Pen-y-Pass is the highest point of the Llanberis Pass, the road between the Glyder and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) mountain ranges. The car park is off the A4086, at grid reference SH647557.
The Pyg Track and the Miners’ Track both start here. To reach the Crib Goch ridge, you leave the Pyg Track.
Over the winter the car park is pay and display. From Easter 2027, arrive with a car park booking, or on the bus.
Which path from Pen-y-Pass
Neither track is easy, and Crib Goch is for experienced mountain walkers only. Pen-y-Pass is the access point to both trailheads, and all routes to the summit are challenging hikes.
| Path | Distance, time, ascent | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Pyg Track | 11 km, 6 hours, 895 m | Fit walkers at ease on steep, rocky ground |
| Miners’ Track | 13 km, 6 hours, 723 m | The same, with less climbing |
| Crib Goch | Grade 1 scramble | Experienced mountain walkers only |
Distances are there and back. Both tracks are graded Hard/Strenuous. They are shorter in distance but have much steeper ascents.
The Pyg Track
The Pyg Track is among the shortest ways up Yr Wyddfa and one of the most rugged. It is a rocky path with several steep climbs.
It climbs to Bwlch y Moch, where the first view of Llyn Llydaw and its causeway opens up. It then merges with the Miners’ Track and joins the Llanberis Path at Bwlch Glas.
It suits experienced country walkers with a good level of fitness, and navigation skills are essential.
Full hill walking gear is needed.
The Miners’ Track
Three lakes line the Miners’ Track: Llyn Teyrn, Llyn Llydaw and Glaslyn. It was first built to serve the Britannia Copper Mine.
The lakes come first.
The last half is a challenging and steep ascent over loose rock and scree, ending at the Llanberis Path.
Crib Goch
Crib Goch is a knife-edge ridge and a Grade 1 scramble with serious exposure, and there is no escape route until Bwlch Coch.
Eryri warns that the route up Crib Goch and along the ridge is extremely dangerous and should only be attempted by experienced mountain walkers. It calls it a serious mountaineering undertaking in wet weather, wind, snow, mist or ice.
The British Mountaineering Council rates it Grade 1, the lowest rating on the scrambling scale. Its scrambling guide adds that Crib Goch is often underestimated.
You leave the Pyg Track on a well-travelled path to the base of the scramble. In snow it becomes a Grade 1 winter climb needing crampon and ice axe skills.
Read about the Crib Goch scramble separately, and before the day.
The car park and its booking
The car park is pay and display over the winter, and goes back to pre-booking at Easter 2027 (as read in November 2026). Booking is through JustPark, and charges apply. The detail is on the Park Authority’s page and in parking across Snowdonia.
- Between March and November: planning how to get to Pen-y-Pass in advance is essential.
- No extensions: the car park is very limited, so existing bookings cannot be extended.
- Drop-offs: allowed, so a friend or relative can leave you at the car park.
- No phone signal at the car park.
If the car park is full, consider other car parks or local buses. The YHA’s hostel page describes winter pay and display with no pre-booking.
Do not park in lay-bys on the road to Pen-y-Pass, and do not walk it. Eryri calls the A4086 narrow, winding and dangerous in some places.
From Pen y Gwryd parking, a 1 km open-access path is much safer than walking along the road.
The Sherpa’r Wyddfa bus and the park and ride
The Sherpa’r Wyddfa buses reach Pen-y-Pass from Nant Peris in about 15 minutes and from Llanberis in about 20. Sherpa’r Wyddfa is the bus network around the base of Yr Wyddfa. These are the Sherpa routes:
- Nant Peris: S1, S2 or S5, about 15 minutes.
- Llanberis: S1, S2 or S5, about 20 minutes.
- Betws y Coed: S1, about 20 minutes.
- Caernarfon: S1, about 45 minutes.
The S2 runs from Bangor and the S4 from Porthmadog.
Nant Peris car park is listed as parking for the Miners’ and Pyg Tracks, with a park and ride service to Pen-y-Pass.
The timetable for 2 November 2026 to 19 March 2027 is a winter one. There is no S5, and from Llanberis and Nant Peris the S1 is the bus to Pen-y-Pass.
Check it before you travel. All journeys use low floor buses with a wheelchair space and ramp.
The hostel and what is open
The YHA hostel here sits at the foot of Yr Wyddfa, over 1,000ft above sea level. It offers beds in shared rooms and private rooms.
Its licensed Café & Bar is open to the public from 07:30 to 22:00, Monday to Sunday, with meals from 15:00 to 21:00. Hours change, so check the YHA’s page.
The accessible toilet at the Pen-y-Pass Warden Centre is open all year. The toilet at Nant Peris, where the park and ride starts, is seasonal.
We compile and explain public route and safety information. We guide nobody and sell nothing on the hill.
Choosing your path on the morning
Decide at the car park, with the conditions in front of you. The Crib Goch decision cannot wait for the ridge.
Read the Yr Wyddfa Live website’s ground-condition reports before you set off.
If cloud, wind or wet rock is about, walk the Pyg Track or the Miners’ Track and leave Crib Goch for another day.
