Beyond the Tourist Trail: Hidden Stops and Secret Viewpoints Along the Golden Circle Route

Iceland’s Golden Circle is the country’s most-traveled road trip route – a roughly 300-kilometer loop from Reykjavík that connects three of the country’s headline attractions: Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir geothermal area, and Gullfoss waterfall. On a summer afternoon, the parking lots fill with tour buses, selfie sticks appear at every angle, and the well-worn paths start to feel like airport corridors. But the Golden Circle has a quieter, more rewarding version of itself that exists just a few steps off the paved trail, in the hour before most people wake up, or down a farm road with no signage at all. This guide is for travelers who want to feel the landscape rather than just photograph it – the ones who are willing to park a little farther, walk a little longer, and take roads that don’t appear on the laminated tourist maps handed out at Reykjavík car rental desks.

The Golden Circle Before the Crowds Arrive

Timing is the single most underestimated variable on the Golden Circle. Tour buses from Reykjavík typically depart between 8:30 and 10:00 AM, which means the big sites reach peak congestion between 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM. If you’re driving yourself – and you absolutely should, because a rental car gives you access to everything in this guide – there’s a simple strategy: reverse the route.

Most self-drive visitors start at Þingvellir, follow the road to Geysir, then finish at Gullfoss before looping back to the capital. Going in the opposite direction means you’re swimming against the current of tour groups the entire day. Start at Gullfoss around 7:30 AM when the light hits the canyon at a low angle and the mist from the falls catches it in ways that disappear by mid-morning. Move backward to the Geysir area before 9:00, then spend the bulk of your afternoon at Þingvellir when buses are already heading home.

In summer, Iceland’s midnight sun means you’re not constrained by daylight at either end. In winter, the shorter window of light is actually a gift – golden hour lasts for hours rather than minutes, and the Golden Circle genuinely lives up to its name in ways it doesn’t in July. The low-season tradeoff of cold and unpredictable weather is worth it for the near-solitude you’ll find at Gullfoss with frost on the handrails and no one else on the upper path.

Þingvellir’s Forgotten Corners

Þingvellir National Park carries extraordinary weight – it was the site of Iceland’s original parliament, the Alþing, founded in 930 AD, and it sits directly on the visible rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Most visitors see the church, walk to the Law Rock (Lögberg), admire the Almannagjá rift, and leave. There’s so much more.

The Öxará River walk is the park’s best-kept secret. Follow the river north from the main visitor area – away from the crowds moving south toward the rift – and within fifteen minutes you’ll find yourself walking along a gentle, silent riverbank with almost no one else around. The water runs clear and cold through birch scrub, and if you’re visiting in late August, the vegetation turns shades of rust and amber that rival anything in New England. There are no ropes, no interpretive signs, no designated photo spots. It’s just you and a river cutting through a volcanic plain.

For more dramatic solitude, drive to the northern parking areas of the park – specifically around the lake, Þingvallavatn, which is Iceland’s largest natural lake and almost completely ignored by day-trippers. The lake’s far shore is reachable by car via Route 360, and from certain points you can stand at the water’s edge in complete stillness with the Hengill volcanic system visible across the water and no infrastructure around you at all.

The Nikulásargjá fissure – often called Peningagjá, or the Wishing Fissure – is where visitors toss coins into the crystal-clear water, but if you walk the full length of this crack in the earth rather than stopping at the coin-throwing viewpoint, you’ll find narrower, quieter sections where the geology becomes almost abstract. The water is so clear it seems like there’s no water there at all, just rock floating in blue light.

Between the Big Stops – The Road Less Examined

The drive between Þingvellir and Geysir along Route 35 takes about 45 minutes without stops. Most people cover it in exactly 45 minutes. A handful of pullouts and secondary roads along this stretch deserve more than a passing glance.

Just before you reach Laugarvatn, watch on the left side of the road for a small gravel track leading toward what looks like a low hillside. This area sits above the geothermal hotspot that feeds the town below, and on cool mornings, steam rises from the ground in thin columns visible from the road. There’s no sign. You’ll park on gravel and walk across scrubby grass that’s warm beneath your feet in spots – a minor geological thrill that costs nothing and takes ten minutes.

On the section between Geysir and Gullfoss, Route 35 follows the Hvítá river upstream. Several unsigned gravel turnoffs lead to riverside spots that offer elevated views of the Hvítá canyon – a deep, basalt-sided gorge that’s essentially a miniature preview of Gullfoss itself. The river is glacially milky and moves fast, and from above, you can see the water carving through the rock in ways the Gullfoss viewing platform doesn’t fully convey.

Farmers in this region have been here for centuries, and while you shouldn’t walk onto private land without permission, the roads between the main attractions pass working farms where Icelandic horses graze close to the roadside fences. These are genuinely curious animals and will approach if you stop and stand quietly at a fence. Bringing a small apple isn’t a bad idea.

