Háifoss visitor numbers soar as officials assess safety

Rescue officials say there is no reason for major concern about visitor safety at Háifoss, despite three accidents at the waterfall this year, including one fatality, and visitor numbers increasing more than tenfold since winter, mbl.is reports. The local council says funding to manage the area is limited but hopes to secure enough money for a safety railing and viewing platform.

Earlier this month, rescue teams were called to a challenging operation at Háifoss, which rose to prominence among Iceland’s natural attractions in February when the final episode of the television series Stranger Things aired. The waterfalls Háifoss and Granni feature prominently in the episode.

Visitor numbers have increased sharply this summer, according to figures collected by the Icelandic Tourist Board since February. During the first months of the year, heavy snow obstructed access to the waterfall and just under 1,000 people visited each month on average.

In July, however, the number of visitors was more than ten times higher, at about 10,434. By mid-August, 4,785 people had visited the waterfall that month. The highest recorded number was 131 visitors in a single hour.

Sylvía Karen Heimisdóttir, head of the Skeiða- and Gnúpverjahreppur municipality, told Morgunblaðið that paths to the viewing area had been repaired in the spring and that some warning signs were in place.

“Unfortunately, state funding for the area is limited, and the valley’s operation is financed only to the extent that staff can be present to manage and maintain the area during the summer months,” she said.

The Nature Conservation Agency, which oversees Þjórsárdalur, has commissioned proposals for a viewing platform and safety railings along the edge to improve visitor safety. However, Heimisdóttir said she understood that the project had not yet been fully funded.

In July, the municipal council approved an application from the Nature Conservation Agency for permission to significantly expand the car park at Háifoss in response to the rising number of visitors.

Jón Þór Víglundsson, an information officer for Landsbjörg, a rescue organisation, said there was no reason for major concern about visitor safety at Háifoss. Rescue teams had not dealt with more accidents than the three already reported in the media.

“The number of mishaps and accidents is not yet at a level that should cause us any major concern,” he told Morgunblaðið. The possibility of installing additional warning signs had been examined in the spring and was still under review, he said, adding that it was not unusual for people to lose their footing while walking in terrain of this kind.