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I am going to be in Iceland for a few days and wanted to get some up-to-date information on the roads. I've seen the http://www.road.is/ site, however this doesn't give any details regarding when or why each section of road is "impassable". I also don't know how this differs from "No passage" according to the map key.

Secondly, I would like to know where to buy an OS map equivalent showing roads and walking paths. Most of the ones I have found are 1:200,000 or 1:100,000. Can anyone offer some good options, ideally with English information.

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    Your second question is an entirely different question. Please edit it out and post it separately. NB, there is no national system at scale better than 1:100,000.
    – gerrit
    Commented Nov 28, 2016 at 14:34
  • I don't have the reputation to comment, but I do have experience to share! A friend and I visited Iceland June 2015, and we had a wonderful experience. On our visit, we wished to do some challenging hiking and enjoy away-from-city natural sights. We managed to find out about a waterfall a little ways from Reykjavik, and Mount Esja which was a long bus ride away from the Capital. Both were figured out by asking local hostel attendants and bus ticket vendors--all of which were happy to help. The former would require renting a car or hitchhiking--something that is not rare on this friendly
    – Raj
    Commented Nov 28, 2016 at 16:44
  • I know from experience that you don't need more precision than 1:100.000 in Iceland. Look for the Mál og menning series.
    – Some wandering yeti
    Commented Nov 28, 2016 at 21:12

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The road.is site provides a list of road and weather condition definitions.

"No passage" means that it is literally forbidden to drive there. Even if you have a truck that can, otherwise, deal with conditions. This may include roads that are closed for non-weather related issues.

"Impassable" however means that a road is closed due to weather (snow typically).

The map you cite has current conditions. Roads may be closed at any time if there is bad weather. Main roads are usually cleared within hours or (at worst) days. Again, it depends on the weather.

However, mountain tracks (any road whose designation starts with an 'F') tend to only be cleared in the spring. Most of the roads currently (November) marked impassible, will likely remain impassible until spring. Some may not open until next June.

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  • or even early july
    – njzk2
    Commented Nov 28, 2016 at 20:50

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