Secret Viewpoints at Gullfoss That Most Visitors Never Reach

Gullfoss – “Golden Falls” – drops 32 meters in two cascades into a narrow canyon, and it’s legitimately one of the most powerful waterfalls in Europe. The standard visitor experience involves the main parking lot, a walk down a paved path, and jostling for position at the lower viewing platform where the spray soaks anyone without a rain jacket. That view is real and worth having. But there are two other perspectives that most visitors miss entirely.

The upper canyon walk begins from the same parking area but heads in the opposite direction from the crowd flow – follow the edge of the canyon east, away from the falls. Within about 400 meters, the crowds thin to almost nothing and you’re standing at the rim of the Hvítá canyon looking back toward the falls from an angle that emphasizes the sheer scale of the gorge rather than the water itself. The canyon walls here drop steeply and the river far below looks silver-gray against the dark basalt. On a clear day, you can see the Langjökull glacier in the distance – the source of all this water – sitting on the horizon like a white tablecloth spread across the highlands.

The east-bank perspective requires a short detour back toward the Geysir direction – turn off Route 35 before the main Gullfoss parking lot and take the small gravel road that tracks toward the river from the opposite bank. This isn’t marked for tourists and doesn’t appear on standard Golden Circle maps. You’ll end up at a point where the canyon narrows and the sound of the falls reaches you before the view does. Looking across the gorge from this angle, you see the lower falls head-on rather than from the side – it’s how the waterfall was photographed in the early 20th century before the main infrastructure was built. The geometry is completely different and the crowd at the standard viewpoint, if you can see them at all, looks tiny against the scale of the landscape.

The Geysir Area Beyond Strokkur

Strokkur erupts roughly every five to ten minutes, shooting boiling water 15 to 40 meters into the air. It is spectacular, dependable, and surrounded by tourists with cameras raised at all times. The original Geysir – the geyser that gave all geysers their name – sits just a short walk away and erupts far less frequently, sometimes going quiet for years. But the geothermal field around both of them contains dozens of features that most visitors walk past without stopping.

The Blesi hot spring sits slightly north of Strokkur’s main cluster and contains two adjacent pools: one opaque turquoise-blue from dissolved silica, one completely clear. The contrast between them is visually striking in a way that’s actually better than Strokkur on an overcrowded day, and usually only a handful of people are looking at it at any given moment.

The hillside rising behind the geothermal field – to the east – is climbed by almost nobody despite being an easy fifteen-minute walk. There’s a faint path. From the top, you look down over the entire geothermal field, seeing the steam vents, colored pools, and the churned white silica earth as a complete picture rather than a series of isolated features. The perspective is far more useful for understanding the geology than any of the interpretive signs at ground level. On a cool morning, the steam from dozens of vents rises together and the whole area looks like it’s breathing.

Small, unnamed steam vents line the edge of the field near the parking area. Stand near one – carefully, from the marked safe distances – and listen. The sound is industrial: a deep, wet hiss that sounds vaguely like a large animal exhaling. It’s a reminder that this landscape isn’t decorative. It’s active.

Kerið Crater and Its Underrated Surroundings

Kerið is the one Golden Circle stop that charges a small entrance fee (currently around 700 ISK, paid at a small booth), which keeps some visitors away and makes it one of the calmer major stops on the circuit. The crater itself is about 3,000 years old, roughly 170 meters across and 55 meters deep, filled at the bottom with a lake that shifts from red-brown to vivid turquoise depending on season, rainfall, and the angle of light.

The standard path goes around the outer rim, and it’s worth doing – the views into the crater change character at every step as the color of the lake appears differently against the ochre and black volcanic rock. But the path also descends to the lake’s edge via a somewhat steep trail on the west side, and most people stay on the rim rather than making the descent. Go down. The walls of the crater rise around you and the sense of scale – which isn’t fully apparent from the top – becomes immediate. The lake is shallow and the red volcanic gravel at the waterline is unlike anything else in Iceland’s generally black-and-grey volcanic palette.

Kerið sits in the Grímsnes volcanic area, and within a few kilometers are several smaller craters and lava fields that receive essentially zero tourist traffic. A short drive south on Route 35 reveals roadside lava formations and moss-covered fields that offer the moody, alien Iceland of the imagination without a soul around. This area also sits close to the town of Selfoss – Iceland’s largest inland town – which has a genuine local supermarket, a couple of honest restaurants, and none of the tourist pricing that inflates costs in Reykjavík or at the Golden Circle service stops.

Hidden Villages and Local Stops on the Route

The Golden Circle passes close to several small communities that rarely appear in travel itineraries but add real depth to the drive.

Laugarvatn

This small village on the shores of Lake Laugarvatn sits almost exactly between Þingvellir and Geysir and is famous – at least locally – for its geothermally heated lake and the Fontana geothermal baths, which are far smaller and less crowded than the Blue Lagoon and sit directly on the lakeshore. The baths have steam rooms built over natural steam vents, and you can switch between the hot pools and the cold lake within a few steps. It’s a legitimate local experience rather than a mass-tourism product.

