Heiðará

Heiðará
The Heiðará river
Location
Country	Iceland
Region	Skagafjörður
Physical characteristics
Mouth	Öxnadalsheiði
• coordinates
Basin features
Progression	Norðurá→Héraðsvötn→Skagafjörður

Heiðará is a spring creek that runs westward through Öxnadalsheiði plateau in Skagafjörður, Iceland and later flows into the Norðurá river where it descends into Norðurárdalur valley. The river originates in Kaldbaksdalur valley, which runs southward just east of the border between Skagafjörður and Eyjafjörður counties on the plateau.

At a lower elevation, near the bottom of Öxnadalsheiði on the side closest to Norðurárdalur, there is only a narrow valley and the Heiðará river runs through it in an enormous and rather deep gorge. Today, the road runs along the upper edge of the slope, that is, along the edge of the ravine. However, in previous centuries, there were tight riding paths, which were often impassible for long periods during the winter due to the snow and slippery ice. Travelers needed to navigate through the bottom of the ravine right along the river, and this was considered a treacherous route.