The Pass of Hope is named after an event, which took place during the so-called Age of Settlement (874-930). The first settler in the Bardardalur valley in the North came to the conclusion, that the southerly winds were warmer than the northerly and decided to move to the south with all his belongings in the hope of finding better living conditions. He did so during winter, when all rivers were frozen over, and succeeded without incidents. The Bardur Route

The boundaries to the west are the Tungnafell glacier (900-940m) and to the east the northeast corner of the Vatnajökull icecap (2000m). In the pass is the watershed between north and south and an interesting high temperature area. Many, who overnight in the tourist huts at Nyidalur, walk up the valley and into the pass to enjoy the unique scenery and natural wonders of the area or climb the Tungnafell glacier.

After the establishment of Europe's largest national park, Vatnajokull, on June 7th, 2008, Vonarskard became one of the centres for the NP wardens.