Vatnajökull National Park (Icelandic: Vatnajökulsþjóðgarður, pronounced [ˈvahtnaˌjœːkʏlsˌθjouðˌkarðʏr̥]) is one of three national parks in Iceland and is the largest. It includes the entire Vatnajökull glacier and large areas around it. These areas were previously part of two smaller national parks: Skaftafell in the southwest and Jökulsárgljúfur in the north.

The special features of Vatnajökull National Park are its wide range of landscapes, shaped by rivers, glaciers, volcanoes, and geothermal activity.

The park covers 14% of Iceland’s total land area and is Europe’s second-largest national park by size, after Yugyd Va in the Ural Mountains of Russia. The Vatnajökull glacier itself is the largest in Europe, covering 7,700 square kilometers (3,000 square miles).

In 2019, the park was expanded to the north. On July 5, 2019, Vatnajökull National Park was added to the list of World Heritage Sites.

History

Vatnajökull National Park was created on June 7, 2008. At first, the park covered 12,000 km. Later, areas like Lakagígar, Langisjór, Krepputunga [ˈkʰrɛhpʏˌtʰuŋka], and Jökulsárlón (including the areas around them) were added. Now, the park covers 14,967 km, which is about 14% of Iceland. This makes it the second largest national park in Europe by area, after Yugyd Va in Russia.

Geography/geology

Vatnajökull is Europe's largest glacier outside the Arctic, covering an area of 8,100 square kilometers. It is about 400 to 600 meters thick, with some parts reaching up to 950 meters. The ice covers mountains, valleys, and plateaus, including active volcanoes. Bárðarbunga is the largest volcano, and Grímsvötn is the most active. The top of the glacier rises more than 2,000 meters above sea level, while its base reaches 300 meters below sea level. More rain falls and more water flows to the sea on the south side of Vatnajökull than anywhere else in Iceland, except for Mýrdalsjökull. The amount of water stored in Vatnajökull is so large that Iceland’s river with the greatest flow, Ölfusá, would take over 200 years to carry it all to the sea.

The area around Vatnajökull has very different landscapes. To the north, a highland plateau is divided by rivers that flow strongly in summer. Volcanoes like Askja, Kverkfjöll, and Snæfell rise above this region, along with the volcanic table mountain Herðubreið. Long ago, glacial floods carved out the canyon of Jökulsárgljúfur on this plateau. The powerful Dettifoss waterfall still flows into the upper part of this canyon. Further north, the scenic formations at Hljóðaklettar and the horseshoe-shaped cliffs of Ásbyrgi can be found.

Near the glacier and to the east, around Snæfell, there are large wetlands and wide open areas. These regions are important homes for reindeer and pink-footed geese.

The south side of Vatnajökull has many tall, impressive mountain ridges. Glaciers flow down between these ridges into the lowlands. The southernmost part of the glacier surrounds the volcano Öræfajökull and Iceland’s highest peak, Hvannadalshnjúkur. Skaftafell, a green area covered with plants, overlooks black sands to the west. These sands are mostly made of ash from eruptions at Grímsvötn, which is carried to the coast by glacial floods.

The area west of Vatnajökull has had many volcanic eruptions. Two of the largest fissure and lava eruptions in history happened at Eldgjá in 934 and Lakagígar in 1783–1784. Vonarskarð, located northwest of the glacier, is a colorful area with high temperatures and separates North and South Iceland.

Climate

The weather in the National Park changes a lot because the area has many different elevations. In low areas to the south of the Vatnajökull ice cap, rainfall is high, ranging from 1,000 mm to 3,000 mm each year. Summer temperatures there are between 10 °C and 20 °C, while winters are usually mild, with temperatures rarely dropping below −10 °C and often staying above freezing.

In the mountains and on the ice cap itself, yearly precipitation can reach 4,000 to 5,000 mm, mostly as snow. After a winter with heavy snowfall, the snow on Öræfajökull can be 10 to 15 meters deep. Some of this snow melts, and the rest turns into glacial ice. This process happens everywhere above the snowline on the Vatnajökull ice cap.

Winter temperatures on the southern part of the ice cap are nearly always below freezing, sometimes reaching −20 °C or −30 °C. Strong winds and storms are common, so wind-chill must be considered, as it can greatly affect how cold it feels, even when the air temperature is not extremely low.

North of the ice cap, yearly rainfall decreases. In the northeast, it drops to 350 to 450 mm per year, the lowest in Iceland. Rainfall increases closer to the north coast and in areas like Askja in the highlands. Winter temperatures can become very cold in clear, calm weather.

Southerly winds usually bring little rain to the north and higher temperatures. Northerly winds bring clouds, cool, and possibly rainy weather to the north, while the south stays brighter and warmer. Westerly or southwesterly winds bring warmer weather to the east. Easterly winds bring coolness and rain to the east, while the west experiences drier, better weather. This happens because of the foehn wind effect. Moist, cool air rises near the highlands, causing rain to fall there, while warmer, drier air moves down to lower areas on the other side. The temperature difference between these areas can be 10 °C or more.

Operations and services

Vatnajökull National Park is divided into four areas, each managed by local groups.

The Northern Area includes the north-western part of Vatnajökull, Askja caldera and its surroundings, Jökulsárgljúfur canyon, and parts of the Jökulsá á Fjöllum riverbed. A visitor centre and a campsite are located in Ásbyrgi, and another campsite is in Vesturdalur [ˈvɛstʏrˌtaːlʏr̥].

The Eastern Area includes the Kverkfjöll mountains, the north-eastern part of Vatnajökull, and the wide areas of Snæfellsöræfi [ˈstnaiːˌfɛlsˌœːrˌaiːvɪ]. A visitor centre is located at Skriðuklaustur.

The Southern Area covers the south-eastern part of Vatnajökull, from Lómagnúpur mountain in the west to Lón [ˈlouːn] and Lónsöræfi in the east. A visitor centre and a campsite are located in Skaftafell. Information centres, operated with the help of the national park, are found in Höfn, Hoffell, Hólmur [ˈhoulmʏr̥], and Skálafell [ˈskauːlaˌfɛtl̥].

The Western Area includes the south-western part of Vatnajökull and a large area outside the glacier, such as Lakagígar craters and Langisjór. An information centre is located in Kirkjubæjarklaustur, managed jointly by the national park and the local community.

The visitor centre in Skaftafell is open all year. The visitor centres in Ásbyrgi and Skriðuklaustur are open from early May to late September, but may be open during winter by appointment. Most of the national park’s highland areas are not accessible during the winter.

National park rangers do patrols and offer educational services in the park’s highland areas. The hours when ranger stations are open vary by area. Rangers usually arrive when highland roads open, around mid-June, and leave by the end of September.

During the summer, rangers lead short walks that focus on explaining nature. From mid-June to mid-August, rangers guide daily interpretive walks at Ásbyrgi and Skaftafell. In the highlands, most ranger stations offer daily interpretive walks from early July to mid-August.