Kolka or Kolbeinsdalsá (literally: Kolbeinn's valley river; also formerly or "Kolbeinn's river") is a river that originates in the Tungnahryggsjökull glacier and is therefore often glacier-colored. Near its source, the river splits into two branches (near Tungnahryggur ridge), with the eastern called and the western . They are sometimes called and (East River and West River), respectively. The Kolka flows lengthwise along

Kolbeinsdalur Kolbeinsdalur is a valley on the eastern side of Skagafjörður, Iceland. It reaches north and east of Hjaltadalur, which it runs parallel to (running east south east) until Hjaltadalur curves south near Hólar, while Kolbeinsdalur continues direc ...

valley 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 ...

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 ...

and continues north along Óslandshlíð until it reaches the sea in Kolkuós. After the rivers run parallel for a good distance, the Hjaltadalsá river and Kolka merge together a little further down at the farm in , and the river is called Kolka from there on. Both rivers flow rapidly in parts and it very difficult to build bridges over them. The rivers are suitable for

white-water rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

when the water is high. There is considerable

trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

fishing in Kolka, more than in , although there is a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

in the Kolka that limits fish migration. Many fish are raised a little further below the dam, and there is local

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...

above it. An attempt has been made to raise

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

in the river and it has had some success, although there is not much salmon fishing. The Reykjavík Angling Association () manages the river and sells fishing licenses.

Sleitustaðir

or (sometimes ) is a town in Kolbeinsdalur valley—although some consider it to be outside the mouth of the valley—on the eastern side of . The town is named after the settler

Sleitu-Björn Hróarsson Sleitu-Björn Hróarsson (born c. 890 - date of death unknown) was a Vikings, viking chief and the first to found a settlement in Skagafjörður, Iceland in the ninth century. It was one of the largest settlements of this period, spanning from th ...

. There are the beginnings of a village, including some houses, a

garage A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicl ...

, a gas station, and a small store. There were significant bus operations out of and the people there had exclusive privileges to operate on road. It is also the location of a power plant. In 1985, a privately-held power plant was built in Kolka near that sells power to the distribution network, RARIK. It produces 200 kw of power and it is owned by the private company Ltd.

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Iceland Skagafjörður Hydroelectric power stations in Iceland