Öxnadalsheiði is a
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...
(which includes a valley of the same name) in between
Norðurárdalur in
Skagafjörður
Skagafjörður () is a deep fjord and its valley in northern Iceland.
Location
Skagafjörður, the fjord, is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the east and the Skagi, Skagi Peninsula to the west. Ther ...
and
Öxnadalur in
Eyjafjörður
Eyjafjörður (, ''Island Fjord'') is one of the longest fjords in Iceland. It is located in the central north of the country. Situated by the fjord is the country's fourth most populous municipality, Akureyri.
Physical geography
The fjord is ...
,
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 ...
.
Route 1
The following highways are numbered 1.
For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads.
For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads.
For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads.
For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads.
For roads numbered S ...
between Skagafjörður and
Akureyri
Akureyri (, ) is a town in northern Iceland, the country's fifth most populous Municipalities of Iceland, municipality (under the official name of Akureyrarbær , 'town of Akureyri') and the largest outside the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital R ...
goes through the plateau, which is quite snowy and used to be a difficult route to travel.
Geography
The road through has, at its highest point, an altitude of 540 meters above sea level and, as such, is the second-highest point on Route 1 after
Möðrudalur wilderness (in the highlands of north-eastern Iceland). The plateau is narrow towards the west, in and , where the
Heiðará river runs through a huge, deep gorge along the road. The river widens towards the east where the border between and counties is, along the river. Overlooking the is , a 1237-meter-tall mountain, to the west of which is located , overlooking the river in the basin of the ravine, where nearly 30 horses were driven off a cliff in 1870. Their bones are still visible in the basin. Ruins of two farms were found on the plateau. These farms became abandoned sometime in the 13th century.
There was, for a period of time, a mountain house named on the plateau around the basin.
References
{{Authority control
Skagafjörður
Eyjafjörður
Plateaus of Iceland