Keilir
A near-perfect cone on the Reykjanes lava fields, used for centuries as a navigation mark from the sea.
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Keilir rises 379 metres from flat lava, and its shape is the reason it matters: a clean cone visible from far out at sea and from most of the capital area, used by fishermen as a bearing long before charts. It is a tuya-like hyaloclastite peak, built by an eruption under the ice sheet that never broke through to open air, which is why the sides are steep and the material is crumbly rather than solid basalt. The walk in crosses lava and moss before the climb, and the final section is loose scree on a steep slope. From the top the whole peninsula lays out, including Fagradalsfjall where the eruptions of the 2020s began.
What you actually see
- A cone rising 379 metres - visible from the sea and most of the capital area.
- Built under ice - hyaloclastite from an eruption that never broke the surface.
- A loose scree finish - the steep last section of the climb.
- The whole peninsula from the top - Fagradalsfjall included.
When to go
June to September. Half a day including the approach.
Honest expectations
The final slope is loose and unpleasant in descent, and the route is unmarked in places. Access tracks are rough gravel. Weather changes fast on an exposed peninsula. There are no facilities anywhere near.
Nearby
Fagradalsfjall is south; Grindavik lies beyond it on the coast.
What to pack for Keilir
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
