The Pyg Track

After registering and signing in at the start point in the car park in front of the Legacy – Royal Victoria Hotel you will be transported by our free shuttle bus to Pen Y Pass where you will receive your pre climb briefing before setting off for the summit of Mt. Snowdon.

The Pyg Track is one of the most rugged and challenging routes up Snowdon and is rather more demanding than the Miners Track. The path starts at the western end of the Pen Y Pass car park and quickly winds steeply upwards through a boulder field with fine views of the Glyders (mountains) on your right and then the Llanberis pass below (through which you were transported by the Snowdon 500 shuttle bus before starting on the climb). 

The path soon levels out a little as the towering bulk of Crib Goch comes into view and meanders gently before climbing steeply again over broken ground. The path veers to the left as Bwlch y Moch (Pig’s Pass) is approached. The route up to Crib Goch and the start of the famous Snowdon Horseshoe is on the right, but you must avoid that as this way is only for very experienced climbers. As you continue onwards the route can be subject to significant erosion and the National park Authority does a lot of repair work to prevent further damage so please keep strictly to the pathway. 

Once over the pass, the path bends to the right, descends a little and then continues on climbing gently. The pyramid shape of your destination, Snowdon (Yr Wddfa) soon comes into view and the path follows a huge crescent ending in a conspicuous white quartz platform with a quite dramatic view of Snowdon across Lyn Glaslyn below. The path now contours gently and then climbs up a smooth rock slab until another platform is reached high above Lyn Galslyn. 

From here you continue to contour round in another large crescent climbing very gently until you reach the junction with the Miner’s Track which comes up from your left. The junction of the Miners Track / Pyg Track is marked by a conspicuous striated boulder but your route continues ahead until you shortly reach the start of the Zigzag. The route upwards from here is well defined and has been subject to a great deal of work by the Snowdon National Park Authority. The path has been edged with rock filled gabions to prevent the scree above from engulfing it. This part of the climb is very steep and quite strenuous so take your time and treat this part of the ascent with great respect keeping strictly to the path. 

Continue up the Zigzag until you reach the 8ft marker stone at Bwlch Glas – this is where the Miners / Pyg  Track meets the Llanberis path which will be your route down after reaching the summit. Now turn left and follow the path up to the top – from here it is a relatively easy 15 minute climb but please do not be tempted to walk along the Snowdon Mountain railway track at any time. Not only is it forbidden but it can cause serious erosion to the track bed and can be dangerous especially in wet conditions. You must keep to the path which follows a line along the edge of the ridge well to the left of the railway track which soon reaches the summit of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) at 1085m or 3560 feet, the highest point in all of England and Wales.