Snowdon
1,085 m
United Kingdom
Also known as Yr Wyddfa, Mont Snowdon, +1Also known as
Yr Wyddfa · Mont Snowdon · Сноудон
- Elevation
- 1,085 m
- Prominence
- 1,039 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- May–Jun
- Routes
- 3
RegulationReported 28 Mar 2026 · until 1 Nov 2026
Pen-y-Pass car park is on a pre-booking system (JustPark) for the 2026 season, from 28 March to 1 November 2026; minimum £25 for 8 hours, no extensions. After 1 November it reverts to pay and display.
eryri.gov.wales
Routes
3The longest but most gradual way up Wales's highest mountain: a broad, well-made path from Llanberis village that follows the line of the Snowdon Mountain Railway past the Halfway House café and Clogwyn station to the summit ridge. About 7 km and 975 m of ascent each way; 6–7 hours return.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 7.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +966 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 1,085 m
- Time Up
- 4h 07m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h 50m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
The path leaves the A4086 at the far end of Victoria Terrace in Llanberis (about 110 m) and climbs a steep lane past Penceunant café to the open hillside. From here it is a broad, stony track that rises steadily close to the line of the railway, past Hebron and Halfway stations to the Halfway House café, then more steeply to Clogwyn station, high above the cliffs of Clogwyn Du'r Arddu. Above Clogwyn the path crosses the slope known as the 'Killer Convex', where in icy conditions a slip can carry walkers over the cliffs of Clogwyn Du'r Arddu; four people died here in February 2009. It reaches the summit ridge at Bwlch Glas, marked by a tall standing stone where the Pyg and Miners' tracks arrive from Pen-y-Pass, and follows the ridge beside the railway to the summit cairn and the Hafod Eryri visitor centre. Most walkers reach the summit in 3–3.5 hours and are back in Llanberis about 2.5 hours later. The Eryri National Park Authority grades this, like every route to the summit, as hard/strenuous: fitness, navigation and proper clothing are needed even though the path is obvious. In winter the upper section requires ice axe and crampons and the skills to use them.
Start
Start of Llanberis Path (Snowdon)115 m
- Snowdon Mountain Railway from Llanberis to the summit (generally March to October, reaching the summit from May)
- Sherpa'r Wyddfa buses S1 and S2 serve Llanberis from Caernarfon, Bangor, Betws-y-Coed and Pen-y-Pass; the nearest mainline station is Bangor
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start of Llanberis Path (Snowdon) → Yr Wyddfa | 7.2 | 966 | 0 | 4h 07m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Start of Llanberis Path (Snowdon)115 m
- Feature: Penceunant Isaf174 m
- Feature: Halfway House500 m
- Station: Clogwyn772 m
- Col: Bwlch Glas990 m
- Summit: Yr Wyddfa1,085 m
Key Passages
- Steep lane out of Llanberis
- Halfway House
- 'Killer Convex' above Clogwyn station (dangerous when icy)
- Bwlch Glas standing stone
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 90%Overview
Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), at 1,085 m the highest mountain in Wales and in Britain south of the Scottish Highlands: a glacier-carved pyramid with six main paths, a rack railway to the summit and over half a million walkers a year, but with real mountain weather and the knife-edge of Crib Goch on its flank.
Yr Wyddfa stands at the centre of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park in north-west Wales. Ice sculpted its Ordovician volcanic rocks into a pyramidal peak ringed by cwms and ridges: the arêtes of Crib Goch and Y Lliwedd enclose Llyn Llydaw and Glaslyn to the east, and the cliffs of Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, one of Britain's great rock-climbing crags, face north. The mountain is a national nature reserve, home to rare arctic-alpine plants.
It is described as the busiest mountain in the United Kingdom, with more than 600,000 people reaching the summit each year according to the National Park Authority, many of them on summer weekends, when queues form at the summit cairn. Six main paths lead to the top, from the long, gradual Llanberis Path to the steep Watkin Path, and the Snowdon Mountain Railway, opened in 1896, carries passengers from Llanberis to the Hafod Eryri summit building. Crib Goch, the start of the classic Snowdon Horseshoe, is Britain's best-known exposed scramble.
