Skogafoss Waterfall
Skogafoss is one of the most photographed waterfalls in Iceland. No wonder; it is beautiful, majestic - a quintessential waterfall, in a land of thousands. The informative plaque reads:
Skogafoss Waterfall
Skógafoos is widely considered to be one of Iceland´s most beautiful waterfall. It is situated on the river of Skógá, which originates for both Eyjafjallajökull glacier and the westernmost part of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. The two sources merge by the Kambfjöll mountains, forming the river Skógá, which runs through the Skógárgil canyon until descending from the edge of the moor as the Skógafoss waterfall. Over twenty waterfalls can be found in Skógárgil, many of them breathtakingly beautiful. Some are small and intricate, other high and majestic. Skógafoss, and the river above and below the waterfall, was declared a protected natural monument in 1987.
As Skógá approaches the edge of the moor, the river runs over a layer of hard rock until rushing down in a beautifully shaped, 15 meter wide and 62 meter high waterfall. The cliffs are ancient coastal cliffs, which were formed by marine erosion at the end of the last ice age. Then the sea level was much higher than it is now, as the weight of the ice age glacier had pushed the land downwards. AS the glacier melted and the weight was lifted, the land could rise and the sea level lowered. Skógafoss´s surroundings are particularly scenic, with the water-spray thrown up but the waterfall spreading over the grassy slopes of the surrounding turf cliffs, where fulmars have taken up residence.
You can walk to the pool underneath the waterfall and stand face-to-face with the forces of nature or walk up the hill on the east side for a majestic view down over the waterfall. The waterfall generates a huge amount of spray, so take care when crossing the wet ground. Due to the amount of spray, you can often see a rainbow under the waterfall. Please walk on marked paths only.
Þrasi´s Chest of Gold
According to legend, a settler named Þrasi hid his chest of gold behind Skógafoss, where it would be hard to reach. For a long time, one end of the chest was visible through the waterfall. Three men for Skógar once attempted to retrieve the chest, managing with great difficulty to place a hook in the iron ring on the side of the chest. They pulled hard, but the chest was so heavy that the iron ring came loose and the mission was aborted. The ring was placed on the door of the church in Skógar and can now be found in the Skógar folk museum. The following verse, bearing whiteness to this legend, has been passed down through the generations:
The chest in Þrasi´s secret lair
Under the Skógar waterfall
Rewards the one who ventures there
With endless riches, great and small