Gullfoss, Iceland: The Golden Falls

You usually hear Gullfoss before you see it. The road crosses open moorland in the uplands of south-west Iceland, and then the ground simply opens: the broad, glacier-grey Hvítá river steps down once, turns, and drops a second time into a narrow crevice, sending up a column of spray that can be seen from far across the plain. Gullfoss, the Golden Falls, gives its name to the Golden Circle route, but it also has a story of its own, about a farmer’s daughter, foreign investors and the question of who should own Iceland’s rivers. This guide covers how the falls were formed, the long argument over harnessing them, and the practical side of a visit: paths, stairs, spray and winter ice. On Day 16 of our Iceland cultural and wilderness small group tour, the group visits Gullfoss and the Strokkur geyser on the final full day of the journey.

How Gullfoss was formed

Gullfoss sits on the Hvítá, the White River, which drains the lake of Hvítárvatn at the edge of Langjökull, one of Iceland’s great ice caps. Like most glacial rivers it carries a heavy load of fine sediment ground from the bedrock, which gives the water its milky, grey-brown colour. A little above the falls the river turns sharply, and then it drops in two stages: an upper step of about 11 metres, and a lower plunge of about 21 metres into a crevice only some 20 metres wide, set almost at right angles to the river’s course. From the upper viewpoint the second drop seems to vanish into the ground, which is a large part of the drama.

Below the falls the river runs through Gullfossgljúfur, a canyon about two and a half kilometres long and up to around 70 metres deep, with near-vertical walls of layered basalt and sediment. The Hvítá has been cutting it since the end of the last Ice Age, roughly 10,000 years ago. Geologists have debated whether a single catastrophic glacial flood did most of the work or whether the river has worn it down steadily since the ice retreated; the Environment Agency of Iceland, which long managed the reserve, has favoured steady erosion. Either way the process continues, and the falls are slowly retreating upstream.

The volume of water changes through the year. The South Iceland tourism office gives an average flow of about 109 cubic metres a second; other sources put it at roughly 80 in winter and 130 to 140 in summer, when meltwater from Langjökull swells the river. The highest recorded flood was about 2,000 cubic metres a second. On a warm summer day the noise and spray are at their most impressive.

Why the falls are called golden

Gullfoss means simply “golden falls”. The usual explanation is the sediment the Hvítá carries from the glacier: in low sunlight the silt-laden water and the spray take on a warm golden tone, and on bright days a rainbow often hangs over the gorge. Whether the name was coined for the colour or for the sheer value of the sight, it stuck, and it has since given its name to the Golden Circle, the classic loop from Reykjavík.

Sigríður Tómasdóttir and the fight for Gullfoss

For most of its history Gullfoss belonged to the farm of Brattholt, about three kilometres downstream from the falls. Sigríður Tómasdóttir was born there on 24 February 1871, the daughter of the farmer Tómas Tómasson. According to the Environment Agency of Iceland, she and her sisters guided early visitors to the falls and built the first path down to the waterfall. She had no formal schooling, but she knew the falls more intimately than anyone.

Her quarrel began in the early twentieth century, when hydroelectric power made Iceland’s great rivers valuable to foreign investors. In 1907 an Englishman offered to buy Gullfoss, and her father refused. That same year Iceland passed a law restricting the ownership of waterfalls to people and companies domiciled in the country, unless special permission was granted. Even so, rights to Gullfoss passed by lease to foreign interests who planned to harness it, and a scheme of that kind would have changed the falls beyond recognition.

Sigríður fought the lease in court and lost. She took legal advice from Sveinn Björnsson, who later became the first President of Iceland and himself recalled her visit. Popular tradition adds more colour: that she made the journey of well over a hundred kilometres to Reykjavík again and again to press her case, some say on foot, and that she threatened to throw herself into the falls if construction began. These details are hard to verify and are best taken as part of the legend that has grown around her. What is certain is that the project never went ahead. The investors lost interest, the rent stopped being paid, and in 1928 the lease became void.

From hydropower prize to protected reserve

The falls passed into public hands in stages. Einar Guðmundsson, who bought Brattholt in 1939, played the decisive role. The Environment Agency records that the state bought Gullfoss from Einar and from the owners on the eastern bank in 1945, that Einar gave further land to the Treasury in 1974, and that on 11 December 1976 he donated part of Brattholt to the Nature Conservation Council. The Minister of Education signed the announcement protecting Gullfoss on 9 March 1979.

