Öræfi packs Iceland's densest run of glacier scenery into a short stretch of road. Ice comes off Vatnajökull in tongues that end almost at the tarmac, two lagoons collect what breaks away, and a black-sand plain carries the meltwater out to the Atlantic.
Almost all of it is drive-up. Múlagljúfur is the exception — the earn-your-view hike wedged between mega-sights, which is why it stays quiet on days when the lagoon car parks are full.
Ranked by how well they pair with a canyon hike on the same day.
The quieter iceberg lagoon, with the glacier front close enough to read its texture. Zodiac tours run in season, and the café here is the nearest coffee and toilets to the canyon.
Iceland's deepest lake, fed by ice calving off Breiðamerkurjökull and drifting out through the channel. Across the road the same ice washes back onto black sand. Busy, and still worth the stop.
The Vatnajökull National Park hub west of the canyon: Svartifoss and its basalt columns, guided glacier walks, a visitor centre and a campground. A morning's worth on its own.
Smaller stops along the same stretch, in the order you meet them driving east.
A glacier tongue with a short walk-in from a rough side road. Blue-and-ash striped ice at close range; check road conditions before turning off.
A turf church with a grass roof, still in use, set in a small walled graveyard. Five minutes to see, and a good reminder of what building here used to mean.
Iceland's best-known climbing cliffs, with hundreds of bolted routes on the basalt. Worth a look even if you are not climbing.
A third lagoon, less visited than either neighbour, reached by a gravel track off Route 1. Quiet water and a clear view of the ice.
Walk the viewpoint route in the morning while the light is still low in the gorge, then drive eight minutes to Fjallsárlón for coffee, toilets and the glacier front. Back on Route 1 by early afternoon.
Best if you are driving through and only have one stop to spend.
Skaftafell in the morning for Svartifoss, the canyon in the early afternoon when the coaches are at the lagoons, then Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach in the evening as the crowds thin out.
Eat before the canyon: there is nothing at the trailhead.
Use flat midday light to scout the lagoons and pick compositions, then take the canyon for the long golden hour. In May to July you can stay for a midnight-sun frame from the rim and still walk out in daylight.
Head torch anyway, and keep drones away from the nesting walls.
Accommodation clusters around Hof, the Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon area and Höfn. We take no bookings and earn nothing from any of them — this is here so you can plan the drive.