Iceland Journal – “Skógafoss” – South Iceland
“The places where water comes together with other water. Those places stand out in my mind like holy places.”
―
Water upon water, water flowing everywhere, from the high and cold places, that is Iceland.
And this, is one of the most known waterfalls for a few reasons. Skógafoss is one of the largest waterfalls in Iceland, at 60 meters in height and 25 meters wide. It’s also just a short drive from Reykjavik and one of the first significant waterfalls you see for the Ring Road, Highway 1. It’s also very easily accessible. In fact, you can walk right up to it. You’ll get soaked by the mist in seconds, but you can walk right up to it, as many people did on this rainy October day.
The waterfall itself is on the River Skóga, this the name Skóga / foss (Skóga / waterfall). It’s actually one of many waterfalls on the Skóga river, but the others are much smaller and further up the river from Skógafoss.
As I mentioned, many people walk right up to it; people with cellphones, point and shoot cameras, and the hardcore photographers with their tripods and water resistant coverings, all wanting to take some memory of the beautiful place home with them.
You’d think this would be dangerous, but despite the height of the waterfall, the actual volume flowing over it is not as great as you’d think. I would not recommend showering under it, but you can get very close, and very wet!
As I said, we visited on a rainy day, so were already in our rain gear as we approached. It did make for stunning photos either, as I was trying to get an angle that did not have people in it and the fine mist and rain provided me with a soft white background rather than a few clouds and blue sky. I also did not want to commit to bringing a tripod and setting up like many others, so shot this handheld at 1/8 of a second, which is the best I can do at shooting hand held. Thank goodness for the Vibration reduction in modern lenses.
I thoroughly enjoyed being there and taking in this wonderful sight, despite the spray of water and the cool temperatures. It looks much more pleasant in the summer, though I expect it would be packed with people.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 78mm
1/8 sec, f/13.0, ISO 200
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Ed Lehming Photography 
Great post 😁
Thanks
Very beautiful. I am actually curious to see all those crowds of people with their cell phones (sort of like Martin Parr’s photos, if you are familiar with the British photographer)!
I have photos of the crowds, but prefer not to post them. I tend to carefully crop them out when I compose my photos, or afterwards, when I’m editing.
Beautiful picture! But yes, it’s hard nowadays to capture Skógafoss without heaps of people milling around. It’s worth staying in Skógar the night before, so you can explore the waterfall at leisure during the endless evening (in the summer), without the usual crowds during daytime. Alternatively, go up the steps beside it. The track above the Skógafoss follows the river, and there are countless waterfalls & gorgeous gorges along the way. Eventually it leads all the way up to Fimmvörðuháls – the fiery pass across Eyjafjallajökull.
Thank you. Something to consider for my return visit.
If you do, you can read about the different options here 🙂
https://wildernesscoffee-naturalhigh.com/fimmvorduhals-the-fiery-pass-across-eyjafjallajokull/