DIAMOND CIRCLE · ACCESS DECISION
Neither bank is the universal answer. The west side pairs paved Route 862 with the main trail; the east side uses gravel Route 864 and a different approach. Put the road, your shoes and the next overnight stop on the same line before you pick the view.
ICENAVI ROUTE FIT · DETTIFOSS
Which route remains manageable today?
This is not a beauty ranking. It is an access-fit score based on roads, trails, season, overnight base and the cost of changing plans. The scores do not replace road notices on your departure day. If Route 864 is not viable that day, there is no east-bank score to consider.
The west bank is the more broadly workable choice. The east bank offers something extra only when the road is open, your vehicle is permitted and your route continues north.
Paved Route 862 is better suited to first-time visitors and standard 2WD cars. Gravel Route 864, rental terms and the risk of tyre damage can change the answer outright.
Snow, thawing ground and mud affect Route 864. Winter service on Route 862 is also limited, so both roads must be checked again on the day you leave.
On the west bank, the D1 trail is about 1 kilometre each way and roughly 1.5 kilometres return. Adding Selfoss brings the D2 route to about 2.5 kilometres, so driving time alone is a poor estimate.
Mývatn suits a return west, while Ásbyrgi draws you into the northern section. If you are whale watching or returning to Akureyri the next day, your base affects the choice before the viewpoint does.
Landslides, slippery ground, dinner plans and fixed check-in times can turn one kilometre into a real scheduling cost. Leave room for accommodation changes and the following day's direction.
Check Route 864 before comparing the viewpoints
Route 862 on the west bank is paved; Route 864 on the east bank is gravel and can remain closed in snow or wet, muddy ground until conditions improve. That is a practical access question, not a claim that the east side is wilder or better. If the road notice is unclear, your rental terms exclude it or the weather is turning, use Route 862 or postpone the visit before reaching the junction.
The west bank is not automatically trouble-free throughout the year. North Iceland road information says winter service on Route 862 is limited, and the national park warns that off-season conditions can change quickly. Treat “paved” as the more dependable access option, not as a promise that the road is safe, open or driveable at summer speed. When today's roads, fatigue and overnight stop need to be recalculated, the departure-day test for winter driving in Iceland is more reliable than any old itinerary.
On the west bank, budget the final kilometre
Vatnajökull National Park lists the west-bank D1 trail as approximately 1 kilometre each way from the car park to the viewpoint. The return distance is about 1.5 kilometres, with an official estimate of 30 minutes to one hour. The trail is graded easy, but that does not mean ordinary city shoes will suit every day's conditions. Spray from the waterfall blows towards the west bank, making the viewpoint and trail slippery. In severe cold, snow can build up along the edge, and the park advises visitors not to approach the canyon rim.
The walk also has a small ritual: adjust layers at the car, take water, walk out, wait for the view, then return before starting the next drive. That is why a “30-minute stop” only works on a day with slack. A Mývatn Nature Baths booking, dinner deadline or tired driver can turn the short trail into the part that breaks the schedule.
The practical question here is rarely whether everyone can finish the walk. It is whether you allowed for it. If you are travelling with an older person, children, someone recovering from motion sickness, or a group that has not eaten lunch, the west bank's kilometre need not be cancelled. Just do not squeeze it in around sunset, dinner and hotel check-in. The D2 trail combining Dettifoss and Selfoss is about 2.5 kilometres and officially takes around an hour. Seeing another waterfall means adding another walk, not merely glancing around the corner from the car park.
| Your conditions today | Bank to consider first | What it genuinely gives you | What not to mistake it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard car, first visit, winter or unsettled weather | West bank, Route 862 | Paved access and clearer information for the park's main trail | A guarantee that no same-day check is needed at any time of year |
| Summer, Route 864 open, rental terms permit it, continuing towards Route 85 | East bank, Route 864 | A way to place the waterfall on a north-easterly route instead of retracing your drive | A rougher gravel road that somehow counts as a shortcut |
| You only want to see the waterfall and return to Mývatn | West bank, Route 862 | Fewer road variables, leaving time for the lake area or your accommodation | Proof that you can add a quick detour to Ásbyrgi if time appears |
| You want Mývatn, Dettifoss and Ásbyrgi on the same day | Check conditions before choosing the full direction of travel | A clear answer on whether you actually need another night in the north | Three nearby names on a map that fit comfortably into one afternoon |
Break the visit into a cost table and the answer gets clearer
Admission is free on both banks, but a zero entry fee does not mean a zero-cost visit. Regret usually arrives after departure: discovering that your rental cannot use Route 864, soaking your shoes, adding another night drive back to Mývatn, or sacrificing the following morning's activity for one more viewpoint. The costs below are not quotations. They are the items that belong in your itinerary before you set off.
