Bláfjöll (, "blue mountains") are a small mountain range in the southwest of

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

Reykjanes Reykjanes () is a small headland on the south-western end of the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, giving the main peninsula its name. Volcanic action is responsible for forming the entire peninsula. The nearest town is Keflavik. The name, , trans ...

peninsula at about 30 km from

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

. They form sort of a double mountain massif to the west and in the east of JósepsdalurÞór Vigfússon: Í Árnesþingi vestanverðu. Ferðafélag Íslands Árbók 2003. Reykjavík 2003, p.83 on Hellisheiði.Íslandshandbókin. Náttúra, saga og sérkenni. Reykjavík 1989, p. 780

Geography

The mountain massif has a length of about 9 km. The western part includes

Vífilsfell Vífilsfell () is a hyaloclastite ridge in southwestern Iceland (Weichselian). It is 655 m high and located west of Jósepsdalur valley on the volcanic plateau of Hellisheiði. It forms the northernmost offset of the Bláfjöll mountain massif ...

as well as , the eastern one reaches from to . The highest mountain is ''Hákollur'' (685 m).

Geology

The Bláfjöll are

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

subglacial volcano A subglacial volcano, also known as a glaciovolcano, is a volcanic form produced by subglacial eruptions or eruptions beneath the surface of a glacier or ice sheet which is then melted into a lake by the rising lava. Today they are most common i ...

es and part of the

Brennisteinsfjöll Brennisteinsfjöll (, "Sulfur mountains"
Brennisteinsfjöll. Detailed description. In: Catalogue of Icelandic Volcano ...

volcanic system.

Winter sports

The area is the most popular ski resort for the inhabitants of Iceland's Höfuðborgarsvæði, Capital City Area. The winter sports area is situated at elevations between 460 and 700 m.https://www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/blafjoell/ Ski resort Bláfjöll. Retrieved 30 July 2020. 15 km of easy and intermediate slopes for skiing and

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralym ...

as well as 15 lifts ( tow lifts and

chair lift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers. They are the primary on-hill tran ...

s) are available as well as possibilities for night skiing.

Cross country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

is also possible. Two huts with accommodation and restaurant provide service for the guests. All this makes it the largest ski resort in Iceland.

Accessibility

From Reykjavík the

Hringvegur Route 1 or the Ring Road ( or ) is a national road in Iceland that circles the entire country. As a major trunk route, it is considered to be the most important piece of transport infrastructure in Iceland as it connects the majority of towns ...

is followed in southern direction, at the airfield of

Sandskeið Sandskeið (; ) is the main gliding center in Iceland and home of the Icelandic gliding club ( Svifflugfélag Íslands) since 1936. It is situated 20 km to the east of Reykjavík, the Icelandic capital, by Route 1. It is a big grass airfield ...

taken the Route 417 in direction of

Hafnarfjörður Hafnarfjörður, officially Hafnarfjarðarkaupstaður, is a port town and municipality in Iceland, located about south of Reykjavík. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas in the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital Region, on the s ...

/Bláfjöll, but up on the lava plateau turned left into the short Bláfjallavegur/Route 407. It leads directly to the mountains and the skiing area.Ísland Vegaatlas. Reykjavík 2006, p.1

Nature protection

Part of the mountain range is protected since 1973 as .

External links

* https://skidasvaedi.is/english/ Official website, ski resorts of Iceland
Skídasvaedi.is, description with map of hiking and cross country ski tracks. Retrieved 6 August 2020.

Bláfjöll. The Environment Agency of Iceland. (in Icelandic, with map of Bláfjallafólkvangur, the protected area)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bláfjöll Mountains of Iceland Reykjanes Volcanic Belt Subglacial volcanoes of Iceland Brennisteinsfjöll Volcanic System