Gjörvidalslaug (Gervidalslaug)

What to expect

Gjörvidalslaug, also written Gervidalslaug, is about as small as an Icelandic hot pot gets. It is a wooden hut beside Route 61 with a single tub inside, fed by a trickle of hot water from a spring on the slope just above. The name comes from Gervidalur, the farm and valley it sits beside, in the Strandabyggð municipality.

Please read this page knowing how little is published about the place. No tourist board, municipality or operator describes it. What we know comes from OpenStreetMap volunteers who surveyed it in person in February 2022 and August 2025, and from a dated photo on Wikimedia Commons taken on 21 August 2025, which shows the small pool. Their records agree on the basics:

• The spring: a hot spring with a flow of only about 0.2-0.3 litres a second, recorded at 111°F44°C.
• The old pool: the original spring pool above the hut is now shallow and overgrown with algae. It is no longer the place to soak. It serves as the water source for the bath hut below.
• The hut: built and looked after by local people on state-owned land, and recorded as open to the public at any hour.
• The tub: recorded at 108°F42°C in August 2025.

With so little flow, this is a tub for one small group at a time. Expect a short, quiet soak in a plain wooden room, not a pool with a view.

Getting there

Gjörvidalslaug is on Route 61, also called Djúpvegur, the road that runs along the southern side of Ísafjarðardjúp, the great fjord system of the northern Westfjords. It sits near the inner end of the Djúp. The old trading post at Arngerðareyri, which Wikipedia places at the inner end of the fjord, is about 12 km (7.5 miles) away in a straight line to the north-east.

Do not confuse it with the town of Ísafjörður. The town sits at the mouth of the Djúp, about 41 km (25 miles) away in a straight line, and much further by road around the fjords.

• From the south (Hólmavík): Route 61 climbs north-west from Hólmavík over the Steingrímsfjarðarheiði heath and drops down to the inner Djúp. The hut is beside the road at Gervidalur. Hólmavík, the main village in Strandabyggð, is about 40 km (25 miles) away in a straight line.
• From Ísafjörður town or Súðavík: follow Route 61 south and east around the fjords of the Djúp until you reach its inner end.

There is little or no signage, and the spring is easy to drive past. Save the coordinates on this page in an offline map before you lose signal. Park well off the road surface and do not block any farm track.

When to go

Summer is the easy season. Route 61 is a long road with mountain sections, and in summer the driving is simplest and daylight lasts late into the evening. In winter the Steingrímsfjarðarheiði crossing and the fjord roads can be hit by snow and wind. Check umferdin.is for road status and safetravel.is for warnings before you set out. Plan this as a short stop on a longer Westfjords drive, not as a destination in its own right.

Because the flow is so small, a tub that someone has just used may take a while to heat up again. If it feels cool, that is probably why.

Rules and etiquette

There are no posted rules that we know of, and no one checks tickets. That makes good behaviour more important, because the hut depends on local goodwill.

• Treat it as someone’s work. Local people built and look after the hut. Leave it cleaner than you found it.
• One group at a time. If someone is already inside, wait outside or come back later. Do not crowd in.
• No soap or shampoo in the tub. With so little fresh water coming in, any residue stays put.
• Stay out of the old spring pool above the hut. It feeds the tub, and the algae in it are better left undisturbed.
• Carry everything out. There are no bins.
• Swimwear: nothing is posted. Wear a swimsuit unless you are sure you have the hut to yourself, and keep in mind that it sits right beside a public road.

At staffed Icelandic pools you must shower without your swimsuit before you get in. There is no shower here, so at least rinse off and arrive clean.

Facilities

None. There are no changing rooms, toilets, showers or drinking water, and the mappers note that the spring water is not for drinking. Bring a towel, warm clothes, water and a bag for rubbish. Change in your car if the hut is busy.

Where to stay nearby

There is no lodging at the hut. The inner Djúp is thinly settled, so plan your night before you set off. Hólmavík to the south is the nearest village with a full range of services. Elsewhere on the Djúp, Heydalur in Mjóifjörður and Hotel Reykjanes take overnight guests. Check their own websites for current details. If you are coming up from Hólmavík, the free Drangsnes Hot Pots on the shore at Drangsnes make a better-known stop.

Safety notes

• Remoteness: this is one of the emptier parts of Iceland. Fill your fuel tank and carry food and water.
• Water quality: the tub is fed by a slow trickle and nobody treats or tests the water. Keep your head above water and do not swallow any.
• Temperature: 108-111°F42-44°C is hot for a long soak. Keep it short, and get out if you feel dizzy.
• Weather and roads: check umferdin.is and safetravel.is, and leave a travel plan with safetravel.is if you are heading into the Westfjords in winter.
• Uncertain status: because no one publishes updates, the hut could be shut, empty or out of use when you arrive. Have a backup plan.