UKH

I'm looking into going to Iceland this year. I want to do some hiking but also have the opportunity to see the aurora borealis, while I'm there.

Thus I've decided that April and May could be a good time.

I'm an experienced hiker and climber.

But I know the culture in Iceland is serious about preservation and as such alot of the F roads which require 4x4s to access the hikes are closed till June. Which I don't intend to breach (for clarity).

So I wonder how much good hiking can be accessed via main roads or villages on main roads.

Ideally day hikes so the family won't miss me too long.

Thanks in advance

Land of the midnight sun.... probably not the best time of year to see the aurora.

There are hiking trails that you can access in the Hengill hills from Hveragerdi on the R1 road south east of Reykjavik, and probably also some hiking trails from Thingvellir, though we only bimbled at the latter. Paddy Dillon's Cicerone is very useful. I have no idea what the snow will be like that early in the season - we were there in late July / early August and there were just a few snow patches left.

https://www.on.is/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/hiking-trails-at-hengill-area....

From what I've read midnight sun isn't till later in the month, but when would you recommend?

Thanks so much for sharing!

May is too late for northern lights really, there is long twilight. Mid/late august is probably the best time for hiking with the possibility of seeing aurora. April will be more limited because of snow cover, but you can definitely find enough day trips to keep you busy. 

October. Stunning last year.

I'd estimate at least three months before/after the summer solstice. That way you have a reasonable amount of actual darkness. I'm sure if you Google there will be into on the best times. 

Trying to combine with a walking holiday, maybe September when winter snows have melted. That said when we were in Iceland (July) our Icelandic driver totally lost the road at one point due to snow cover.

Best chance for aurora will be before mid-April. At similar latitudes in Norway that’s when the aurora tourist trips start wrapping up for the season, as you’d have to be up increasingly late into the night to have dark enough sky. 
 

not sure what rHarrison is on, but clearly August is not good for aurora. Far too much daylight!

photographers ephemeris app useful as you can see what twilight times are as well as sunset/ rise. also be worth checking for full moon too, to avoid that if it’s early-mid evenings. 

That’s nice, after living in Iceland for 7 years it’s good to be finally educated!

From experience, after the middle of August the nights start to be reasonably long enough to see the lights. September can be great, but the later you go the more likely you are to start getting the autumn low pressures that roll through. 
 

Either way, whenever you go it’s best to not get too hung up on seeing the lights- enjoy the place for all of the other magic, and treat the lights as an added bonus if they appear. 

 

Fair enough, thanks for explanation!