Iceland's quad network opened to supervised rentals in 2017, when the Icelandic Transport Authority created designated trails through the lava fields east and south of Reykjavik.
The legislation balanced conservation with access, restricting vehicles to marked corridors across the Hengill geothermal zone and the Bláfjöll mountain range. Today's atv rental reykjavik operators follow GPS-tracked routes that cross dormant fumaroles, moss-covered aa lava from the 1100s, and the scree slopes where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates diverge at two centimetres per year.
The Hengill system draws riders because its 40-kilometre trail network sits atop Iceland's second-largest geothermal field. Steam vents punctuate the route at predictable intervals, and the trail climbs to 550 metres, offering sightlines across Þingvallavatn lake and the Reykjanes Peninsula. Rental departures cluster between 09:00 and 17:00, when daylight and stable weather maximise visibility across the highlands.
The Reykjavík Mountain Peak route follows Road F338 partway, then diverges onto a gravel spur that climbs Bláfjöll's western face. Riders encounter black sand deposits from the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption, still visible in roadside drifts, and cross the Hellisheiði plateau where wind turbines mark the transition from coastal scrub to alpine tundra. Self-guided atv tours require riders to carry handheld GPS units preloaded with waypoints, and operators enforce a minimum age of 18 with a valid driving licence. Supported expeditions add a lead guide on a support quad, radio contact and mechanical backup. The longer routes terminate at Húsafell, 132 kilometres north, where transport shuttles return riders to Reykjavik by 21:00.
2 hr 30 min
