The famous viewing hill that has been used for countless photos featuring the volcano erupting volcano in Geldingadalur has now been cut off due to lava flowing through the hiking trail.
Lava makes its way onto the trail
This morning, responders were notified of lava beginning to creep over the hiking trail that previously led up to the viewing hill. The path to the lookout, hiking trail A, was closed earlier this week by police in Suðurnes due to the possibility of visitors being trapped on the hill if lava were to cross the path. The site manager of the area, Hjálmar Hallgrímsson, told Vísir that lava had made its way over the trail very quickly and that luckily there were very few people at the eruption site.
Access to the volcano continues
Despite losing access to the viewing hill, which was renowned for its glimpse into the volcano’s interior, access to the eruption will be maintained. Hikers will still be able to view the volcano, just from a distance. Hjálmar explains, “There is no possibility of crossing this hill to see the eruption better. This has become closed so it’s just a shorter route. But hiking trail A is still open, but for how long it is impossible to say. People can see the eruption from the next hill next to it.”
So, don’t fret! Instead, some should even be happy—maybe now you can convince your friend who doesn’t like hiking to finally make their way out to Iceland’s newest attraction.
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