Vaglaskógur forest

Vaglaskógur forest is the country's largest birch forest and a popular destination for Icelanders. It is one of the most beautiful forests in Iceland. Due to strategic conservation for over a century, the birch trees in Vaglaskógur forest have distinctive characteristics. The trunk is light in color, and the trees grow straighter and taller than most other birch species in Iceland. 

It's a good place for picking berries and mushrooms and the forest has many great walking trails. Birds that can be found at Vaglaskógur include redwings, wrens, common snipes, ptarmigans, common redpolls and goldcrests. There are excellent campsites in the area and there is a swimming pool and sauna at Illugastaðir (11 km away), along with a children‘s playground and a minigolf course.

At the northern perimeter of the forest you will find a stone arched bridge. Built in 1908, it was the first of its kind in Iceland. Quite ambitiously, it was the longest stone arch bridge in Scandinavia at the time, 55 meters long. It is still used as a footbridge and a must to walk over it if you are in the area!