Iceland Trip

Iceland F-roads

F550 Kaldidalur

Closed

Road notes by · Iceland Lead & Content Curator· Updated

F550 Kaldidalur is a 40 km gravel road between Þingvellir and Húsafell with no river crossings, which makes it the gentlest F-road in Iceland and a practical shortcut between the Golden Circle and West Iceland. It needs a 4x4 by law and opens around mid-June. The reward is the view of Langjökull and the Ok shield volcano from a road almost nobody else is on.

Key facts

Connects
Þingvellir (Route 52) to Húsafell and Route 518, West Iceland
Length
40 km, about About 1 hour 15 minutes in good conditions
Opens
mid-June
Closes
late September to October
Rivers
None (bridged or dry)
Car
4x4 required by law; a standard 4x4 SUV is enough
Region
West / near Þingvellir
Schematic map of F550 Kaldidalur: Þingvellir (Route 52) to Húsafell and Route 518, West Iceland
Where F550 runs and what it connects. Schematic, not for navigation.

Status today

Closed

  • Uxahryggjavegur – LangjökulsvegurClosed
  • Langjökulsvegur – HálsasveitarvegurClosed
  • Þingvallavegur – UxahryggjavegurClosed

Source: umferdin.is (Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration), as of 29 Oct 2026, 08:46. Re-check road.is on the morning you drive.

The facts

F550 at a glance
FactValue
ConnectsÞingvellir (Route 52) to Húsafell and Route 518, West Iceland
RegionWest / near Þingvellir
Length of the F-road sectionabout 40 km
Driving timeAbout 1 hour 15 minutes
Status nowClosed
Typical openingmid-June
Typical closinglate September to October
Difficultyeasy
4x4 requiredYes, by law
River crossingsNone
Car that fitsAny 4x4, even a compact one (Dacia Duster, Suzuki Jimny).
F550 at a glance. Live status from umferdin.is as of 29 Oct 2026, 08:46, refreshed every 30 minutes.

Reaches: Langjökull and Þórisjökull views · Ok (the former glacier) · Húsafell · Hraunfossar and Barnafoss nearby

The road

Kaldidalur, the cold valley, runs between the Ok and Þórisjökull mountains with Langjökull filling the east. It is a graded gravel road that rises to about 730 m; rough and washboarded in places, exposed to wind and late snow, but without a single ford. Most of its length is a steady, remote drive with the ice cap beside you.

River crossings and the car

None. F550 is in the lowest water-crossing tier with Kjölur, so any 4x4 the rental contract allows on F-roads will do. The F designation still matters: 2WD cars are banned and uninsured on it, and the road is closed outside its season.

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

When it opens

Typically mid-June, after the snow at the pass has gone, and it closes between late September and October. It sits high enough to hold snow late in a cold spring. Recorded dates are below.

F550: first and last day recorded open, by year
YearFirst day openLast day openDays openDays sampled
202619 Oct 202621 Oct 2026311
F550: first and last day recorded open, by year. Daily snapshots from 19 Oct 2026 to 29 Oct 2026. A road still open shows the latest snapshot date as its last day open.

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

How itineraries use it

As the link between a Golden Circle day and a night at Húsafell, Reykholt or Borgarnes: Þingvellir in the afternoon, Kaldidalur, then Hraunfossar the next morning. It saves the drive back through Reykjavík and adds a highland taste to a 2WD-style route for anyone who has a 4x4 anyway.

Itineraries that use F550

Editor-picked Highlands plans from real trips drive this road or reach the places on it. Duplicate one and make it yours.

See itineraries with F550

Questions about F550

Does F550 have river crossings?

No. Kaldidalur is one of the few F-roads with no fords at all, so a compact 4x4 is enough and most rental contracts allow it. Its difficulty is the surface, loose gravel and washboard, and the weather, which can turn to fog or snow on the pass in any summer month. Allow about two hours for the 40 km.

Can I take a 2WD on Kaldidalur?

No. Any road with an F number requires a 4x4 by law, and rental insurance is void on it in a 2WD, even though this one has no rivers; rental companies track the car and charge for F-road use in an excluded one. The paved way between Þingvellir and Húsafell is via Reykholt on Routes 36 and 50, about an hour longer.

Is F550 worth it?

For the views of Langjökull and the empty valley, yes, and as a shortcut it saves about an hour over the paved route via Reykjavík between Þingvellir and Húsafell. It is a quiet road rather than a destination.

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