Deildardalsjökull in North Iceland
Where the glacier lies, how large the monitoring reports say it is, its other names, and what the sources do and do not establish about reaching it.
Deildardalsjökull is a small glacier in Tröllaskagi, North Iceland, on the watershed between Deildardalur in Skagafjörður and Svarfaðardalur, and the Icelandic Institute of Natural History places it at the head of Svarfaðardalur. No public visitor route, access permission, road number or season is documented for the glacier, so treat Deildardalsjökull as a monitored scientific site rather than a visitor stop.
Key takeaways
- Deildardalsjökull is listed in USGS Professional Paper 1746 as a mountain glacier across the watershed between Deildardalur in Skagafjörður and Svarfaðardalur in Tröllaskagi, North Iceland. Geographic Names of Iceland’s Glaciers p67 (source checked 2026-10-27)
- The Icelandic Institute of Natural History reports Deildardalsjökull as 1.45 km² between 850 and 1080 m above sea level, a small cirque-type glacier at the head of Svarfaðardalur. Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27) Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27) Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27)
- Deildardalsjökull is also recorded as Seljadalsjökull and Hájökull, and Unadalsjökull is the nearest glacier to its north.
- The Icelandic Institute of Natural History has measured the mass balance of Deildardalsjökull in most years since 2008; the annual balance was −1.1 m water equivalent in 2020–2021 and about +1 m in 2021–2022. Report NÍ-19004 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi, 2018) (source checked 2026-10-27) Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27) Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27)
- No public visitor route, access permission, road number or season is documented for Deildardalsjökull, and Safetravel advises never going on a glacier without experience and the proper equipment.
| Fact | Detail | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Tröllaskagi, North Iceland | |
| Position | On the watershed between Deildardalur (Skagafjörður) and Svarfaðardalur | USGS Professional Paper 1746; the Icelandic Institute of Natural History places it at the head of Svarfaðardalur |
| Coordinates | 65°50.4′N, 18°58.5′W | As listed in the USGS glacier-name inventory |
| Other names | Seljadalsjökull; Hájökull | USGS glacier-name inventory |
| Type | Small cirque-type glacier | Icelandic Institute of Natural History; the USGS inventory calls it a mountain glacier |
| Area | 1.45 km² | Figure reported by the Icelandic Institute of Natural History in its monitoring reports; not a current measurement |
| Elevation range | 850–1080 m above sea level | Figure reported by the Icelandic Institute of Natural History in its monitoring reports; not a current measurement |
| Nearest glacier to the north | Unadalsjökull | Icelandic Institute of Natural History |
| Monitoring | Mass balance measured in most years since 2008 by the Icelandic Institute of Natural History | |
| Visitor route, road number, season | None documented | No source checked for this guide establishes public access, permission, a numbered road, distances or a season |
Where is Deildardalsjökull?
Deildardalsjökull lies on a watershed in Tröllaskagi, between Deildardalur in Skagafjörður and Svarfaðardalur; USGS Professional Paper 1746 describes it as a mountain glacier across that watershed. Geographic Names of Iceland’s Glaciers p67 (source checked 2026-10-27) The same inventory gives its position as 65°50.4′N, 18°58.5′W. Geographic Names of Iceland’s Glaciers p67 (source checked 2026-10-27)
The Icelandic Institute of Natural History (Náttúrufræðistofnun) places Deildardalsjökull at the head of Svarfaðardalur. Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27) On the other side of the watershed, Deildardalur is a valley on the eastern side of Skagafjörður that leads up from Höfðaströnd. Deildardalur (source checked 2026-10-27)
Deildardalsjökull has no connection with Deildartunguhver despite the similar name: the glacier is in Tröllaskagi, not in the Borgarfjörður hot-spring area. Use Tröllaskagi maps for this glacier.
The USGS glacier-name inventory, page 67, also records Seljadalsjökull as an alternative name, and its alphabetical list gives Hájökull as a second one. Geographic Names of Iceland’s Glaciers: Hájökull entry (source checked 2026-10-27) The inventory photograph labels Deildardalsjökull and neighbouring Unadalsjökull separately. These details help reconcile older maps without mistaking two named glaciers for one.
Is Deildardalsjökull a real glacier, and how big is it?
Deildardalsjökull is a real, named glacier: the Icelandic Institute of Natural History lists it at 1.45 km² with an elevation range of 850–1080 m above sea level. Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27) Those are the institute’s reported figures, repeated across its monitoring reports, and not a measurement of the glacier’s present extent.
