The Easiest Route up Snowdon

Published By: Daniel Woodley. Updated: 18th October 2023. Filed at: Hiking Routes. Disclosure: I may earn a commission from purchases made via links. Disclaimer: Mountain hiking can be dangerous, this route description does not provide step-by-step instructions. Read Disclaimer.

Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, UK and is taller than any of the mountains in England. Standing at 1085 metres above sea level and within easy reach of the nearby town and road links, it’s no wonder so many people choose Snowdon as their mountaineering challenge.

I’ve been up every route to the summit and the easiest is the Llanberis Path, which is also the most popular.

A long but relatively shallow meandering route, the Llanberis Path starts in the main town, is 4.5 miles (7.2km) long and the average hiker takes around 3-4 hours to reach the summit.

This is my guide to the easiest route up Snowdon.

Planning a winter ascent? The Llanberis Path is notoriously dangerous when covered in ice, read my winter warning here.

I recently published a video guide to the Llanberis Path/Rangers Path circular route. If you would like to go up the easiest route but come down the second easiest path, this short 3-minute video is for you:

The 3 Sections of the Easiest Route Up Snowdon

Here are the three sections of the Llanberis Path:

1. From Llanberis town to the Halfway House.
2. From Halfway House to Clogwyn Station crossing.
3. From the railway crossing to the summit.

Section 1) FROM LLANBERIS TOWN

The first section of the route is made from tarmac, is fairly wide and accommodates vehicles. It’s also surprisingly steep, and whenever I’ve been on this route, I’m always reminded that the initial bit is steeper than the start of any of the other main routes up Snowdon.

Don’t feel overwhelmed if you’re legs hurt and you get exhausted quickly – the path does level off after a short distance; it isn’t this steep all the way to the summit.

The path soon narrows to around 3-abreast and becomes more rugged, it’s easy to walk on, but there’s no way one could push a child’s buggy here, it’s too uneven.

The route meanders up the hill, roughly parallel to the railway tracks, as you can see in my drone photos here:

Looking down the mountain to Llanberis. The path is on the right, the railway on the left.

Looking up the mountain. The railway and path crisscross each other at the bridge.

Section 2) Halfway House to Clogwyn Station

The halfway house offers refreshments if it’s open (rarely out of season) but there aren’t any public toilet facilities here.

The next notable point is Clogwyn Station and you’ll need to walk under another bridge as the path and railway crisscross again.

The terrain on this second section starts to get a little steeper towards the third and final section.

Section 3) From the Station to the Summit

This section starts at the bridge by Clogwyn Station and is arguably the hardest part of the route.

The ground here is steeper, often dusty and with lots of loose stones. Extra care is required but this is still a walking route, you won’t need to use your hands to pull yourself up.

Map showing the steep section after Clogwyn Station (in red).

After this steeper section, the path evens off somewhat until it’s joined by the Ranger Path, The Crib Goch route and the Pyg Track.

The final push to the summit is hard work and tiring but the views down the Pyg Track make it all worth it:

Views down the Pyg Track and Miners Track.

The summit.

The Summit

At the summit, there’s a cafe and toilets although they’re usually closed out of season and whenever the train isn’t running, such as on a windy day.

Descent Options

From the summit, you have plenty of options, the most popular being:

1. The way you came, back down the easy Llanberis Path.
2. The nearby Snowdon Ranger Path is of similar difficulty (just a little more rugged but not by much) and you can walk on the connecting path that takes you back into the town of Llanberis.
3. Down the more rugged Pyg or Miners Tracks and get the bus back to Llanberis.

Whichever route you choose, make sure you don’t get lost at the fork, (easily done in low cloud):

The easily missed fork on the descent: 1) Ranger Path. 2) Llanberis Path. 3) Crib Goch Route. 4) Pyg/Miners Track.

My Recommendation

If you enjoyed the easiest route up Snowdon and didn’t find it too rugged, I suggest going down the Snowdon Ranger Path and taking the connecting path back into the town of Llanberis. The path is made from gravel and was recently upgraded by the park authority, it’s well marked about two-thirds of the way down the Ranger Path:

This path loops back to the town of Llanberis.

My Winter Warning

On the Llanberis Path, one section just after Clogwyn Station is notoriously dangerous when covered in ice. The entire section transforms into a steep ski slope and should only be attempted by those with crampons and an ice axe (and knowledge of how to use them safely).

In winter the Llanberis Path isn’t always the easiest or safest route to the summit and there are warnings on the notice boards at the start of the route.

The Llanberis Path Isn’t Boring

I am a member of several Snowdonia Facebook groups, and occasionally I see people claiming that the Llanberis Path is boring.

I disagree – the route isn’t boring but it is longer and shallower than the other routes and while the views are stunning near the top, they aren’t as great as on some of the other paths on the way up.

This is why I suggest first-timers consider going up the easiest route and down the Snowdon Ranger Path and get the looping path to the town. Taking in two paths on one day is a great way to explore another side of the mountain that offers different views.