Bolafjall Viewing Platform: A Cliff-Edge Deck Above Bolungarvík
The Bolafjall viewing platform is one of the easiest big-view outings in the Westfjords: a short drive from Ísafjörður puts you on a steel deck that hangs out over a sea cliff 638 m (about 2,100 ft) above Bolungarvík. There is very little walking involved, which makes it a rare combination of high drama and low effort.
What You Are Standing On
The cantilevered platform opened in 2022 and juts out past the edge of Bolafjall. It is a substantial piece of engineering: a steel structure of roughly 60 tonnes, anchored back into the cliff face so that the outer end sits over open air. Standing at the rail, the drop falls away beneath your feet toward the fjord mouth below.
The view looks out over Ísafjarðardjúp, the wide bay that the northern Westfjords wrap around. On a clear day you can pick out the Jökulfirðir inlets and the mountains of the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve to the north. Locals will tell you that on the rarest, clearest days you can even make out Greenland on the horizon; treat that as a hopeful bonus rather than a plan.
Getting There from Ísafjörður
Bolungarvík sits about 15 km from Ísafjörður, roughly a 15-minute drive through the Bolungarvíkurgöng tunnel (5.4 km, opened in 2010, which replaced the old avalanche-prone coast road). From the town, a mountain road climbs to the platform on top of Bolafjall. That road is the catch: it is typically open only from about mid-June to mid-September, and only when weather and conditions allow, so check locally before you set out.
On the way in or out, the small Ósvör Maritime Museum at the edge of Bolungarvík — a reconstructed turf-and-stone fishing station — makes an easy pairing with the mountain, turning a quick photo stop into a proper half-day.
Practical Details
- Getting there: about a 15-minute drive from Ísafjörður to Bolungarvík via the Bolungarvíkurgöng tunnel, then the mountain road up Bolafjall.
- Time needed: allow roughly 1.5–2 hours round trip from the inn; longer if you add Ósvör.
- When to go: mountain road usually open mid-June to mid-September; go on a clear, calm day for the long views.
- What to bring: a windproof layer (the top is exposed and cold even in summer), sturdy shoes, and a full tank — services thin out fast up here.
- Good to know: the deck is high above the sea and the edge is real, so keep a close eye on children.
Where to Stay
The Ísafjörður Inn is an in-town base in Ísafjörður, the capital of the Westfjords, and sits on the near side of the Bolungarvíkurgöng tunnel — so the platform is a short, tunnel-straight drive rather than a long haul, easy to slot in around a clear-weather window and still be back in town for dinner. Book direct on Ourhotels.is for the best rate.
Photo: Salvör Gissurardóttir via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5.