Gullfoss waterfall on the Golden circle in Iceland

A glacial river entering a narrow canyon

Gullfoss lies on Hvítá, a glacial river flowing from Hvítárvatn at the edge of Langjökull, Iceland’s second-largest glacier. The river crosses the highland country north of the waterfall before reaching two resistant rock ledges at Gullfoss.

The upper fall is approximately 11 metres high and the lower fall about 21 metres, giving a combined drop of 32 metres. Between them, the river changes direction before plunging into the narrow Gullfoss gorge. From the main viewing areas, the orientation of the lower fall and the depth of the gorge can make the river seem to vanish rather than continue downstream.

The gorge below the waterfall follows fractures in layers of basalt and sedimentary rock. Water has exploited these weaknesses and carried loosened material away, gradually extending the canyon upstream. The present shape of Gullfoss is therefore the result of the glacial river working upon a landscape already structured by volcanic activity and geological movement.

The amount of water changes considerably. Summer meltwater generally brings greater volume and spray, while winter often exposes more of the waterfall’s underlying form as ice builds along its edges. Neither version is secondary: summer reveals the force of the river, while winter makes the structure of the falls and canyon easier to read.

The Golden Waterfall

Gullfoss means “Golden Waterfall,” but there is no single proven explanation for the name. One common interpretation connects it with the golden light sometimes seen in the spray. Another old story tells of a farmer who threw his gold into the waterfall rather than allow anyone else to possess it. The origin remains uncertain, but the name has become inseparable from the waterfall.

Rainbows frequently form in the mist when the position of the sun allows it. They are not a permanent feature, and the light, water volume and wind can change the appearance of the falls within minutes. This instability is part of Gullfoss: it is never quite the same waterfall twice.

Sigríður Tómasdóttir and the struggle for Gullfoss

In the early 20th century, foreign and Icelandic investors sought rights to use Gullfoss for hydroelectric power. The farmers who owned the waterfall initially refused to sell it, but development rights were later leased. Sigríður Tómasdóttir, the daughter of Tómas Tómasson at Brattholt, became the most determined public opponent of the project.

Sigríður repeatedly travelled from Brattholt to Reykjavík to argue the case before officials and pursue the matter through legal channels. These journeys are commonly described as having been made on foot, across difficult country and in all seasons. She worked with the lawyer Sveinn Björnsson, who later became the first president of Iceland.

Sigríður also threatened to throw herself into Gullfoss if construction began. The statement survives in Sveinn Björnsson’s account of the dispute and has become the best-known part of her story. Her threat was not the legal reason the development failed: the lease eventually lapsed in 1928 after rental payments stopped. Yet reducing the outcome to a failed commercial agreement misses her importance. Sigríður made the fate of Gullfoss a public question and argued that the waterfall possessed value beyond the electricity that could be extracted from it.

She did not live to see Gullfoss formally protected. A memorial bearing a profile of Sigríður was placed near the waterfall in 1978, and she is now widely remembered as one of Iceland’s earliest and most important advocates for nature conservation.

From private ownership to protection

The later ownership history is more complicated than the often-repeated claim that Gullfoss was simply donated to the nation. In 1939, Sigríður sold Brattholt to her foster son, Einar Guðmundsson. In 1945, the Icelandic state purchased Gullfoss from Einar and the owners of land east of Hvítá. Einar later gave adjoining land for conservation, with the formal donation completed in 1976.

Gullfoss and its immediate surroundings were protected as a nature reserve on 9 March 1979. The reserve safeguards both the waterfall and the canyon below it, preserving a landscape that earlier generations had seriously considered transforming for power production.

Visiting Gullfoss

There are viewing areas on two levels. The upper area gives the broadest overview of the waterfall and canyon. A staircase connects it with the lower level, from which a path leads closer to the falls and gives a more immediate sense of the water, spray and depth. Weather and surface conditions determine whether paths remain open; closures do not follow a fixed winter timetable.

Parking is free. Paths can become wet and slippery in summer and heavily iced in winter, particularly where spray freezes. Stay on marked paths and respect barriers and closures. Drone flights within the nature reserve require permission and should not be treated as an ordinary visitor activity.

• • • Gullfoss drops 32 metres in two stages: approximately 11 metres and 21 metres.
      • Hvítá flows from Hvítárvatn at Langjökull before reaching the waterfall.
      • The lease for hydroelectric development lapsed in 1928 after rental payments stopped.
      • The Icelandic state purchased Gullfoss in 1945; adjoining conservation land was later donated.
      • Gullfoss became a protected nature reserve on 9 March 1979.
      • World of Waterfalls includes Gullfoss in its personal list of the world’s ten best waterfalls.