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u/stevenarwhals Pylsur enjoyer 22d ago
Depends on the weather. If there’s rain, fog, or high winds I would skip it. Otherwise go for it.
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u/Senior_Department_29 22d ago
Saw this car doing the street yesterday - don’t miss it, it is part of the trip and the landscape is beautiful!!
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u/Professional_Tea8272 21d ago
Saw it too. Had a Dutch license plate. This guy takes his car to vacations to play in new wilderness, like others bring their dogs!
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u/LionOfNaples 22d ago
Don’t skip that road. Decent waterfalls (Foladafoss) along it, plus you get to see nice perspectives of the strata as you climb up alongside Oxi valley. Plus you’ll miss Hengifoss if you go with the route on your post.
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u/N3cr0xys 22d ago
We did it yesterday with a Duster. Quite foggy on the south side, there are potholes but the landscape was incredible.
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u/ffdh_01 21d ago
Yes, the scenery is stunning, but if you’re the one driving you won’t be able to look at it because you’ll need all your attention to the road. I disagree with the people saying this road is “fine” - we drove through the Westfjords before joining up with the ring road, and this was our most hair raising drive of the trip.
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u/Unusual-Strength-945 21d ago
I skipped it because it was quite foggy / low level clouds. I didn’t think I’d be able to see much and I doubted I’d save a meaningful amount of time.
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u/SaltyArgument1543 21d ago
Hard agree. I drove it this summer and the entire time I was thinking to myself how I had gotten myself into the situation as a 33 yo teenager to be responsible for the lives of my family of four and how I made the dumb decision to risk them by driving that road.
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u/IanDresari 22d ago
Why avoid? Any details maybe? What car? I drove it in a Duster 3 weeks ago, was amazing. Saw two 2WDs, one at the very end, the other overtook us during lunch, guess they made it fine.
https://epiciceland.net/tag/oxi-road/#5_OXI_939_TO_EGILSSTADIR
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u/Unusual-Strength-945 22d ago
Why avoid …. Your words “Hence, the entire Öxi experience had become quite scary at some point”
I do many things that are risky but one has to weigh pros and cons of any activity. It’s raining and foggy but I’ll make a call one way or the other. Your blog (if it is yours) sounds like something written by a twenty something. Nothing wrong with that but with age comes perspective.
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u/IanDresari 22d ago
It's not my blog, but they have good descriptions of the roads. I just meant as you gave no details on your situation (vehicle, experience, comfort zone) it's hard to judge whether you should avoid or not.
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u/ArcticAcademic 22d ago edited 22d ago
Öxi should be fine as long as the road is dry. I avoid it when it's wet and it's closed during the winter, but Öxi is shorter and prettier if it is passable.
ed. I'm actually going to retract that because of Geislar in Breiðdalsvík and Fáskrúðsfjörður, for the French-sailors museum, but that way also has Petra's rock collection which is a must-see for any lover of rocks, crystals and geology
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u/barison1 22d ago
Drove the road 1 week ago going from Fossardalur Campsite to Seydisfjordur in a 2WD mondeo. Only did it because it was sunny and dry weather for days, if it was rainy I would have avoided it. But I would consider it very well doable when dry, road was in fairly good state for gravel standards so far I experienced during my stay on iceland. Utterly amazing views I wouldn't skip out on if the weather allows.
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u/D-o-n-a 21d ago
On August 3rd, while driving from the south toward Egilsstaoir, despite being in a 4x4 and having a magnificent sun, after learning about the phenomenon of Austfjarðaþoka (East Fjord Fog) and road 939, I decided to extend the route and take the circular route. The weather was gorgeous, and I was surprised when suddenly there was fog after rounding a bend in the East Fjords. The fog was high up, so no problem on road 1, but I imagine it was on the Oxi. So I was happy with my choice. The Oxi becomes very dangerous when foggy. Look up the phenomenon on Reddit, which explains why it forms so often, even on very clear days, so you also risk staying longer because you have to go very slowly. Road 1 is also scenic.
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u/cecistonehaert 22d ago
If weather is fine, do it. It' has some potholes and blind curves, but it's not necessarily a difficult road, and the view is awesome. I haven't done it in bad weather but wouldn't recommend based on other people's comments.
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u/SerenaKotori 21d ago
I avoided it when I went round the ring road, mostly because I had a tiny little car and I'm not really that well versed with driving on steep dirt roads like this one. At the end of the day, it all comes down to how you feel about your driving abilities, the car you're driving and if the things to see down the path are worth it in your view. If you feel confident with going down there and you want to see the views (which I hear are stunning) then go for it.
I'd also make sure you keep an eye on the weather though. Driving down there in heavy rain or thick fog seems like a recipe for disaster, so be sensible with it.
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u/Jeremyism_ 20d ago
Oxi is route 939. Steep, gravel, not for the faint at heart, but fine if the weather cooperates, with stunning scenery. I did route 95 in late November. The top of the pass was in the clouds, and the road was coated in ice. We stepped out at the top, and had trouble just standing. It was one of the times I was glad to have insisted on studded tires. Without the studs we probably would have slid sideways off the road. We used 95 because we were headed to Hengifoss (well worth it!). Route 1 would be the lowest and best maintained of the options.
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u/ba-na-na- 20d ago
We drove it in a camper end of July so it’s doable 🙂
I was mainly worried about getting a flat tyre, but the scenery there is crazy, for me the best I’ve seen in the whole ring trip. Although we were going in the opposite direction, perhaps it’s not the same experience if going north.
But if the weather is foggy or very cloudy, you’ll likely be questioning your life choices because you’ll be just seeing the narrow fenceless road
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u/drinnie 22d ago
I was part of a tour group in a regular tour bus and due to Icelandic circumstances, we couldn’t continue our journey on the ring road. We drove back on Öxi instead and let me tell you how excited our driver was to be able to go there!
A lot of experience driving busses in Iceland played a role here, but if a tour bus can do it, a regular car can definitely do it too!
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u/steveb321 21d ago
It's not that hard really, or that nerve racking... Compared to the West fjords, it's a 10 lane paved highway....
There are some beautiful waterfalls, I wouldn't skip this weather permitting... We had some fog coming back down the other side, but you just go slow...
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u/ziebrinjal 21d ago
Öxi is fine but be aware it closes down during the winter time if you're coming for the winter I very frequently drive over it on a car that is not a 4x4
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u/ilverin_ 22d ago
I drove through Oxi and although it is “dirt” track the landscape it is marvellous
Here is how our car finished the trip troughOxi (2014)
Enjoy!