F88 Öskjuleið (to Askja, via Herðubreiðarlindir)

Öskjuleið leaves the Ring Road at the Hrossaborg crater and runs south through the Ódáðahraun lava desert with the table mountain Herðubreið ahead, the queen of Icelandic mountains, to the green oasis of Herðubreiðarlindir and on to Drekagil at the foot of the Dyngjufjöll. From Dreki the F894 spur climbs to the Vikraborgir car park, then it is a 2.5 km walk into the Askja caldera to the Víti crater and the lake.

The Lindaá below Herðubreiðarlindir and the Grafarlandsá are the two fords that matter: deep, fast and with soft beds, in the third water tier. A high-clearance 4x4 such as a Land Cruiser or Hilux is the minimum and many rentals exclude F88 outright. The eastern route (Route 901, F905, F910 east) has predictable small streams and is the safer self-drive approach to the same Dreki hut.

Water tier 3: Medium to large water crossings. A high-clearance 4x4 — Toyota Land Cruiser, Land Rover Defender, or Toyota Hilux.

Late June to early July, and it closes in September. Askja is at 1,000 m and snow can close the last section even in July. Recorded dates are below.

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

As a full day from Mývatn or Möðrudalur, usually by Superjeep tour, or self-drive via the eastern approach with a night at Dreki or Möðrudalur. Plans of two weeks or more with a capable car combine Askja with Stuðlagil and Dettifoss over two days in the north-east.