22 best views in Snowdonia National Park and how to find them

From glacial lakes to mountain summits, castles to coastline and remote churches to the cathedral of slate, this is my guide to the best views in Snowdonia, a stunning mountainous National Park in North Wales.

We begin with views of Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales and England, before venturing to all corners of Snowdonia – the rugged Ogwen Valley, the spectacular Cardigan Bay coast and the lush Conwy Valley around Betws-y-Coed. We hope you find plenty of inspiration.

Best Views In Snowdonia – Snowdon And Around

1. Llynnau Mymbyr 

The Llanberis Pass – or more prosaically the A4086 – threads its way up from the village of Llanberis, between the sheer rock walls of the Snowdon and Glyder massifs. It’s a great road to travel up or down, but the best views are from the top.

The best area to see it are just downhill from the permanently busy Pen-y-Pass car park, to the left of the road as it heads down towards Llanberis.

Accessibility: Cars often pack the road all the way down to the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel (over a mile – around 2 km). Otherwise it’s only a short walk from the bus stop at the top.

The crowds around Snowdon quickly thin out as you head west, and by the time you reach Llyn Nantlle Uchaf, you’ll hardly see another soul.

However, you will find one of the best views in Snowdonia, made famous by Richard Wilson’s 18^th century painting, Snowdon and Llyn Nantlle, which is on display in the Walker Art Gallery in Snowdonia.

Llyn Nantlle is one of the most beautiful lakes in Snowdonia, and the view of the highest mountain in Wales is framed by the craggy mountains either side.

Accessibility: A short, flat walk from the B4418.

Snowdon – Yr Wyddfa – is the highest point in southern Britain, at 1085 metres (3,560 feet) above sea level. On a clear day, the views are exceptional – I’ve seen places as far away as Holyhead Mountain, the Isle of Man, Cadair Idris and the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. And I’ve also seen no further than my boots, when the murk has refused to shift.

I would urge anyone fit enough – and suitably equipped – to climb Snowdon, or take the Snowdon Mountain Railway to the summit in season.  

It’s an amazing experience, but I have to say that I prefer views of the mountain rather than the views from it.  The view east – over the lakes of Glaslyn, Llyn Llydaw and the Mymbyr Lakes is probably the best.

The extraordinary Ogwen Valley has four of our 23 best views in Snowdonia – all within a 5-mile (8 km) stretch. It’s the starting point for some of the best hiking in Snowdonia,  but some of the best views (see also Tryfan and Nant Ffrancon) are to be found on the valley floor.

The lake at the west end of the valley, Llyn Ogwen, is one of the most beautiful in Wales, with mountains on three sides. Pull over at one of the parking spaces along the road and climb down to the shore of the lake, which is a wonderful sight at any time of year.

Accessibility: a very short walk from the roadside

See Also: Snowdonia Road Trip – 4 great itineraries by car

The route up from the Ogwen visitor centre close to the end of Llyn Ogwen lake, to the Devil’s Kitchen and the Glyderau is one of the best walks in Snowdonia.

It skirts the glacial lake, Llyn Idwal,  before ascending steeply towards the Devil’s Kitchen, a narrow gap in the cliffs, continuing to the summits  of Glyder Fawr, Glyder Fach or Y Garn.

One of the best views in Snowdonia is on the approach to the Devil’s Kitchen. From there you have a dramatic view of Llyn Idwal, with the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen, the first mountain of the Carneddau range, soaring behind.

It’s one of the most dramatic landscapes in Wales, but be prepared for tricky mountain conditions.

Tryfan is regarded by many as the toughest of peaks in Snowdonia to crack, a steep rocky mass that makes even the most mountain-goat-like humans resort to scrambling on all fours several times. However, the best view of Tryfan is from next to the A5 road at the foot of the mountain.

As you approach from Betws-y-Coed and Capel Curig, Tryfan rises almost sheer from the valley floor. One our favourite places to stop and admire it is from a lay-by close to the turn-off for the Gwern Gof Uchaf campsite.

There is also a footpath across the road which gives you wider views from further away as you gently ascend.

Accessibility: the view is from the roadside.

Nant Ffrancon always gets geologists in a swoon, and it may well do the same for you too. It’s a classic example of U-shaped glaciated valley, formed partly by the river Ogwen as it meanders north to Bethesda and the sea.

The best place to see it is from the minor road that leads from the Idwal Cottage car park, and it’s also a splendid sight looking back up the valley from the A5, with the cliff faces of Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach high above.

Accessibility: A short walk from Idwal Cottage car park

Llyn Gwynant is one of the most beautiful lakes in Wales, located in a deep glacial valley between the main Snowdon massif and the picturesque village of Beddgelert.

There is a popular viewpoint overlooking the valley, just off the A478 road that runs down to Beddgelert. The view from the roadside is wonderful, but if you climb the stile and walk 50 metres or so downhill an even better vista is revealed.

As you approach Gwynant lake, the peak of Yr Aran gradually becomes visible. There are several car parking spaces by the shore of the lake, where the view is also rather special.

Accessibility: Both viewpoints are next to the road    

Accessibility: easy walking to both viewpoints from car park.

