Walks · Arnarstapi
The coastal walk from Arnarstapi to Hellnar
Two and a half kilometres of basalt, arches and seabirds, between two old fishing villages under the glacier. The best short walk on Snæfellsnes.
The route, stop by stop
Start at Arnarstapi so you finish with a coffee at Hellnar, or the other way round if you want lunch at the end. The whole walk takes about 45 minutes without stops.
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Start
Bárður statue
The 6 m stone figure of Bárður Snæfellsás by Ragnar Kjartansson (1985), above the car park. Ecogrid path from here down to the old coast track.
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The harbour
Arnarstapi cliffs
Columnar basalt, grottoes and two viewing platforms over the harbour. Kittiwakes nest on the ledges close enough to watch.
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The arch
Gatklettur
The rock arch, with a viewing platform opposite. The best-known picture on the coast.
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Halfway
Hellnahraun lava
The path follows Neðstagata, the old coast track, across rough lava about 4,000 years old. Uneven for a stretch.
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Finish, about 45 min
Hellnar
A boardwalk along the Sauðá stream into the cove, the Baðstofa sea cave in the Valasnös headland, and the café in the old fish house.
A small reserve
The shore between Arnarstapi and Hellnar, 1.34 km² from Grísafossá east of Arnarstapi to Brúnkolluholt west of Hellnar, was protected as a nature reserve in 1979. It is not part of Snæfellsjökull National Park, which starts a little further west along road 574, but the same agency looks after it.
The birds are the point in summer. Kittiwakes are the commonest gull here and nest on narrow ledges of the sea cliffs, close enough to watch without binoculars; arctic terns nest in the hayfields of Arnarstapi and in a growing colony at Hellnar, and fulmars and great black-backed gulls keep to the shore. The park describes the cliffs as “teeming with bird life from spring to autumn”.
Surface and safety
The Arnarstapi half is mostly ecogrid plates set into the grass. At the Hellnar end a timber boardwalk runs along the Sauðá stream, and between them a gravel path crosses the Hellnahraun lava, which some people find hard going. The main hazards, according to the reserve’s management plan, are rockfall and falling from the cliffs: there are no railings except at the platforms, and the edges overhang.
- Keep back from cliff edges, especially in wind and on wet grass.
- In winter the ecogrid and lava can be icy; microspikes help.
- Allow longer if you stop at every platform: most people do.
At Hellnar
Hellnar was for centuries one of the largest fishing stations under the glacier. Today it is a cove, a white church from 1945, a hotel and Fjöruhúsið, the café in the old fishing-gear store by the beach. In the Valasnös headland beside it, the sea cave Baðstofa changes colour with the light and the tide; locals say it looks best early on a sunny morning at high tide. A short path (300 m) leads up to Bárðarlaug, a small pond named after Bárður.
Make it longer
From Arnarstapi, trail 29 runs west along the old road past Sölvahamar (1.5 km, about 50 minutes, rated demanding). For a whole day, the coast path continues east from Arnarstapi to the lava reserve at Búðir: the municipality suggests allowing 6–8 hours.
Questions people ask
How long is the walk from Arnarstapi to Hellnar?
2.5 km each way. The national park puts it at about 45 minutes one way and about an hour and a half there and back.
Is it difficult?
No climbing, but the park rates it “demanding” because part of it crosses uneven lava. Most of the Arnarstapi end is on ecogrid plates and the Hellnar end has a boardwalk. Wear proper shoes.
Can I bring my dog?
Yes, on a lead and under control: it is a nature reserve and birds nest right beside the path.
Can I fly a drone?
Not without a permit. Drones are banned in the reserve, and the national park bans them along the coast below Útnesvegur from 15 April to 15 September.
Where do I park?
At Arnarstapi, use the car park by the Bárður statue or the one above the harbour. Both villages are outside the national park, so its service fee does not apply.
Is there anywhere to eat?
At Arnarstapi, Snjófell’s kitchen is open 11:30–19:30 and Arnarbær serves seafood and pizza 12:00–22:00 from May to September. At Hellnar, Fjöruhúsið is a café in the old fish house; it is seasonal (reportedly May to mid-November), so check before you count on it.