What exactly constitutes a "road" in Iceland?
In Iceland, off-roading is strictly prohibited. Unfortunately, it still happens and one can find tracks of off-roading all over the central highlands. On the other hand, in the landscape, some roads that are mapped on Atlaskort do not look like much more than some tracks in the landscape either, and may have neither an F-number nor a sign where they depart from larger roads.
Under these circumstances, how would I tell a road from a place where several cars have illegally off-roaded before? Must a road have an F-number to be permissible for driving? If I have a (possibly old) map that shows a road somewhere, and I subsequently see that road in the landscape, does that mean driving there is fine, or is there some more official source stating what exactly are the roads that are officially recognised?
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/17367. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
1 answer
Most (main) roads are marked with yellow poles. Other roads might be marked by stacks of rocks or the simple fact that there's a winding patch of less rough terrain forming an obvious trail.
If you're unsure of road markings use a proper gps unit with trail maps to verify your location.
The following points are mentioned on this website:
- Check out the road map and see where the roads and trails are.
- Get information about the appropriate routes at visitor centers, and from rangers or staff.
- Find out in advance when mountain roads are likely to be open, along with other related information at visitor centers.
- By uprooting or driving on moss, damage is caused that can take nature decades to repair.
- Walk around a short distance or turn around if you can’t go any further by driving
- Fines or imprisonment can be expected for offenses
My advice would be:
- Leave no trail (don't drive on moss and other soft/damageable surfaces)
- Get an up to date map
- Use a proper gps unit to verify your location
- Don't be afraid to ask for advice.
Edit:
There is some more info (and a proper map) on this website.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/17373. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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