Skorradalur: A Quiet Drive Along West Iceland’s Forest Lake

Most drivers doing the West Iceland circuit blow past the turn for Skorradalur on their way to a waterfall. That is the point. The Skorradalur valley, in Borgarfjörður, is where locals go when they want a lake, some trees, and nobody else. It sits about 20 minutes from the Hvítá river, and it rewards a slow morning rather than a quick photo stop.

What Skorradalur Actually Is

The valley is built around Skorradalsvatn, a long ribbon lake roughly 15 to 16 km end to end but rarely more than a kilometre wide, with a maximum depth of about 48 m. Its area is around 14.7 km². What makes the drive unusual for Iceland is the tree cover: the slopes are lined with planted and self-seeded birch and conifer, the result of a government reforestation effort that began decades ago. There are no villages on the shore, just clusters of summerhouses tucked into the woodland. For a country that is mostly open and treeless, an hour among actual forest feels genuinely different.

The Drive and the Walk

Road 508 (Skorradalsvegur) runs the north shore. It starts paved and turns to gravel as it narrows past the forest, but it is fine for a normal car in summer. Take it slowly; there is no reason to rush, and the surface asks you not to.

The natural stop is Stálpastaðir, a forestry area (Stálpastaðaskógur) given to the Icelandic Forestry Service back in 1951. The main marked trail runs about 1.6 km, is rated easy with almost no climb, and the paths are wide and well signed. Budget roughly 30 to 45 minutes on foot with photo stops, and look for the old concrete barn near the water, which locals sometimes use for small art and photo exhibitions. Benches are dotted along the way if you would rather sit than walk.

When to Go and What to Bring

Late September is the pick, when the birch turns and the whole valley goes gold and copper for a couple of weeks. Summer is greener and busier with summerhouse traffic on weekends. The lake holds arctic char, and fishing is possible with the correct permit if that is your thing. Pack a picnic, because there are no shops or cafés along the shore that you should count on.

• Getting there: about 20 minutes from The Hvítá Inn via road 50 to road 508.
• Time needed: half a day is plenty; two to three hours if you are just driving the shore and doing the Stálpastaðir loop.
• What to bring: waterproof shoes, a picnic and water, a full tank of fuel, and a camera for the reflections on a still day.
• Best timing: late September for autumn colour; check gravel-road conditions before travelling outside summer, as the road can be rough or closed in winter.

Where to Stay

Stay at The Hvítá Inn, on the bank of the Hvítá river at Hvítárbakki near Borgarnes. Because Skorradalur is only about 20 minutes away, you can drive the shore in the low, soft light of early morning or late afternoon, when the summerhouse crowd is gone, and be back at the inn well before dinner. Book direct on Ourhotels.is for the best rate.

Photo: Börkur Sigurbjörnsson via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.