Falls of the World · Farstep pack

Gullfoss in 3D

Two steps into the crevice

On the Hvítá river, southwest Iceland

Gullfoss drops the Hvítá river 11 m, turns, and plunges 21 m into a crevice about 20 m wide that runs on for some 2.5 km. The river carries meltwater from Langjökull, Iceland's second-largest glacier. Sigríður Tómasdóttir, daughter of the farmer who owned the falls, is remembered for walking to Reykjavík again and again to stop a dam.

Where: On the Hvítá river, southwest Iceland
Steps: 11 m, then 21 m into a crevice
Crevice: About 20 m wide, 2.5 km long
Summer flow: About 140 m³ a second

Walk Gullfoss in 3D

A real-time 3D model, built from open elevation data and published measurements. Loads 2.5 MB when you start.

Gullfoss

Walk it yourself. Works on this phone.

Part of the Falls of the World pack: a one-time unlock in this browser.

Terrain from open elevation data · a 3D reconstruction, not a photograph · tags as in the app

What you'll find in the walk

Gold markers in the scene open these cards.

Two steps
Known
The Hvítá drops 11 m, turns, and plunges 21 m into a crevice about 20 m wide. The crevice runs on for some 2.5 km.
Glacier water
Known
The river carries meltwater from Langjökull, Iceland's second-largest glacier. In summer about 140 m³ goes over the falls every second.
Sigríður's walks
Folklore
Sigríður Tómasdóttir, daughter of the farmer who owned the falls, is said to have walked to Reykjavík again and again to stop a dam, vowing to throw herself in if it was built.