The institute describes Deildardalsjökull as about 1.5 km² and classes it as a cirque-type glacier (skálar- og hvilftarjökull), like most glaciers on Tröllaskagi. Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27) Tröllaskagi has nearly 150 glaciers, so Deildardalsjökull is one of many small glaciers on the peninsula. Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27)
The Icelandic Institute of Natural History has measured the mass balance of Deildardalsjökull in most years since 2008. Report NÍ-19004 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi, 2018) (source checked 2026-10-27) Results swing widely between years, so read each figure below for its named glacier year only; a single year does not show a trend.
| Glacier year | Annual balance (water equivalent) | Also reported |
|---|---|---|
| 2020–2021 | −1.1 m | Terminus survey: retreat of about 10 m |
| 2021–2022 | About +1 m | Positive balance |
The institute’s 2025 report gives the 2020–2021 balance of Deildardalsjökull as −1.1 m water equivalent. Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27) The same report’s terminus survey found that the glacier retreated by about 10 m. Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27) For 2021–2022 the report gives a positive balance of about 1 m on Deildardalsjökull. Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27)
Can you visit Deildardalsjökull?
Deildardalsjökull has no documented visitor access: no source checked for this guide gives a public route, access permission, road number, track condition or season. The glacier is best regarded as a monitored scientific site of the Icelandic Institute of Natural History.
The institute’s field reports describe how its own research team, equipped for glacier work, reached Deildardalsjökull to take measurements. Those accounts describe researchers’ access; they are not visitor directions and do not establish public use of any track, landowner permission or current conditions.
The USGS inventory establishes geographical identity, not a trailhead or a safe glacier route. For any mountain journey in Tröllaskagi, use a current topographic map and local route advice, and choose a glacier with documented visitor access for a glacier walk.
How do you get to the Deildardalsjökull area?
The sourced reference points for the Deildardalsjökull area are Svarfaðardalur and Dalvík: Svarfaðardalur is part of the Dalvíkurbyggð municipality, and its river, the Svarfaðardalsá, reaches the sea near the town of Dalvík. Svarfaðardalur (source checked 2026-10-27) That describes the valley, not a route to the ice.
No route number, distance or drive time to Deildardalsjökull is documented in the sources checked, so this guide does not give one. Read about the valley in the Svarfaðardalur valley guide and about the town in the Dalvík guide, and plan any travel beyond the valley roads with current local advice.
Is Deildardalsjökull safe to walk on without a guide?
Going on Deildardalsjökull without glacier experience and proper equipment runs against Safetravel’s general glacier guidance, which also highly recommends a certified glacier guide. No Safetravel page specific to Deildardalsjökull was found, so Safetravel’s advice applies here as general glacier guidance. Glacier safety and crevasse maps (source checked 2026-10-27)
“You should never go on a glacier without experience or the proper equipment. Hiring a certified glacier guide with proper knowledge of the area is highly recommended!”
Deildardalsjökull is small but not free of crevasses. In its 2019 report, the Icelandic Institute of Natural History records that its team skipped one melt stake in the north-west corner of the glacier, where there is a crevasse area, because going there was not considered safe in the conditions. Report NÍ-19004 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi, 2018) (source checked 2026-10-27) Safetravel also warns that crevasses can appear with limited warning signs. Glacier safety and crevasse maps (source checked 2026-10-27)
What is near Deildardalsjökull?
Unadalsjökull is the nearest glacier north of Deildardalsjökull, according to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, which also monitors Búrfellsjökull and Teigarjökull in Svarfaðardalur and Hausafönn above Dalvík. Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27) Report NÁTT-25003 (glacier mass balance, Tröllaskagi) (source checked 2026-10-27)
- Unadalsjökull, the next named glacier to the north.
- The Svarfaðardalur valley, at whose head the institute places Deildardalsjökull, and the town of Dalvík near the valley mouth.
- Skagafjörður, on whose eastern side Deildardalur lies.
- Hólar, historically linked to Svarfaðardalur by the old mountain road over Heljardalsheiði. Kolbeinsdalur (source checked 2026-10-27) The present condition of that road is not documented here, and this guide does not describe it as a route to the glacier.
Browse Iceland’s glaciers to choose a destination with documented visitor access.
Planning help
Deildardalsjökull FAQs
Quick answers with safety notes where it matters.
Where is Deildardalsjökull?
Deildardalsjökull is a small glacier in Tröllaskagi, North Iceland, on the watershed between Deildardalur in Skagafjörður and Svarfaðardalur. The Icelandic Institute of Natural History places it at the head of Svarfaðardalur.
Is Deildardalsjökull near Deildartunguhver?
No. The similar name does not place this glacier in the Borgarfjörður hot-spring area. Use Tröllaskagi maps for this glacier.
What is Seljadalsjökull?
The USGS glacier-name inventory lists Seljadalsjökull as an alternative name for Deildardalsjökull. The same inventory also records Hájökull as another alternative name.
Is there a visitor trail?
No source checked for this guide documents a marked visitor route, public access, landowner permission, road number or season for Deildardalsjökull. Treat it as a monitored scientific site, and follow Safetravel's advice never to go on a glacier without experience and the proper equipment.
Country reference: Iceland statistics.