Mt Maelifellshnjukur (1138 m) is located to the south of the parsonage Maelifell.  It is very prominent, rising much higher than the surrounding hills and mountains, and is visible from 10 of the 23 districts of the country.  This of course makes a climb to the top very rewarding on a fine day.  The main structure of the mountain is hard basaltic tuff (hyaloclastites) and some pillow lava.  It probably was created during the same geological period as i.e. headland Thordarhofdi and other mountains of the northern Skagafjordur Area.

In the past, the valley Maelifellsdalur to the west of the mountain, was a part of the main route through the interior (Kaldidalur Route; Storisandur Route) between the Skagafjordur Area and South and West Iceland.  The trip normally took three days (160 km).