F35 Kjalvegur (Kjölur route)

Kjölur runs north from Gullfoss through the pass between the Langjökull and Hofsjökull ice caps and comes out on Route 1 west of Blönduós. The surface is graded gravel with long washboard stretches and some loose sections, and it climbs to about 700 m, so wind and fog are the hazards rather than water. It is the one highland crossing most travelers can add to a Ring Road loop with a standard 4x4.

Fuel is only at either end. Fill up at Geysir or Flúðir going north and at Blönduós going south; the Hveravellir and Kerlingarfjöll huts sell food but not fuel.

The rivers on Kjölur itself are bridged. Rental companies that permit F-roads at all permit F35 in a compact 4x4 such as a Dacia Duster or Suzuki Jimny. A 2WD is illegal on it and uninsured. The short spur to Kerlingarfjöll (F347) has minor streams; the spur to Hveravellir is gravel with no ford.

Water tier 1: No water crossings — suitable for all 4x4s. Any 4x4, even a compact one (Dacia Duster, Suzuki Jimny).

Because it has no fords to wait for, Kjölur is usually among the first major F-roads the road authority opens, in early to mid-June, and it closes with the first lasting snow between late September and mid-October. A heavy winter pushes the opening two to three weeks later. The table below shows the dates recorded each year.

Download the data (CSV) · free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back.

As a one-day highland crossing between the Golden Circle and the north, replacing the western leg of the Ring Road: Geysir or Gullfoss in the morning, Hveravellir for a soak, a night at Kerlingarfjöll or in the north. Plans with 14 days or more use it to add the interior without a Superjeep.