Mosfellsbær: Trails, Water and Culture

Mosfellsbær offers opportunities for active days and cultural discoveries: a family-friendly circular trail leads up Mosfell, a waterfall on the Varmá is located by Álafoss, and Gljúfrasteinn is closely connected with Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Halldór Laxness. There is also Lágafellslaug, with several pools and water slides. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Mosfellsbær, these different experiences can help you decide what to focus on during your stay.

Hikes on Mosfell and along the Kaldakvísl

The hiking trail up Mosfell is a well-marked, family-friendly circular route. Its circular layout makes it a hiking option in its own right, with the route up the mountain as its main focus. It also has historical connections to the legendary treasure of Egill Skallagrímsson. The treasure belongs to legend; the hiking trail combines activity in the landscape with a story from Icelandic tradition.

Another hiking idea is to walk from Gljúfrasteinn along the Kaldakvísl to Helgufoss waterfall. This scenic route offers an appealing contrast to the circular hike on Mosfell. If hiking is an important part of your trip, these two routes offer different destinations and stories.

Lava, waterfall and nature reserve

Mosfell consists of layered lava flows that accumulated over time. Its formation is a reason in itself to see the mountain not only as a hiking destination but also as a geological feature of the area. The Álafoss Nature Reserve covers 1.4 hectares. Álafoss is also a waterfall on the Varmá. When planning your trip, you can therefore consider the mountain landscape, a river waterfall and the clearly defined nature reserve as distinct nature experiences.

Literary history at Gljúfrasteinn

Gljúfrasteinn was the home of Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Halldór Laxness and his family for half a century. This connection makes the place interesting to visitors who want to include literature and personal histories in their trip alongside hiking. Together with the legendary treasure associated with the Mosfell hiking trail, it offers a cultural perspective that ranges from a family home to a story passed down through tradition. You can consider these two themes separately according to your own interests.

Swimming and a variety of interests for your days

Lágafellslaug has a 25-metre competition pool and three water slides. There are also two hot tubs, a massage pool and a cold-water pool. The facilities therefore include both a pool for swimming and several water areas with different temperatures and functions. If you do not want to plan your stay entirely around hiking, you can make swimming and bathing a focus in their own right. For families, the combination of a circular trail described as family-friendly and the water slides is a practical reason to weigh up different interests when choosing a destination.

Extent of the trail network

The marked hiking trail network in Mosfellsbær comprises around 90 km of trails, 10 parking areas, and numerous stiles and footbridges. The figure of around 90 km describes the size of the entire network, not the length of a single trail. If you are planning several hikes, the network offers a broader range than the two routes described here. The parking areas, stiles and footbridges mentioned are further parts of the trail network.

When choosing a holiday apartment, you can consider whether you would like to focus your stay mainly on hiking, literary history or swimming. Mosfellsbær brings these themes together in one destination, without requiring you to limit your days to just one type of outing.

More town pages to help you plan: Reykjavik, Hafnarfjördur, Kópavogur, Seltjarnarnes and Garðabær.

For the broader travel overview: Höfudborgarsvædi.