Golden Circle · Iceland
Kerið
Worth a short stop, but not a must-see. You pay, walk the rim, look down at the water, and twenty minutes later you are done. If your Golden Circle day is running tight, this is the one I would drop first.
Kerið is a volcanic crater lake in the Grímsnes area, formed about 3,000 years ago when a magma chamber collapsed — which is why it looks more like a tidy amphitheater than a blown-out crater. The contrast between the deep-red slopes and the aquamarine water is real, and the rim walk plus the stairs down to the lake take about 20 minutes. I’ll be honest: I liked Kerið, but you’ve seen most of it two minutes after leaving the parking lot. Treat it as a short, worthwhile stop on the Golden Circle rather than a destination of its own.(Back to Overview)
My rating
Scale 1–5. On Cost, 1 means free and 5 means pricey. On Crowd level, 1 means near-solitude and 5 means tour-bus central.
Two out of five. The red slopes against the water are a good picture, but the crater is small and you take it in from the rim in a couple of minutes.
Kerið is very easy to access, located just off the Golden Circle route near Selfoss. The site features well-maintained paths and stairs for walking around the crater rim and down to the lake, suitable for visitors of most ages and abilities.
Around 600 ISK per adult, paid at a card kiosk by the car park — the crater sits on private land, which is why there is a fee at all. Children under 12 go free. Parking itself is free and there are basic toilets. Checked August 2026.
Kerið attracts many visitors throughout the year due to its popularity on the Golden Circle tour. However, it is generally a bit less crowded than the main Golden Circle highlights.
Before you go
Planning your own Ring Road trip?
Iceland Ring Road Campervan Guide
My full 14-day route — roughly 2,500 km, every campsite I used, what I actually spent, and the stops worth the detour. The plan I drove, in one PDF.
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