Jonsfoss

Egilsstadir / Lagarfljot, East Region (Austurland), Iceland

About Jonsfoss


Hiking Distance: roadside
Suggested Time:

Date first visited: 2007-07-01
Date last visited: 2007-07-01

Waterfall Latitude: 65.05224
Waterfall Longitude: -14.93466

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Jonsfoss (or Jónsfoss; meaning “John’s Waterfall”) was the obscure waterfall near the turnoff for the road leading from the head of Lagarfljót to the controversial Kárahnjúkar Dam. We had initially cast off this waterfall as one of those miscellaneous waterfalls found in the western end of Fljótsdalur as we were searching for much larger waterfalls in the valley such as Ófæruselsfoss and Strútsfoss as well as some giant waterfalls to be sacrificed by the dam project like Töfrafoss and Kirkjufoss. However, the more we paid attention to the signs in the area, the more we realized that Jónsfoss had quite a bit going for it.

For starters, the waterfall resided in what was once the historical farm at Bessastaðir. The history came from the fact that the farm was built during settlement times (said to be mentioned in many sagas) and the accompanying church was in use up until 1600. During this time, local assemblies (þings or things) were held here while there gorge harbored a pool that was used as a drowning pool called the Sunnefa Pool. The area then became private land (we sensed this given some of the fencing erected around the falls) in 1913, and it’s said that the same family continued to own the area to this day.

Regarding the other waterfalls we attempted to see, we were ultimately stopped by private property cutting off access to some roads and/or trails leading to them (assuming we were going on the right trails in the first place). Then there was the giant waterfalls essentially sacrificed by the highly controversial Kárahnjúkar Dam. Work was underway when we were there in 2007 and we decided not to find out for ourselves whether the large waterfalls in that valley were already wiped out or not. As Iceland looks to find other ways to use their land to compete in the global economy, they have tough decisions to make. And thus, there could be other waterfalls going the way of the Fljótsdalur ones in the future.

If you’re interested, I’ve put in some interesting links regarding the Kárahnjúkar Dam…

Fljotsdalur_002_07012007
Fljotsdalur_006_07012007
Lagarfljot_037_07012007


From the car park at Hengifoss, continue west on Route 933 for 3.5km. Jonsfoss is just on the right shortly after the turnoff on Route 910 (Austurleið, which led to the Kárahnjúkar).

I recalled there was a pullout near the falls as well as some stiles to help us get closer to the falls without feeling totally like we were trespassing.

For more geographical context, Egilsstaðir was 645km (7.5 hours drive) northeast of Reykjavík and 266km (3.5 hours drive) east of Akureyri.

Find A Place To Stay

Related Top 10 Lists

No Posts Found

Tagged with: egilsstadir, lagarfljot, karahnjukar, bessastadir, east region, austurland, iceland, waterfall



Visitor Comments:

Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...

No users have replied to the content on this page


Share your thoughts about what you've read on this page

You must be logged in to submit content. Refresh this page after you have logged in.

Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:

If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...

No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall


Have you been to a waterfall? Submit a write-up/review and share your experiences or impressions

Review A Waterfall

Nearest Waterfalls

The Waterfaller Newsletter

The Waterfaller Newsletter is where we curate the wealth of information on the World of Waterfalls website and deliver it to you in bite-sized chunks in your email inbox. You'll also get exclusive content like...

  • Waterfall Wednesdays
  • Insider Tips
  • User-submitted Waterfall Write-up of the Month
  • and the latest news and updates both within the website as well as around the wonderful world of waterfalls


How To Build A Profitable Travel Blog In 4 Steps