The Best Place to Park for the Pyg Track, Miners Track & Crib Goch
By The Bald Scrambler
Parking
Parking Map With Over 500 Spaces (Updated 2021)
The Pyg and Miners tracks are popular routes up to the summit of Snowdon and both of these paths begin at Pen-y-Pass so you’ll need to get here to start your hike.
In 2021 there were reports of the popular Pen-y-Pass car park being full before sunrise so if you’re planning a visit in the summer, it’s best to assume that the car park will be full.
This page lists all of the known car parks and laybys within walking distance of the starting point for the Pyg and Miners tracks.
It also displays places to park where visitors can get the bus up the starting point.
Below is a map, and each marker represents a parking place; click on the marker for details, hints and tips.
Pen-y-Pass Car Park
The Pen-y-Pass car park (postcode LL55 4NY) marks the starting point of the Miners Track and the Pyg Track and is located 359m above sea level, or about one-third of the way up Snowdon, hence its popularity.
There is also a bus stop and toilet building near the car park.
With limited parking for 60 cars, this car park will fill up quickly during the school holidays and bank holidays and also during other periods when the weather is fine.
In 2021, the authorities introduced a pre-booking policy for this car park and raised the prices to:
- £18 for up to 8 hours.
- £25 for 8-12 hours.
- £40 for up to 24 hours.
The Pen-y-Pass car park is currently the most expensive place to park in Snowdonia, but there are rumours the pre-booking policy and prices will change for the winter period.
Limited parking spaces st Pen y Pass car park. Photo by Eric Jones | Img Licence
Llanberis Pass
The A4086, otherwise known as the Llanberis Pass, links Llanberis to Nant Peris to Pen-y-Pass and finally the A498.
There are three laybys between Pen-y-Pass and Nant Peris that are currently free to use (keep your car completely off the road) and you can either walk 20-25 minutes up to Pen-y-Pass or take the bus.
East layby opposite Cromlech Boulders: 25 spaces.
150 metres west of Cromlech Boulders: 6 spaces.
600 metres further west: 20 spaces.
These laybys are free but will fill up quickly during the summer, some visitors even stay overnight in their cars and campers, although the park authority takes a dim view of this.
Nant Peris Park & Ride
With over 100 spaces, the car park at Nant Peris (just east of LL55 4UF) is a popular choice for walkers going up the Pyg Track, Miners Track and Crib Goch as the Sherpa bus operates frequently during the summer and currently (2021) costs £3 return.
Expect this car park to fill up before 8am on bank holidays and school holiday weekends.
Want to walk from Nant Peris to Pen-y-Pass? It’s 3.3 miles and there’s no footpath.
Llanberis Parking
There are more parking spaces in Llanberis than anywhere else in Snowdonia (Postcode LL55 4TU).
However, as this town is popular with tourists going up Snowdon via the Llanberis Path and the railway, the car parks here will fill up incredibly quickly on weekends during the school holidays and on bank holidays.
A Sherpa bus can take walkers from Llanberis to Pen-y-Pass but expect it to be busy in the summer.
A498 Pay & Display Laybys
You’ll find several pay and display laybys on the A498 both north and south of the Pen y Gwryd hotel (postcode: LL55 4NT).
There’s space for about 80-90 cars in the laybys but don’t park on the roads as your car may get a ticket or possibly towed.
Parking on the verges used to be tolerated and sometimes still is but it’s best to keep your car completely off the verges here.
From the laybys one can walk up the path adjacent to the Llanberis Pass all the way up to Pen y Pass for the starting point of the Miners and Pyg Tracks (you can see this route on Google Maps if you’re unsure, it’s just left of the Llanberis Pass near the T junction with the A498.).
Parking in these laybys costs £4 (coins) as of November 2021.
Further Parking
There are more parking spaces around Snowdon, and visitors can use the summer Sherpa bus to get to Pen-y-Pass but check the timetable as the times are very limited, especially out of the peak season.
During the summer school holidays, there is a Sherpa bus (S6 as of 2021) that goes from Llyn Ogwen to Pen-y-Pass, so you could park in the Glyderau near the A5 and take this bus, but it doesn’t run in the evenings and the Glyderau is also a popular hiking location so the spaces fill up quickly here too. Out of the peak summer season, this bus only runs twice a day.
This car was towed for blocking the pavement: Photo via North Wales Police.
Summary
Parking for the Snowdon routes is notoriously difficult during the summer holidays, especially on weekends.
If you’re looking for parking for the Pyg Track, the Miners Track or Crib Goch, the map at the top of this page pinpoints over 500 spaces but many of these will be taken early in the day during the summer.
For non-peak times, I suggest trying the free laybys on the Llanberis Pass or the pay and display laybys on the A498 near the Pen Y Gwryd Hotel.
The Pen-y-Pass car park won’t be so busy out of season and you get a space if you arrive early enough but check online to see what the situation is with pre-booking and prices.
Parking Rules/Etiquette
Most of the roads near the car parks are clearways or too narrow for cars to safely park so the general rule is to avoid parking on the road at all, I’ve seen vehicles with just one wheel on the road get ticketed, and on the A5 opposite Lake Ogwen, I’ve seen cars towed for blocking pavements and for being parked partially on the road.
Verge parking was up until 2020, fairly tolerated but appears to be more strictly enforced since then. The general rule of thumb appears to be if you block the pavement, even partially, you may get towed, if you park on the road, even partially, you may get towed. Tickets are generally issued where the parking is less dangerous.
Alternatives
The Miners and Pyg Tracks are popular because they offer a circular route where visitors don’t need to use a bus to get back to their cars; the Pyg Track is also used by scramblers who wish to traverse the infamous Crib Goch knife-edged ridge.
Personally, I wouldn’t undertake any of these routes on a bank holiday weekend or a school holiday weekend due to the sheer numbers of people and the well-documented parking issues.
The “quieter” side of the mountain is over at Rhyd Ddu; there’s a car park with just over 50 spaces and an interesting and underused route up to the summit of Snowdon. All routes up or around Snowdon are best enjoyed on weekdays or weekends during school term times.
The Glyderau and Carneddu mountain ranges do get busy but rarely see the parking issues that the Snowdon range has experienced in recent years.
Also, consider going later in the day as most walkers arrive in the morning and leave by late afternoon. I parked in the layby on the A5 next to Llyn Ogwen on a bank holiday weekend at 4pm, and there were several empty spaces. When I got home, I heard on the news that dozens of cars were towed earlier in the day for parking on pavements; I completely avoided the chaos by arriving later – and the sunset decent from Pen yr Ole Wen was memorable too.
More:
The Snowdon range is a popular destination for walkers, hikers, scramblers and even climbers.
There are several scrambling routes up to the summit of Mount Snowdon with Crib Goch the most well known.
If you enjoy scrambling or would like to get started with this fun activity, try Scrambles in Snowdonia by Steve Ashton.
Over 80 of the best routes are described and graded in this popular book, which is often referred as the bible of Snowdonia.
Go on, get off the sofa and enjoy life
By The Bald Scrambler