The village bakery, Laugarvatn Fontana Bakery, bakes rye bread in the geothermal ground – the dough is placed in a pot and buried in the hot earth near the lake for 24 hours. The result is dense, slightly sweet, and genuinely unlike any rye bread baked in an oven. It’s served with Icelandic butter and smoked trout from the lake, and on a cold Golden Circle morning, it’s one of the better breakfasts available anywhere in the region.

Flúðir

Flúðir sits a few kilometers south of the main Route 35 corridor, and almost no Golden Circle itinerary includes it. This small agricultural community is the greenhouse capital of Iceland – the local geothermal energy is used to heat large commercial greenhouses producing tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers year-round. The town also sits near the Secret Lagoon (Gamla Laugin), which despite its increasingly touristy name, remains a genuinely old-fashioned geothermal pool – Iceland’s oldest swimming pool, dating to 1891 – with a small changing room, a grassy surround, and water that stays around 38-40°C regardless of air temperature.

Lunch in Flúðir, at the local guesthouse or community pool café, will cost significantly less than anything sold at the main Golden Circle tourist restaurants, and the food will be straightforward, honest Icelandic cooking: lamb soup, skyr, dense bread.

Extending the Circle – Detours That Add Depth Without Adding Much Distance

A few side routes from the main Golden Circle loop reward travelers who have an extra two or three hours and aren’t anchored to a fixed schedule.

Hrunalaug Hot Pot

A small, natural hot pot near Flúðir that takes about 15 minutes of gravel driving to reach, Hrunalaug has become better-known in recent years but still requires effort – and proper footwear – to access. It’s set into a hillside above a stream, holds about six people comfortably, and has no infrastructure beyond a wooden changing area. The temperature is perfect without management. Access requires a small donation via an honesty box near the gate, and the landowner asks that visitors leave the area clean and respect the property boundary. It’s exactly the kind of stop that makes Iceland feel like discovery rather than tourism.

Faxi Waterfall

Faxi (also called Vatnsleysufoss) is a broad, low waterfall on the Tungufljót river, accessible via a short detour from Route 35 between Geysir and Gullfoss. Where Gullfoss has power, Faxi has width – it spreads about 80 meters across the river in a series of stepped cascades. A natural salmon ladder runs along one side and, in season, you can watch salmon working their way upstream. The parking area holds maybe ten cars. There are no tour buses.

The Highlands Edge via F35

Travelers with a 4WD vehicle and some tolerance for rough roads can continue past Gullfoss onto the F35 – a highland road that leads into Iceland’s interior. You don’t need to go far. Even 10-15 kilometers into the highlands gives you a completely different landscape: treeless, vast, and ancient-feeling. The road eventually reaches the Langjökull glacier, which offers glacier tours, but even stopping partway up and sitting with the scale of the highlands is transformative after a day of postcard-formatted viewpoints.

Practical Notes for Getting the Most Out of the Golden Circle

Driving independently is strongly recommended. Rental cars are widely available in Reykjavík, and even a basic two-wheel-drive vehicle handles the main Golden Circle roads year-round (Route 35 is paved and maintained). For the gravel detours in this guide, a slightly higher clearance is helpful but not essential in summer. In winter, always check road conditions at road.is before setting out.

Weather moves fast. The Golden Circle can deliver sunshine, rain, hail, and clear skies in the same hour. Layers are mandatory, and a waterproof outer layer is non-negotiable near Gullfoss. Keep dry bags in the car for cameras and electronics.

Fuel and food planning: Gas stations with attached cafés are spaced across the route – Selfoss, Laugarvatn, and the Geysir area all have options. But if you want to eat well rather than just eat, pack food from Reykjavík or stop at the Bonus supermarket in Selfoss for a fraction of what roadside tourist spots charge. A thermos of good coffee and a packed lunch will serve you better at a secret viewpoint than any overpriced café.

Respectful access: Iceland’s landscape is fragile in ways that don’t always look obvious. The moss covering lava fields takes decades to grow, and a single footstep off the marked path can destroy years of growth. Stick to established paths, don’t cross ropes or barriers, and if a road has a gate, assume it’s private unless there’s clear public access signage.

Off-season advantages: Visiting between October and April means far fewer people on the route. Northern lights are possible on clear nights anywhere along the Golden Circle, and driving between stops in near-darkness with the aurora overhead is an experience that summer visitors simply cannot have. The Þingvellir rift under snow is one of Iceland’s most quietly dramatic sights. Dress accordingly, check forecasts obsessively, and embrace the variable.

The Golden Circle earns its popularity – there’s a reason millions of people drive it every year. But popularity and depth aren’t opposites. Every stop on this route has a quieter version of itself waiting just beyond the edge of the crowd, and finding it requires nothing more than a little curiosity and a willingness to walk past the first obvious viewpoint.

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📷 Featured image by Joe Broadbent on Unsplash.