Mt Kerling is the highest mountain near inhabited areas in the northern part of the country, 1538 m.  It is relatively easy to climb and offers excellent panoramic views on a fine day.

Its stucture is mainly basaltic rock, but the uppermost part is rhyolite, which extends to Mts Sulur nearby and all the way to the lower slopes of Mt Vindheimajokull to the north of valley Glerardalur.

Between Christmas and New Year's Evening in 1980, five boy scouts decided to climb the mountain.  They started in valley Finnastadir and pitched their tent there for the night.  They were caught in a serious snow storm, which tore away their tent.  Two of them tried to get help, but only one of them made it.  When help came, another boy had died from exposure.