Hveragerði runs on geothermal heat. The town uses it to warm greenhouses, homes, and a swimming pool. A few miles up the valley, that same heat comes straight out of the ground, unpiped. The difference between the two is really just plumbing. Whether the day at Reykjadalur felt orderly or crowded came down to simpler things: the number of other people there, the weather, and how far past the parking lot we were willing to walk.

Hveragerði

We left the campground in the morning and drove into Hveragerði, a small town about twenty eight miles southeast of Reykjavik. It sits over an active geothermal area. The Varmá river runs through town, and the heat from underground is piped into greenhouses where tomatoes, cucumbers, and bananas grow year round. We walked a stretch of trail along the river through a small park at the edge of town, about an hour and a half at an easy pace, before heading back for lunch.

We saw several snails along this stretch, clinging to rocks in the slower parts of the river. Some were tiny, others much larger. Iceland’s fresh waters, including its warm ones, are known habitat for pond snails, and their size can vary a great deal between populations.

The sky stayed overcast all morning.

We drove up to the car park at the base of the zip line after lunch. This is also the trailhead for Reykjadalur. The clouds had not broken. We waited a while, then put on rain gear and started the hike anyway.

The trail climbs right out of the parking lot, gaining most of its 300 feet of elevation in the first half hour. Djúpagilsfoss waterfall drops through a canyon on the way up. The ground starts steaming before the valley opens up. Reykjadalur sits in the Hengill volcanic system, which last erupted about two thousand years ago and is considered dormant, though the heat still moving through the ground says otherwise. The valley floor is full of vents, mud pots, and ground colored by minerals. It took the full three hours to walk the length of the thermal areas along the river, past boreholes and pools too hot to touch. The rain never stopped, but it stayed light.

Small flies followed us near the river banks. Iceland has no true mosquitoes, only midges that are often mistaken for them. Some of these midges bite. Biting insects are generally drawn to carbon dioxide, and geothermal vents release carbon dioxide along with steam. We were also exhaling it as we climbed. Both were likely part of what drew the flies.

The river runs warm rather than hot, cooled by cold water entering from the hills. Wooden platforms with dividers mark the bathing area at Klambragil. Every platform was full when we got there, people packed close together in water that felt more crowded than warm. We decided not to get in. The valley is a well known tourist stop, but the three hour hike keeps the tour buses away. Everyone on the trail with us had come on foot or in small vehicles.

We left in the afternoon and drove toward Þingvellir, stopping at the geothermal exhibition at Hellisheiði on the way. It was closing by the time we arrived. We’ll go back another day, the same way we still owe ourselves a return to another exhibition nearby that was closed when we passed through a few weeks ago.

The rain kept up through the night. Tomorrow looks like a day to stay inside the camper.