Iceland is such a beautiful country full of hidden pearls and quite perfect to go around by car. You can discover beautiful villages. The burning and remote areas of the north and the icy and cold glaciers of the southeast. But not all of these places are easy to get to. Some of them are only reachable by mountain roads that have certain opening schedules. So you may be asking yourself When do F Roads in Iceland open?
It is important to know what a mountain road is and where they are located. Iceland has several different regions, one of them is hálendið or “The Highlands”. This area covers most of the island’s interior and it is full of glaciers, rugged mountains and hot springs surrounded by crazy rock formations. It is at 400-500 meters above the sea level and it is basically a volcanic inhabited area.
Roads crossing this area are “mountain roads”. You can differentiate them from other roads by their name “F-roads”. Any sign showing an F + number would be a mountain road. ex. F735. To drive through an F-road, you should do it with a 4×4 vehicle. Sometimes even having a 4×4 is not enough, an experienced driver and a local expert is more than advisable as well, as some of these roads require river fording and risky driving. That is why asking When do F Roads in Iceland open? is important as conditions may affect your driving experience.
F-roads are in good conditions only during the Icelandic summer season, which in the highlands it only lasts one month. The climate in this area is very unstable and it is changing constantly, snow usually covers these roads until the very begging of the summer. Answering the question of When do F Roads in Iceland open? is not as easy as it may seems as opening times highly depends on whether conditions that vary greatly from year to year.
In this When do F Roads in Iceland open? post, we are providing information on approximate opening dates of F-roads in the highland.
Most of the F-Roads open from early to Mid June (5-14th of June). One of the earliest openings are F52 that usually opens from 24th of April. Also F862 opening approximatelly on the 25th of May. These dates are not fixed and they depends highly on weather condition each year.
The fact that the Icelandic Public Roads administration has authorized the opening of an F-road; it does not mean that it is now as easy to drive as any non f-road. After ice melting, the surface may remain wet and slippery and caution is still required. Some roads will not be opened at all if the traffic in the area is not secure and the weather conditions do not allow it.
When do F Roads in Iceland open?
For those who are renting a vehicle, it is important to check with your rental company if their vehicles are allowed to go through F-roads. Bear in mind not many insurances companies cover damages for getting the underside of the vehicle wet due to river crossing or any other “hazardous” driving behaviors. To avoid any unpleasant situation, we recommend you in this When do F Roads in Iceland open? article to always read through the Terms and conditions of your rental agreement.
Do not underestimate nature forces, please be wary and always check the road and weather conditions before starting getting on your way.
If you want to enjoy the wildest side of nature of Iceland please remember, it is better to be safe than sorry!