| What you want to gain | The apparent plan | The cost that is easy to miss | A more dependable alternative |
|---|---|---|---|
| A close, more rugged east-bank perspective | Enter via Route 864, then return the same way | Gravel reduces driving speed and raises the risks of tyre damage and extra cleaning; the entire plan fails if Route 864 is closed | Complete the main visit via west-bank Route 862, then reserve the northern section for Ásbyrgi or the following day |
| Dettifoss, Selfoss and Mývatn on the same day | Fit all three stops into one day | The west-bank D1 and D2 trails already add up to about 2.5 kilometres of walking, before parking, dressing, drinking water, toilet stops and returning to the car | See Dettifoss only, or stay another night near Mývatn and add Selfoss only if fitness and weather allow |
| Continue to Húsavík after the waterfall | Leave Mývatn and drive north that afternoon | Backtracking competes with the whale-watching check-in time; missing it cannot be fixed by driving faster | Stay in Húsavík or schedule the activity the previous evening, then visit the waterfall in daylight with enough time to spare |
| Reach Dettifoss in winter | Copy the summer route | Winter service on Route 862 is limited, while snow and ice on the trail, viewing platforms or road sections may prompt on-site safety changes | Keep Mývatn or Akureyri as your base and leave only when both road and park notices indicate that the journey is viable that day |
The map shows why Dettifoss is not beside Mývatn
This map places Mývatn, Dettifoss and Ásbyrgi on the same OpenStreetMap base. It cannot choose today’s road, but it does show the extra northbound leg if you continue to Ásbyrgi. Returning to Mývatn is reasonable; it is simply a return journey, not a stop already on the way.
Before adding Ásbyrgi to the same day, account for the drive back
The national park treats Jökulsárgljúfur as the area extending north from Dettifoss to Ásbyrgi, with Route 862 on the west side of the river. Geographically, seeing the waterfall does not mean you have already completed the Diamond Circle. If you plan to stay in Ásbyrgi or continue north the next day, the west-bank direction may feel natural. If tonight's accommodation is already booked in Mývatn, it is another decision to backtrack—one that delays dinner and tires the driver.
I would therefore choose tonight's base before choosing the riverbank. If you want to connect geothermal landscapes, volcanic scenery and an eastbound journey the following day, return to the Mývatn and Húsavík base comparison. When you have only one night in the north, need supplies or will travel west the next day, the Akureyri guide shows what a city base gives you. If you want an early whale-watching departure from Húsavík, the harbour check-in time is less flexible than a Dettifoss photograph. Read whether whale watching merits an overnight stay before fitting the waterfall into the remaining space.
Four checks matter more than copying someone else’s day
First, open the official road page and check Routes 862 and 864 together with the roads before and after them. Second, confirm whether your rental agreement places additional restrictions on gravel roads, tyre damage or particular routes. Third, write the walking time for the Dettifoss trail and Selfoss into the itinerary instead of recording driving time alone. Fourth, check current national park notices for trails and viewing platforms. In 2025, the park closed parts of the west-side platforms and paths at Dettifoss because of a landslide, and later access could still change following on-site assessments. This does not mean you should assume the site is inaccessible. It means the point reached by someone last year is not proof that you can reach it today.
ICENAVI · WHEN TO RULE OUT A ROAD
Choose the workable bank, then leave the rest for a better day
The two banks offer different views and different onward roads. If the day’s road notice, rental terms and route do not support Route 864, the west bank is not a consolation prize. A dependable visit leaves more room for Mývatn, Ásbyrgi or the next overnight stop.
More reading
Q&A | Questions to settle before departure
Should first-time visitors simply choose the west bank of Dettifoss?
If you have a standard 2WD, are travelling in winter or do not want a gravel road to become the day's largest risk, west-bank Route 862 is the more dependable starting point. The east bank is not a fixed, more “authentic” answer. Road conditions, rental terms and the direction of your next stop must all support it.
If east-bank Route 864 is open, is it automatically worth driving?
No. Being open is only the basic feasibility test. You still need to consider the road surface, weather, vehicle type and whether you were already heading towards Ásbyrgi or Route 85. Otherwise, rerouting an entire section for another angle may not be worthwhile.
Can I visit both banks on the same day?
Yes, but it should not be the default plan. The entrances and road conditions differ, so place the parking time, trails and your next overnight base on the map first. If your priority is simply to complete a dependable waterfall visit, choosing one bank is usually better.
References
- Vatnajökull National Park: D1 Dettifoss and Dettifoss area (the 1-kilometre west-bank trail, spray and slippery-ground warnings, the winter warning near the edge, and the effects of mud and season on Route 864 access; checked 2026-08-24).
- Visit North Iceland: Dettifoss Waterfall and North Iceland FAQ (the surfaces and seasonal service of Routes 862 and 864, the gravel road to the east bank, and the principle of checking roads on the day).
- Vatnajökull National Park: Landslide by Dettifoss (viewing platforms and paths may close following on-site safety assessments; checked 2026-08-24).
- Lead image: Jakub Hałun/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. The photograph shows only the waterfall and canyon setting; it does not represent same-day water volume, viewing platforms, trails, roads or weather.
- OpenStreetMap: base map and attribution for the North Iceland location map in this article. The markers show only the relative positions of Mývatn, west-bank Route 862, east-bank Route 864 and Ásbyrgi. They are not navigation guidance or a guarantee about same-day roads, car parks or access.
