Þverárfjall

About

Þverárfjall (also called Þverárleiti) is a mountain in Austur-Húnavatnssýsla, Iceland between Norðurárdalur valley, which runs to the northwest from what is often called "front Laxárdalur" in Austur-Húnavatnssýsla and the Laxárdalur in Skagafjörður. The mountain is named after Þverá, the innermost town in Norðurárdalur valley. Þverárfjallsvegur road (Þjóðvegur 744/Route 744) was built over the mountain in summer 2002. Previously, there was a road only open in the summer that required travels to go slowly, which crossed un-bridged rivers and streams. The new highway shortened the route between Blönduós and Sauðarkrókur by about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles). On June 3, 2008, a driver passing through the area of Þverárfjall spotted a polar bear a short distance from the road. The bear was killed the same day.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.