible well into shoulder season when the rest of Jasper is still quiet. Early mornings are when you get moments like this, before the groups arrive.

Our 5-day Banff+Jasper guide is on the website.

Have any of you ever spotted nesting birds inside a canyon?

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