This is the roof of the Ring Road: a high inland desert where the road tops 600 metres, trees do not exist, and the phone signal comes and goes. In summer it is a moonscape cruise; in winter it is the section of Route 1 most likely to be flagged in the panel above — check it before you commit, because there is nothing out there but the road.
Source: Vegagerðin via umferdin.is and Veðurstofa Íslands. Nationwide picture on the live dashboard. Road line 1777, emergency 112.
| Distance | Nonstop | Realistic |
|---|---|---|
| 165 km (103 mi) | 2 h 15 min | 3–4 h with stops |
From Egilsstaðir the road climbs Jökuldalsheiði onto Möðrudalsöræfi, passing the turn-off to Möðrudalur — at 469 m the highest farm in Iceland, with a famous café. The Grímsstaðir junction offers the Dettifoss detour (Route 862, paved) before the road crosses Námaskarð pass and drops suddenly into the geothermal technicolour of Hverir and Lake Mývatn.
| Stop | At | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Möðrudalur (detour 8 km) | 65 km | highest farm in Iceland; Fjallakaffi café |
| Grímsstaðir junction | 95 km | turn-off for Dettifoss via paved 862 |
| Hverir | 160 km | boiling mud pots under Námafjall |
| Mývatn | 165 km | lake, craters, nature baths |
Exposed, high and drift-prone: this stretch closes in weather that leaves the coasts open. Fuel before leaving Egilsstaðir, carry warm layers, and if the panel above shows it flagged, wait — there is no shelter and no detour between the two ends.
Möðrudalur farm café (8 km off the road) and the Grímsstaðir junction. Otherwise: no fuel, no shops, patchy signal. Treat the 165 km as one committed hop.
Yes if the day allows — Route 862 from Grímsstaðir is paved and adds about 1.5–2 hours return for Europe's most powerful waterfall. The east-side 864 is gravel and summer-only.
The Ring Road crosses roughly 600 m here — its highest point. That altitude is why this section closes first and why August nights can still freeze on the plateau.