Sigoldugljufur

Sigoldugljufur is a narrow canyon of dark rock with a line of slender waterfalls coming out of one wall into blue-green water, and it looks entirely natural until you know its history: the row of falls appeared after the Sigalda hydroelectric scheme of the 1970s altered groundwater and drainage in the area, so this is a landscape made by accident. It is sometimes called the valley of tears for the way the water comes out of the moss in threads. The canyon is a short walk from the track and can be seen from the rim in twenty minutes, though the path along the top is loose in places.

The landscape

• A row of falls from one wall - water emerging from moss in threads.
• Blue-green water below - against dark canyon rock.
• A landscape made by accident - the falls followed the Sigalda scheme of the 1970s.
• A short walk in - the rim is close to the track.

When to go

July to early September while F208 is open. Two to three hours.

What to expect

Reaching it means highland tracks and F-road rules; small hire cars are not permitted. The rim is unfenced and undercut. Moss here takes decades to recover from footprints. No facilities of any kind.

Nearby

Ljotipollur is close by; Landmannalaugar is up the same road.