Best walks in Snowdonia

Snowdonia National Park covers 823 square miles of north-west Wales and contains the country’s highest peak, Snowdon.

The region, designated as a national park in 1951, was sculpted by glaciers, leaving behind a spectacular landscape of craggy mountains and hills, deep valleys and over 100 lakes.

• Check out our favourite walks in the Brecon Beacons
• Where to hike in Pembrokeshire

There are numerous ways to explore the park – mountain biking routes, driving tours and even by canoe – but for a truly immersive experience, why not take on one of Snowdonia’s best walks? Here’s our list of some of the most inspiring, from a classic Snowdon ascent to a less-gruelling riverside amble along the Afon Artro.

Enjoy this nine-mile mountain walk through open hills and slate quarries in the Snowdonia National Park. Map and route.

A three-hour loop walk above the verdant valleys of the Llyn Peninsula and on to the crown of Yr Eifl with views of the Menai Strait. Map and route.

Savour the beautiful scenery on this 10-mile walk to the stunning Cregennen Lakes in the foothills of Cader Idris in Snowdonia National Park. Route and map.

Pass through this ancient woodland teeming with wildlife in north-west Wales. This walk is especially glorious in late summer and autumn when the woods are filled with colour and foraging creatures. Map and route.

Take on the peaks and crags of Snowdon and immerse yourself in what is one of the wildest places in Wales with this seven-mile mountain walk. Map and route.

Known in English as Lake Bala, Llyn Tegid is the largest natural lake in Wales – explore its banks and surrounding forests in the east of Snowdonia National Park with this 8.5-mile hike. Map and route.

Admire Aber Falls and discover the surrounding history and wildlife on this dramatic valley walk through the north-west fringes of Snowdonia National Park. Route and map.

Follow in the footsteps of Hillary and Tenzing as they prepared to summit Mount Everest with a stay in their Snowdonia basecamp and a walk in the foothills of one of Britain’s best-loved peaks. Map and route.

This refreshing 3.5-mile route through ancient forest, thick with greenery, mist and roaring torrents is the perfect family walk. Map and route.

From the cylindrical towers of a 13th-century castle, ascend into the Snowdonia mountains to follow a prehistoric trackway to an extraordinary Bronze Age cairn. Route and map.

Hike through deep valleys, along meandering forest paths and beside an old mountain railway to a mysterious lake in Wales’ Snowdonia National Park. Map and route.

13

Cnicht, Gwynedd

Venture into the Moelwynion mountain range in Wales, climbing through a prehistoric landscape to the pyramidal zenith of mighty Cnicht. Map and route.