Photo spot in Stuðlagil Canyon
The east-side viewing platform
A five-minute walk from the car park to a platform looking straight down on ranks of hexagonal columns and the blue river between them.
About The east-side viewing platform
Get directionsThe east bank is the short way in: park at the Stuðlagil car park off Road 923, walk a few hundred metres, and the canyon opens below a wooden platform. From up here the columns read as pattern — vertical ranks on both walls, broken blocks stacked at the water's edge, and the river winding through them in a band of blue-green.
It is the frame that sells the place, and it works in ordinary shoes within an hour, which makes it the practical choice for a shorter session or a dressed-up couple. Put the couple on the platform with the canyon behind and shoot slightly wide to keep both walls; then work close, using the railing line and the columns as a graphic backdrop rather than a landscape.
The canyon holds shade for much of the day, so morning and evening light along the rim beats midday, and a bright overcast keeps the texture in the grey basalt. Do not step out onto the column tops near the edge for a better angle: they are loose, wet from spray and rain, and considerably higher above the water than they look from the platform.
Best time to shoot
Morning or evening; bright overcast for texture in the basalt
Tips
Shoot wide enough to keep both walls, then go close and use the columns as a graphic backdrop. Stay off the column tops at the edge.
Other spots in Stuðlagil Canyon
Down in the riverbed, west bank
Five kilometres of track each way from Klaustursel, ending among the columns themselves — the view from inside the canyon rather than above it.
Stuðlafoss
A waterfall pouring over a curved wall of basalt columns, a kilometre before the canyon on the west-bank path — usually empty.
Ready to book?
Our concierge team will hand-pick 2-3 photographers who know The east-side viewing platform — free of charge.