Maelifell

Maelifell is a cone roughly 200 metres high standing by itself on Maelifellssandur, the black sand plain washed out from Myrdalsjokull, and the reason it is photographed constantly is the covering: the whole cone is coated in Racomitrium moss, so it reads as vivid green against sand that is almost pure black. It is a hyaloclastite cone built under the ice sheet, exposed as the ice retreated. The Fjallabak Sydri route that passes it is one of the harder highland roads, with unbridged crossings of glacial rivers that rise through the day, and that difficulty is the main filter on who sees it.

What you actually see

• A green cone on black sand - moss over the whole slope.
• Built under ice - hyaloclastite exposed as the glacier withdrew.
• Myrdalsjokull's outwash plain - the sand it stands in comes off the ice cap.
• A hard route past it - Fjallabak Sydri and its unbridged rivers.

When to go

July to early September, when F210 is open. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The river crossings on F210 are serious and change with the weather and time of day; people write off vehicles here every summer. Walking on the moss kills it, and the scars last decades. There are no services on the route at all.

Nearby

Alftavatn and the Laugavegur trail are north; Vik is on the coast south.