BEST HIKING ROUTE FOR FAMILIES
There are eight established routes to the summit of Mount Snowdon, but the best one for families is the Miners’ Track (Welsh: Llwybr y Mwynwyr). This track was built to carry copper from the Britannia Copper Works near Llyn Glaslyn to Pen y Pass, where it was then transported to Caernarfon. While mining ended in 1916, you can still spot remains of the work along the path today!
MINERS’ TRACK DETAILS
Distance: 13 km (8 miles) there & back
Total Climb (elevation change): 723 m (2372 ft)
Grade: Mountain Walk
Begin/Finish: Pen y Pass car park
Parking: Pay & Display car park at Pen Y Pass. During busy times, the car park can be totally filled and you may need to find parking down the road. There is a Sherpa bus back up to Pen y Pass.
Sherpa Bus Stop: Pen y Pass car park
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CLIMB SNOWDON MINERS TRACK?
6-8 hours (plus any time at top). It is very important to start your hike before noon so that you can take a leisurely hike with rest breaks and still make it back to the base during daylight.
HIKING WITH CHILDREN ON MINERS’ TRACK – SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
While the round-trip mileage on Miners’ Track is 8 miles, when you factor in hiking around the summit (there are trails to different view points), the trek can easily become a 10 mile, 8-10 hour hike. For this reason, you must know definitively the hiking abilities of your children. Children who haven’t had experience on multi-hour, strenuous hikes will have trouble. However, if your family is fit, has hiking experience, and enjoys a good physical challenge – this is an awesome hike. When our family took Miners’ Track, our children were ages 5, 7, and 9 and we only had trouble in a few sections when the fog had rolled in and rocks were slick.
BEST TIME OF YEAR TO HIKE MINERS’ TRACK
When hiking with children, the best time to ascend Mount Snowdon is late spring to early summer as they are likely to be the driest of times.
MOUNT SNOWDON HIKING GEAR
Even during the “warm” summer months, weather on Mount Snowdon can vary dramatically literally from second to second (personal experience!) Your hike may include any or all of the following: hot sun, drizzle, fog, sleet, snow, rain, strong winds, or hail. Sometimes several of these elements at once!
You must ensure that all hikers in your group are properly geared for any weather eventuality. Dress in layers as you will find that one moment you are sweating from heat, and the next minute your hands are numb from freezing wind.
This is our list of MUST-HAVES in addition to your standard hiking gear.
– Sturdy hiking shoes/boots – the rocks on the trails get very slick when wet. Twisted ankles are a real possibility.
– Rain Jacket – this is a long, uphill hike with no man-made or natural shelters along the route. Sudden rain is common as well as just constant drizzle. You need to be prepared for either.
– Gloves/Hats – the temperature at the bottom of the mountain is significantly warmer than the summit.