Volcanic mountain Hverfjall, in northern Iceland, was badly damaged by tourists earlier this week. RÚV reports.
The tourist group parked their cars away from the main parking spot and chose to make their own hiking trail, which became very visible on the mountain itself. As the mountain is declared protected, this is considered illegal.
According to Arna Hjörleifsdóttir, the Environmental Agency’s Ranger, their initial response will be to improve the signs and enclosures around the area. In this case, the group was so large that the trail became very apparent. “We’re working on erasing the trail, raking over and evening it out. As the ground underneath is wet the trail is quite pronounced, but we’re doing our best to erase the trail in order to prevent others from following in their footsteps”.
Located to the east of Mývatn, Hverfjall erupted in 2500 BP, molding the approximately 1 km in diameter long crater. It’s among the more popular hiking spots in the surrounding Krafla area.
