Snowdonia National Park (Eryri): landscape and origins
The Pyg Track is the shortest route up Snowdon – and one of the rockiest.
From Pen y Pass the path climbs to the pass of Bwlch y Moch, where you first see Llyn Llydaw and its causeway. Later it joins the Miners’ Track and meets the Llanberis Path at Bwlch Glas for the final climb to the summit.
The National Park Authority grades the route as hard: steep, rocky sections, some easy scrambling, navigation skills essential. Beside the path rises Crib Goch, a narrow ridge with no escape route – not a walking route.
Because the Pen y Pass car park can only be used with a booking until 1 November 2026, the National Park Authority recommends the Sherpa bus from Llanberis, Nant Peris, Caernarfon or Bangor; drop-offs at the car park are allowed.
Eryri National Park Authority: Pyg Track (11 km, 895 m ascent, Crib Goch) ↗
The park in numbers
- Length
- 11 km (6.8 mi) there and back
- Duration
- about 6 hours
- Ascent
- 895 m (2,936 ft)
- Difficulty
- hard
- Start
- Pen y Pass
- Parking
- pre-booking only until 1 Nov 2026
- Bus
- Sherpa S1, S2, S4
- Map
- OS Explorer OL17
