Gerðuberg Basalt Columns: The Cliff of Hexagonal Rock on Southern Snæfellsnes

A Wall of Hexagons Beside the Road

Gerðuberg is a long cliff face on the southern side of the Snæfellsnes peninsula made up of tightly packed, near-perfectly hexagonal basalt columns. Unlike most of Iceland’s columnar basalt sites, which require a hike or a boat trip to view properly, Gerðuberg sits right beside Route 54, visible from the car as you approach. It’s one of the more geometrically regular basalt formations in the country, and the fact that you can walk directly up to the base of the columns makes it an easy, rewarding stop on a southern-route day.

How the Columns Formed

The columns formed when a thick lava flow cooled slowly and evenly. As the lava lost heat, it contracted and cracked into a network of joints, and because the cooling was so uniform, the cracks propagated in the roughly hexagonal pattern that minimizes stress across the rock — the same physical process that shapes columnar basalt at Svartifoss and the Giant’s Causeway. At Gerðuberg the individual columns are roughly 1 to 1.5 meters wide and reach up to about 14 meters tall, standing in a tight, wall-like row that runs for a considerable stretch along the hillside.

Visiting Gerðuberg

There’s no admission fee and no facilities — just a gravel parking area at the base of the cliff and a short walk to the columns themselves. You can walk along the base for a good stretch, looking up at the polygonal cross-sections where sections have sheared or eroded away. It’s an easy add-on if you’re driving the southern side of Snæfellsnes rather than the more heavily touristed northern loop past Kirkjufell, and it takes only 20-30 minutes to see properly.

• Getting there: On Route 54 on the south side of Snæfellsnes; about 60 minutes’ drive from Stykkishólmur
• Duration: 20-30 minutes at the site
• Cost: Free, roadside gravel parking
• What to bring: Sturdy shoes — the ground near the base is uneven and often damp
• Timing: Good any time of day; combine with other southern Snæfellsnes stops like Búðakirkja or Lóndrangar

Where to Stay

The Stykkishólmur Inn is a walkable in-town base on the north coast of Snæfellsnes, making it a convenient anchor for a full loop of the peninsula — head out along the southern route to Gerðuberg and other basalt and lava sites, then return to the harbour town for the evening. Book direct on Ourhotels.is for the best rate.

Photo: The icelandist via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.