None of the paths should be underestimated: the Park Authority grades every route to the summit as hard/strenuous. The summit is often in cloud and much colder and windier than the valleys, and in winter all routes become mountaineering terrain where ice axe and crampons are essential. The mountain is also climbed as part of the National Three Peaks Challenge with Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike.
Climbing Notes
In summer any reasonably fit walker with mountain clothing, boots, food and water can reach the summit by the Llanberis, Pyg or Miners' paths; allow 6–7 hours return. Navigation matters near the top, where several paths converge and the Pyg Track can lead walkers onto Crib Goch by mistake. Crib Goch itself is only for those comfortable on exposed Grade 1 scrambling in dry, calm weather; local guides offer guided ascents.
In winter (typically November to March or April) snow and ice turn every route into a mountaineering ascent requiring ice axe, crampons and the skills to use them; the 'Killer Convex' above Clogwyn on the Llanberis Path and the Pyg Track zigzags are notorious. Check the Yr Wyddfa Live conditions page and the Met Office mountain forecast before setting out.
Getting to the start is the main logistical challenge. Pen-y-Pass has only about 68 spaces, which must be pre-booked from late March to 1 November; Rhyd Ddu and the Watkin Path car parks often fill by 07:30–08:00. Use the Sherpa'r Wyddfa buses from Llanberis, the Nant Peris park and ride, Caernarfon, Bangor or Betws-y-Coed. Start early to avoid summit queues on summer weekends, and do not rely on the summit café or railway being open.
History
The name Snowdon is first recorded in 1095 as Snawdune, 'snow hill'; the Welsh Yr Wyddfa comes from gwyddfa, 'height', which later came to mean 'burial cairn', linked to the legend of the giant Rhita buried beneath the summit cairn. The first recorded ascent was by the botanist Thomas Johnson in 1639. The Snowdon Ranger Path is thought to be the oldest path to the summit; the Watkin Path, built by the railway entrepreneur Sir Edward Watkin, opened in 1892, when Prime Minister Gladstone spoke at the rock in Cwm Llan that now bears his name. The Snowdon Mountain Railway opened in 1896. Edmund Hillary's team trained here before the first ascent of Everest in 1953. The present summit building, Hafod Eryri, opened on 12 June 2009. In November 2022 the Eryri National Park Authority began using only the Welsh name Yr Wyddfa, and confirmed this in November 2024.
Season
Best May–Jun- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter conditions likely; ice axe and crampons needed; railway not running
- Feb
- Winter conditions likely
- Mar
- Snow and ice common on upper paths; railway season starts but not to the summit
- Apr
- Lingering snow possible high up; longer days
- May
- Good conditions; railway usually reaches the summit from May
- Jun
- Long days; busy at weekends
- Jul
- Very busy; summit queues; book Pen-y-Pass parking early
- Aug
- Peak crowds and mountain rescue call-outs
- Sep
- Quieter; often settled weather
- Oct
- Shorter days; railway season ends late October
- Nov
- Winter conditions possible; Pen-y-Pass reverts to pay and display
- Dec
- Winter conditions likely; very short days
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Pen-y-Pass car park, pre-booked via JustPark during the 2026 season: £25 up to 8 hours, £35 for 8–12 hours, £45 for 12–24 hours; pay and display outside the pre-booking season
- Nant Peris park and ride: £5 per day (card only)
- Sherpa'r Wyddfa bus fares; Snowdon Mountain Railway tickets if used
- Rules
- Eryri National Park; the summit area is part of the Yr Wyddfa National Nature Reserve
- Pen-y-Pass parking must be pre-booked during the pre-booking season (until 1 November in 2026); bookings cannot be extended and there is no phone signal at the car park
- Wild camping is not generally permitted in Wales without the landowner's permission
- Getting There
Llanberis
Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL) or Manchester Airport (MAN)
- Rail to Bangor (North Wales Coast line) or Betws-y-Coed (Conwy Valley line), then Sherpa'r Wyddfa buses
- Sherpa'r Wyddfa S1 (Betws-y-Coed – Pen-y-Pass – Llanberis – Caernarfon) and S2 (Bangor – Llanberis – Nant Peris – Pen-y-Pass); summer timetable runs to 1 November in 2026, with a reduced winter service
- By car to Llanberis (A4086) for the Llanberis Path; to Nant Peris park and ride for buses to Pen-y-Pass
Hazards
- Weather
- Exposure
- Avalanche