One of the few things that many traveling to Iceland with kids end up skipping is the hike to Solheimasandur Beach. For obvious reasons, making the four mile hike to Solheimasandur Beach with kids may not be everyone’s idea of fun and, I can only imagine that Iceland’s whimsical weather causes its own fair amount of disruption. Luckily for me, my trip to Iceland with kids involved only one kid and, at nearly nine years old, I knew that barring extremely inclement weather, we would be able to make the hike out to the downed navy plane on Solheimasandur Beach.
In 1973, a United States Navy DC plane ran out of fuel and crashed on Solheimasandur black beach, on the south coast of Iceland. Everyone on the plane survived and it appears the reason for the crash was that the pilot switched over to the wrong fuel tank. The remains of the wrecked plane are still on the sand and when planning our trip to Iceland, I knew this was one stop that I definitely wanted to make.
As you may recall, my original hope was to visit Solheimasandur on the drive from Reykjavik to Reynisfjara on our arrival date. I under estimated how tired we would be after a red eye flight from Washington, DC, so, with my son completely passed out in the backseat of the car, I decided to skip the hike on drive south. I did, however, pull off into the large parking lot to do a bit of reconnaissance. I was happy to have done so as the sign informed me that the hike was 4 miles out and back and suggested that we plan to spend 3-4 hours for the round trip.
I wish we could have taken the hike on our arrival date as the weather was gorgeous. But alas.
The morning of our return journey from our beach cottage on Reynisfjara to Reykjavik, I was thrilled to see that the rains had mostly stopped. I decided then and there that we would be making the hike to the plane wreck.
The hike itself was not extraordinary. It’s basically a flat two mile walk out to the plane on a rocky path. Although the rain had stopped, it was still extremely cold and windy so my son and I were glad to be bundled up and he was glad to have a warm hat on. The air was moist so we ended up slightly damp, even though there was no rain.
For most of the hike there was nothing to see but then all of a sudden, the plane appeared in the mist. It literally is right out there in the middle of nowhere.
If you look closely, you can just spot the plane and the other visitors in the distance.
Personally, my favorite thing about the whole experience was that we could explore the plane.
My son loved climbing in and around the plane and checking out all the nooks and crannies. We spent about 15 minutes checking out the plane before turning around for the cold walk back.
Pro-Tips:
- There are absolutely no facilities – no bathrooms, no emergency phones, nothing. So be sure you have what you need and are in good condition for a 4 mile out and back walk.
- There was a steady stream of other hikers the entire time and about 15 other people at the plane when we were there.
- The sign (close up below) recommends allotting 3-4 hours for out and back hike, but my son and I completed the entire thing in about 90 minutes. The cold weather definitely helped us walk quickly.
Overall, I was glad that the weather cooperated sufficiently for us to take the hike. Although clear blue skies would have been preferable, it was well worth the stop and definitely something you should cross off your bucket list!
Planning your own trip to Iceland with kids? Continue reading Icelandic Weekend Getaway With Kids: 18 hours in Reykjavik, and be sure to check out our listing of all Iceland posts or join our Facebook group We Go To Iceland With Kids, a forum to ask questions and share ideas about family travel to Iceland.