Today Gullfoss is a protected area, classified by the IUCN as a natural monument (Category III), with rules that protect the canyon as well as the falls: no off-road driving or walking outside marked trails, no damage to vegetation or rock, and no drones without a permit. A memorial to Sigríður, by the sculptor Ríkarður Jónsson, was raised near the falls in 1978, and she is often described as Iceland’s first environmentalist. She died in 1957. For those with time and energy, a marked trail of about three kilometres runs along the canyon from Gullfoss to Brattholt, giving good views into the gorge.

Gullfoss and the Golden Circle

Gullfoss is the furthest point of the Golden Circle, the loop east from Reykjavík that also takes in Thingvellir and the Geysir geothermal area. Our guide to the Golden Circle route and its three main stops gives the overview; here it is enough to say that the waterfall, the geysers and the old assembly plains make a natural day of landscape and history. Thingvellir, where the Althing met in the open air and where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart, is covered in depth in our guide to Thingvellir National Park.

A few minutes’ drive down the valley from Gullfoss lies the Haukadalur geothermal area, home to the Great Geysir, which gave its name to geysers everywhere but now rarely erupts. Its neighbour Strokkur is far more obliging. At the time of writing, Visit Iceland gives an interval of about eight to ten minutes between eruptions, with jets of up to around 30 metres. Walkways lead between steaming vents, hot pools and mineral-stained ground, and it pays to stand on the upwind side of the geyser: the spray falls back hot.

Is Gullfoss worth visiting?

Yes: Gullfoss is one of the most powerful and most accessible waterfalls in Iceland, and its two-stage drop into a hidden crevice is unlike anything else on the Golden Circle. Its history adds a second layer, because the falls you see exist largely because a handful of people refused to let them be dammed. It is busy, especially in the middle of the day in summer, but the viewpoints are spread out enough that the crowds rarely spoil the view.

How long do you need at Gullfoss?

About an hour is enough to see Gullfoss from both the upper and lower viewpoints at an unhurried pace. Allow more if you want to stop at the visitor centre and café by the upper car park, or to walk part of the canyon trail towards Brattholt. Most visitors combine Gullfoss with the geothermal area at Haukadalur, which deserves at least another hour.

How much walking is involved at Gullfoss?

The walking is short but includes stairs and wet ground. From the upper car park beside the visitor centre, a paved path and boardwalk lead to the upper viewpoint in a few minutes, and this level is broadly suitable for those who prefer to avoid steps. A staircase descends to the lower path, which runs out along the rock towards the edge of the falls; it is uneven, often wet from spray and can be slippery. There is also a lower car park closer to the canyon. Wear sturdy shoes with a good grip and a waterproof jacket, because the spray is cold even on a sunny day and the wind across the moor can be strong.

Can you visit Gullfoss in winter?

Yes, Gullfoss is open all year, but at the time of writing the trails to the lower viewpoints are sometimes closed in winter because of ice and snow, which can leave only the upper viewpoint open. Visit Iceland and the South Iceland tourism office both advise checking conditions before you go, and when the stairs and lower path are open in winter they can be very slippery. Short daylight, strong winds and fast-changing weather are part of the picture too. At the time of writing, the advice is to check road conditions on umferdin.is, warnings on safetravel.is and the forecast from the Icelandic Met Office at vedur.is before you go.

Gullfoss on Day 16 of the tour

Gullfoss comes near the end of the journey, after the group has circled the island. The day begins at the Fridheimar horse and tomato farm, with a short show by Icelandic horses and a look into greenhouses where tomatoes are grown all year round with geothermal energy. From there the group continues to Gullfoss and then to the geothermal area to watch Strokkur erupt. The last stop is the Hellisheidi geothermal power plant, where the group learns how Icelanders capture this underground heat, before returning to Reykjavík for a farewell dinner. Our article on how Iceland harnesses its geothermal energy explains the story behind that final visit.

Because Thingvellir is visited on Day 3, early in the tour, the classic Golden Circle is split across the journey rather than squeezed into one day. Our Iceland Ring Road itinerary for mature travellers sets out the full route region by region, from the Westfjords and Lake Myvatn to the south coast and the highlands at Landmannalaugar. The tour is rated Level 2, Moderate, which means being able to climb and descend stairs and to take part in three to five hours of physical activity a day, the equivalent of walking up to 8 kilometres on uneven ground. An Odyssey Program Leader travels with the group throughout.

Gullfoss rewards a little knowledge. Stand on the upper viewpoint, follow the river as it turns and disappears, and it is worth remembering that the falls could easily have become a power station a century ago. On the Iceland cultural and wilderness tour, a small group of up to 16 travellers sees Gullfoss and Strokkur with an Odyssey Program Leader on the final full day, a fitting end to seventeen days of fire, ice and history.