Snæfellsjökull Volcano and Saxholl Volcanic Crater
Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Iceland
Where else can you find a 700,000-year-old glacier-capped stratovolcano than in Iceland? This is quite literally the stuff of Jurassic Park movies.
Snæfellsjökull is located in western Iceland; the route we took was 9 km (5.5 miles) south of Hellissandur on the peninsula’s western-most tip.
Where else can you find a crater from a past volcanic eruption that’s a relatively simply stair climb away and is right off the road? Why, again — the answer is Iceland, of course!
Saxhóll Crater is located in western Iceland; the route we took was 12 km (7.4 miles, or about a 10-minute drive) south of Hellissandur on the peninsula’s western-most tip in Snæfellsjökull National Park.
One of the most popular craters on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, it was formed by a volcanic explosion 3-4,000 years ago.
Saxhóll is actually two craters, though most only summit the first because it’s close to the road and is an easy climb with stairs. The entire climb should only take your average person in decent health about 5 minutes.
Go see it for yourself and be amazed! You won’t regret making the stop.