The crevice, about 20 metres (66 ft) wide and 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) in length, extends perpendicular to the flow of the river.

During this period, the waterfall was rented indirectly by its owners, Tómas Tómasson and Halldór Halldórsson, to foreign investors.

Together with Þingvellir and the geysers of Haukadalur, Gullfoss forms part of the Golden Circle, a popular day excursion for tourists in Iceland.

Additionally, the falls are referenced in the novella The Odd Saga of the American and a Curious Icelandic Flock;[3] during a dinner, Snorri expresses a preference for Gullfoss, while Dr. Gustafsson favors Glymur.

Gullfoss appears in the penultimate episode of the thirty-fourth season of the American reality competition The Amazing Race.