Heiðmörk Elliðavatn Loop
Trail description
A 2.1 km loop with about 30 m of climbing on the gravel paths along the eastern shore of Elliðavatn and around Helluvatn, starting near the Elliðavatnsbær farmhouse on the edge of Heiðmörk, east of Reykjavík. Heiðmörk is a forest and nature reserve of about 32 km², the largest outdoor recreation area near the city, protected since 25 June 1950 and named by Sigurður Nordal after the Norwegian county of Hedmark. The Reykjavík Forestry Association has looked after it since 1946, planting trees and building around 40 km of footpaths; about a fifth of the land is planted forest and another fifth wild birch woodland and scrub. Birdlife is richest by the wetlands of the Elliðavatn catchment, Helluvatn among them, and the redwing makes up about 45% of the nesting birds.