Yes. Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the Welsh Government’s woodland manager, lists the Llyn Crafnant Circuit at 3.1 miles (5 kilometres) and 1 to 2 hours.
The walk starts at a car park above Trefriw, in the Conwy valley. It follows wide tracks, tarmac and forest roads round a lake that is really a reservoir.
The link to the next lake, Llyn Geirionydd, is a separate and steeper trail with its own figures.
Finding the car park above Trefriw
Llyn Crafnant is 4 miles west of Llanrwst. NRW gives these directions to the car park:
- Follow the B5106 from Llanrwst to Trefriw.
- In Trefriw, turn left onto a minor road opposite the pub.
- Follow the narrow road for 2 miles. The car park is just before the road reaches the lake.
The postcode LL27 0JZ covers a wide area and will not take you to the entrance. The car park’s Ordnance Survey grid reference is SH 756 618, on Explorer Map OL 17.
Parking is free, and overnight parking is not permitted. The toilets are open at all times, and there are accessible toilets and parking for Blue Badge holders. Nobody is on site, and the nearest mainline railway station is in Llanrwst.
The circuit of Llyn Crafnant
NRW grades the circuit Easy. It says the trail suits people using adaptive equipment.
- Surface: a mixture of wide tracks, tarmac and forest roads, with some rougher sections beside the lake.
- Gates: several along the trail, including accessible kissing gates.
- Waymarks: the trail is waymarked from start to finish, with an information panel at the start.
Expect a mix of wide track and tarmac, not a smooth path all the way round.
On the climb up the valley, NRW describes the view as framed by crags and old slate mines. Across the lake you see the crags at the head of the valley and Cwm Glas Crafnant National Nature Reserve.
No paths cross the reserve, which is very steep. NRW says it is best viewed from this walk.
The trail returns to the car park along the tarmac road.
NRW notes that Crafnant was once the water supply for Llanrwst. Richard James gave the lake to the town in 1896, and the townspeople built the monument beside it.
One circuit fits an afternoon. The two other waymarked walks from the same car park are listed here:
- Afon Crafnant Amble: Accessible grade, 0.4 mile (0.6 kilometres), 30 minutes, a well surfaced trail 1.2 metres wide.
- Crafnant View Walk: Strenuous grade, 2.9 miles (4.8 kilometres), 1½ to 2½ hours, partly on a steep narrow path, with two small fords.
More gentle routes are in the beginner walks in Snowdonia.
The crossing to Llyn Geirionydd
NRW says you can walk from Llyn Crafnant to the nearby lake of Llyn Geirionydd. Its trail for this is the Geirionydd and Crafnant Trail.
NRW grades it Strenuous: 4.2 miles (6.8 kilometres), 2 to 3 hours. Those are the trail’s own figures, and NRW describes it as starting and returning at Llyn Geirionydd.
The route runs past the southern end of Llyn Geirionydd, where the path narrows under tall larch trees. It then descends steeply through a spruce plantation.
After that it follows tarmac and forest road alongside Llyn Crafnant, climbs to a viewpoint over the lake, and descends back to Llyn Geirionydd.
The ground is harder than on the circuit.
- Path: steep and narrow, less than 80 centimetres wide in some places.
- Surface: unmade and uneven, with mud, rocks and tree roots.
- Fords: two small fords to cross.
- Gate: a kissing gate just before the council road.
- Barriers: two forest barriers with a gap of around 70 centimetres at the side.
Plan the Geirionydd and Crafnant Trail as its own walk of 2 to 3 hours.
There are picnic benches and toilets in both car parks, and a bench at the viewpoint above Crafnant.
A full-day route from Capel Curig to Betws-y-Coed by way of Llyn Crafnant is in Betws-y-Coed walks.
Toilets and the café
At Llyn Geirionydd, the toilets are normally open from 9am to 7pm all year. NRW’s notice there says the toilet block closes from Friday 25 September while engineering work takes place.
Temporary toilets will be available in the car park.
The lakeside café at Llyn Crafnant is privately owned, not run by NRW. Fishing in Wales, an angling directory, carries an update dated June 2026: the fishery and the café are closed.
Do not plan on the café.
Bring your own food and drink.
Cold water, and why this is a walk
Treat Llyn Crafnant as a walk, not a swim. NRW does say that swimming is permitted on Llyn Geirionydd from its car park. It gives no swimming rule for the Crafnant reservoir, which is privately owned.
NRW says Llyn Geirionydd is up to 12 metres deep and the water can be very cold. The site is unstaffed, and mobile phone reception is poor.
Public Health Wales, the national public health agency of NHS Wales, adds a general warning. Even in summer, outdoor water can be extremely cold, which can cause cold-water shock. That can stop you swimming and affect your breathing.
A warm afternoon is no guide to how cold the water is.
We compile and explain public route and safety information. We guide nobody and sell nothing on the hill.
Keep children under supervision at all times, as NRW asks. Stay on the path beside the water.
