Barnafoss

The falls derive their name from a folklore about two young boys who disappeared around the falls many years ago. The boys were from a farm nearby the waterfall called, Hraunsás. On Christmas day their parents went to a church and the boys were told to stay home and play inside. But the boys didn’t like that especially because it was a nice winter night so they decided to go outside.

When their parents returned back home the boys were not home yet so they went out to search for them. They found a footsteps by the river leading to a natural stone bridge crossing the river just above the waterfall. They believed that the boys had fallen into the river and drowned. The mother of the boys had the bridge destroyed and put a spell on it so that nobody would ever make it over the river without drowning himself.

Directions

From the car park there is a short and easy walk to the waterfall and the hike to the Hraunfossar waterfall is about 300 meters from Barnafoss.  

From Reykjavík the drive to the waterfalls is about 1 hour and 30 minutes (120 km). It is a perfect day trip from Reykjavík to visit the waterfall or to stop there on the way to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. From the Ring Road it is only a 40 minutes detour (one way) to the waterfalls.

Take Ring Road nr. 1 towards the town Borgarnes. Make sure to take the Hvalfjörður Tunnel for a shorter drive. Before the town Borgarnes take a right turn to road nr. 50 and drive for about 25 minutes and then take road nr. 518. Follow that road for about 15 minutes until the parking lot by the waterfall.
Read more about Driving in Iceland.