F-Roads of Iceland: F66 (Kollafjarðarheiði) (09.07.2021)

F66 is a mountain road located in Westfjords region of Iceland. It proudly deserved the "F" marking ("F" standing for "fjallaleið", meaning a mountain road in Icelandic), as it literally goes over a mountain range, connecting northern and southern coasts of Westfjords. Of course its name sounds also really attractive - F66! It's also special because there are only two "official" F-roads in Wesfjords: F66 & F649 (even though there are plenty of other mountain passes.)
So what makes F66 different than roads 626 or 624 for example? Well, it's really rough and tough! It's not that bad near the coasts, but during higher elevations there are huge bumps and rocks on the road. Also, heading from north to south, the first climb is pretty steep! A reliable 4x4 vehicle with good clearance is definitely needed here. Max elevation of this road is 482 meters (1581 ft). Distance of F66 is not too long, 26 km (16 miles). It took us almost 1,5 hours to complete this journey, but we were pretty much always on the move. I would suggest taking more time to enjoy this drive and the scenery. There are beautiful views everywhere! Weather of course can also affect the conditions and visibility, as we encountered some rain on the second half of the road. And as usual with these F-roads, F66 is only opened during the summer months. All in all, it was a beautiful and lonely drive, we didn't meet a single car or a person driving through this road.
#Iceland #Froads #Westfjords #F66 #ervindrivesaround

[@LeifurHakonarson]

I've driven this road once - in the opposite direction. Though I'd mostly forgotten the landscape the cairns stuck in my mind - they are very well built and closely spaced, I guess fog is common in the area 🙂I'd love to do it again - but perhaps on a mountain bike to maximise the enjoyment. BTW, there's some great blueberries to be had just past the abandoned farm on the Kollafjörður side - the are is literally crawling with them 🙂

[@speydan7119]

I've been to Iceland three times, and this is my favorite road in all of Iceland.

[@ervindrivesaround1607]

It sure is a nice drive! :)

[@uwewelz4908]

This road is really worse than I expected. On a map this stretch of road looks like a reasonable short connection

[@shire1951]

At around 15mins you pass a series of mounds of stones. Have they been placed there for reason?

[@ervindrivesaround1607]

I believe these are man-made and they are from the ancient times when there were no maps or compasses. So these small piles of stones helped to mark and stay on paths.