Vífelsfell was one of the last worthy peaks around Reykjavík to go and climb. It's big. It looms over the ring road heading south, and is one of the two mountains to remind you that reykjavik is balanced precariously on the edge of the wilderness. Vífelsfell on one side, and Hengill on the other, remininding you that the mountains are never very far away. Definitely not Kansas.

Still, access is good. It's a convenient wilderness. I parked my car a few metres away from a guy driving a front end loader, and headed off up the hill. There's a fair bit of quarrying going on around the hills just out of town, or at least, that's all I can think it's for. Kinda changes the directions you get from various other places. They don't seem to mind too much as long as you're not in their way. See my trip up Lambafell for what this _can_ mean.

Headed up hill, finding a good few footsteps along the way, then even hit a marked and posted trail. Onwards and upwards! You drop into the shade pretty quickly here, hidden from the sun by the western ridge, but it's pleasant walking. Vífelsfell is a big enough mountain that you do have to stop from time to time and catch your breath. Pretty steep in places too.

Then it's a high plateau. Feels like Iceland. Soft gravel. Tufts of vegetation, already starting to turn orange in the early Autumn.

Then up, up, up. The final ascent goes fairly steeply up some broken slabs of móberg (tuff) and to a final ridge. Another short scramble to the top. Great views from here, being the biggest mountain around. Met a few people on top, which is unusual in my normal local peakbagging, but I guess the status and rank of Vífelsfell pulls a few more walkers that some of the more minor peaks.

I could definitely feel the onset of Autumn (Winter) here. I'd left work at 5, and after the walk up, and a brief rest on top, it was time to get going, to beat the sun. Sunset colours before I even left the top, and night time coming up fast as I descended.

An excellent walk. The upper half has all the móberg beauty of Helgafell, only it's much much bigger. (The bottom does leave a bit to be desired, but it's generally prettier than Esja)