Ljótipollur — Red Scoria Crater Lake on the Landmannaleið

Ljótipollur means ‘Ugly Puddle,’ and the name sells it short. It’s an explosion crater from the Veiðivötn fissure system, with steep rust-red and black scoria walls and a deep green lake sitting in the bottom. It’s not a big hike. You park near the crater and walk up to the rim in a few minutes. The rim is loose cinder, so watch your footing and keep kids and dogs back from the edge. The view of the lake and the colored slopes around it is some of the best you get for the price of a short walk.

It sits in the highland country near Frostastaðavatn, reached off the F225 Landmannaleið, which is the usual approach into the Landmannalaugar area from the west. Treat it as an F-road: highland tracks, stream crossings, and a rough, rocky surface in places. Plan on the roads being open from roughly early July to early September, depending on the year, and check road.is before you commit. There are no services here. Pack out everything you bring, and stay on the marked tracks, since the moss and gravel plains scar easily. Verify current road conditions ahead.

Ugly name, stunning red-and-green crater lake.