Lambi Hut Winter Hike Near Akureyri

By: March 2, 2018

Serge is standing in front of Lambi Hut that is visible in the far distance

A very unique hike that would allow you to escape most of the touristy crowds and enjoy the solitude of Northern Iceland. You will also have an opportunity to visit and stay at one of the Alpine Huts.

Trip Information:

Important:

  • How to Reserve The Hut: If you’re planning to spend the night at Lambi Hut, you have to make a reservation with The Touring Club of Akureyri. Make your reservation by simply emailing the Touring Club Office at ffa@ffa.is. They were very responsive and immediately responded to our inquiry. Per person cost is $52. Once you have prepaid your accommodation, they will send you a code to the key-box placed outside of the hut. The hut sleeps 16 people so expect other guests when you’re there, unless you’re going during winter, your chances of having the hut to yourself are highly increased!
  • Driving Directions and Trailhead: Trail head is located about a 15min drive from the town of Akureyri. It took us a moment to find the trail head parking lot. At the end of the drive, when you are about to approach the parking lot, the road splits, make sure to keep right and you will arrive at the trail head parking lot. From the parking lot, follow yellow trail markers for Lambi Hut.

Dasha is hiking toward the Lambi Hut in Glerardalur Valley

The hike is beautiful as it takes you through a mountain valley along the Glera river. The further you go the more isolated the surroundings become. We wore snow shoes approximately 80% of the way. If you’re going in February, snow shoes or backcountry skis are highly recommended, unless you want to opt for the miserable potholing option.

The trail itself is not tricky at all, and all of the elevation gain is gradual. We were always able to see the trail markers sticking out above the snow. The only spot that made us a bit nervous was the Fremri-Lambá river crossing. The gully of the river was fully snowed in, but we could see the rails of the bridge which helped us with orientation in terms of how to navigate the deep gully and avoid collapse of any of the formed snow cornices.

Storm Clouds were quickly approaching and were only few hundred feet away from us

As we were approaching the hut, we could see heavy clouds rolling into the Glerardalur Valley from Akureyri. Luckily, we were able to reach the hut literally 10 minutes before we got engulfed by the clouds and there was a complete white out. If we were to get caught in such white out before reaching the hut, we would not have been able to see trail markers nor the hut from the distance. That’s why it is very important to have additional GPS, printed maps and compass always on hand. Weather in mountains can be very unpredictable.

The hut has a fully equipped kitchen and a kerosene burning stove. There is no accessible running water so we had to melt snow which was no issue. However, figuring out how to work the kerosene stove was a bit challenging if you have no previous experience with such stoves. They do have VERY detailed instruction on how to turn on the stove which we were able to follow.