Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
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Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Skútustaðagígar is a group of pseudocraters on the south shore of Lake Mývatn in North Iceland, right beside the Ring Road near the village of Skútustaðir. Entry is free, the site is open all year, and an easy walking loop around the craters takes 20–60 minutes depending on the route.
These rounded, grass-covered mounds are not true volcanic craters. They are pseudocraters, also called rootless cones or rootless craters, because no magma channel runs down beneath them. They formed around 2,300 years ago when a lava flow from a nearby eruption spread over wet marshland. The water under the lava boiled, and the trapped steam blew small holes through the cooling rock, leaving behind a cluster of crater-shaped hills.
Because they sit right on the Ring Road at the edge of Mývatn, Skútustaðagígar is usually the first stop for anyone driving into the Mývatn area. A gravel path loops between and up onto several of the craters, with views over the lake, its islands and the wetlands that make this one of the best birdwatching spots in Iceland.
The craters are covered in grass and low vegetation, and sheep often graze on the slopes. Marked paths and wooden steps let you walk around the bowls and up onto several rims, so you get both the close view into a crater and the wide view over the lake.
Skútustaðagígar formed when lava from an eruption at Lúdentaborgir and Þrengslaborgir, to the east, flowed out over waterlogged ground near the lake. The heat turned the groundwater to steam, and the pressure blew a series of vents through the lava as it cooled, leaving hollow, crater-shaped mounds rather than the built-up cones of a normal volcano.
Similar pseudocraters exist elsewhere around Mývatn and in a few other spots in Iceland where lava has met wet ground, but this cluster is the largest and easiest to visit, which is why it gave the phenomenon its name in English-language guidebooks.
A gravel path loops around and between the craters, with a couple of short climbs onto the rims for a view over the lake.
The area is a nesting site for many duck species in spring and early summer, so keep to the marked path and keep dogs on a lead.
The craters stand in what is left of the Mývatn wetlands, so the walk doubles as one of the easier birdwatching stops on the lake. Bring binoculars and take your time on the lake side of the loop.
Late spring and early summer are the busiest time on the water. This is also the nesting season, so stay on the path and keep your distance from birds on the ground.
There is a car park at the site. Toilets, a café and fuel are available in Skútustaðir village and at other stops around Mývatn, a short drive away.
Skútustaðir and the wider Mývatn area have a range of guesthouses and hotels, making it a convenient base for exploring the Diamond Circle and North Iceland.
A crater-shaped mound formed by a steam explosion when lava flows over wet ground, rather than by magma erupting through it like a true volcanic crater.
No, the site is free to visit.
The short loop takes about 20–30 minutes, the full loop closer to an hour.
Yes, the site is open all year. In snow you may only be able to walk to the first crater and up its steps, and the paths can be icy.
Yes. Marked paths and steps lead up several of the craters. Stay on them, as the grass and soil on the slopes are easily damaged.
Mostly ducks and other waterbirds: Tufted Duck, Wigeon and Whooper Swan are common, and Barrow’s Goldeneye, Harlequin Duck and Red-necked Phalarope turn up too.
Tours and trips that include Skútustaðagígar, booked directly with a local travel agency in Iceland.