Beddgelert is one of the prettiest villages in North Wales, and beautiful views abound there. These range from mountain-top views of the village to looking cross the Afon Glaslyn as it flowes past the picturesque houses in the centre of the village to the view of the Aberglaslyn Gorge to miles south.

Our favourite Beddgelert view is of St Mary’s Church, seen here in spring with a meadow full of bright flowers in the foreground and the hillside behind covered in pink rhododendrons.

Cadair Idris is the most prominent peak in southern Snowdonia, and from its summit you look north over the Mawddach, one of the most beautiful rivers in Wales. The Mawddach reaches the sea at Barmouth, and the estuary, traversed by a 19^th century wooden railway bridge, is one of the most beautiful places in Wales.   

One of the best things to do in Barmouth is to visit the small park overlooking the bridge and estuary to enjoy the breathtaking view. The scree-scoured face of Tyrau Mawr is visible from there, as it the summit of Cadair Idris, a few miles to the left and east.

There is a higher, more open vantage point on the fantastic Panorama Walk – from there you get great inland views to Cadair Idris, and back towards Barmouth Bridge and the Cardigan Bay coast.

Accessibility: the viewpoint in the town is a short walk from the town centre and Harbour. The Panorama Walk is a two-mile uphill drive and a moderate ten-minute hike from there.

The tiny village of Harlech grew up around the formidable Castle, the smallest but perhaps most dramatically sited of the Castles of Edward I in Gwynedd, which make up Wales’ first World Heritage Site.  

The main Harlech Castle viewpoint is in a small park called the Graig (‘Rock’ in Welsh). It’s an incredible location, with the whole Snowdonia range as a backdrop, and wonderful Harlech Beach – one of the best Cardigan Bay beaches – and the Llyn Peninsula off to the left.

Accessibility: The viewpoint is a three or four-minute walk along the road from the main car park in the village.

The area around Cwm Ystradllyn, to the north of Porthmadog, is one of the least explored places in Snowdonia. Yet it’s worth the detour off the main A487 road to explore part of the new Welsh Slate Landscape World Heritage Site.

Before you reach the old Gorseddau Slate Quarry, you encounter the Ynysypandy Slate Mill, a stunning 19^th century industrial cathedral, its roof and many arches open to the sky for a hundred years and more. 

As you approach along the minor road, the Slate Mill stands out below the stark slopes of Moel Hebog, one of the best peaks in Snowdonia.

Viewpoint accessibility: A short walk along the road from the car parking spaces.

The isolated hilltop church at Llandecwyn has one of the best views in Snowdonia at sunset, especially during the winter months.

The church is accessible by a steep, narrow minor road, and from there you have a great view over the Dwyryd estuary – especially attractive when all the shallow channels in the sand are exposed at low tide.

You can also clearly see the Italianate village of Portmeirion from there, on the shore of the Dwyryd, and the bulk of Moel y Gest, the steep hill that looms above the nearby town of Porthmadog.

Accessibility: drive the road to the church, then a short walk uphill

The B5113 road from Pentrefoelas, on the A5, north to the hamlet of Nebo, is one of several little-known Snowdonia backroads, but it offers up some of the best views in Snowdonia by car.

It runs along a high ridge above the Conwy Valley, with a view across the eastern flank of the Snowdonia ranges, from the jagged outline of Moel Siabod in the south to the remote fastnesses of the Carneddau to the north.

Much of the road runs through high pasture and farmland, with occasional parking spaces along the way and a large viewpoint just before you reach Nebo.

Accessibility: all views are from the roadside

The main A470 road runs below Mynydd Garthmyn, a mountain on the east side of the Conwy Valley overlooking the popular tourist village. Relatively few visitors get to explore this scenic ridge, which has outstanding views.

You get a superb view of Betws-y-Coed to your left, showing it in its woodland setting with some of the nearby Snowdonia peaks – including Moel Siabod and Tryfan – appearing above the steep hills of the Gwydyr Forest.

Continue a few hundred metres north until you reach an outcrop of rock with another of the best views in North Wales. From this vantage point you have a great view of the patchwork of well-watered green (courtesy of the rain) fields of the Conwy Valley, with the small town of Llanrwst just a few miles to the north.

Just don’t try driving up or down this road (towards Capel Garmon) in snow and ice – it is treacherous.

Accessibility: A 10-minute walk mostly along a level pathway from the car parking spaces.   

Dolwyddelan is one of a few castles in Snowdonia National Park, its lone battlemented tower one of the most recognizable castles in North Wales.

It is situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Lledr Valley and the main A470 road, but to find the best view of Dolwyddelan Castle you need to head across the valley and go for a short hike.

The advantage of moving further away from the Castle is that the dramatic mountain landscape behind opens up before you – you see none of this from the A470.

Follow the track to the south of the river, and when you reach a house at the end, climb over the stile and head for the field to the left. You then see across the valley to Dolwyddelan Castle, dwarfed beneath the mass of Moel Siabod, the highest peak in this part of Snowdonia.

You also get to glimpse this view from the Conwy Valley Line train between Betws-y-Coed and Blaenau Ffestiniog.  Try to bag a window seat on the right as you travel south – or on the left as you travel north.

Accessibility: A 15-20 minute walk from the car park at Dolwyddelan station.    

The riverside town of Conwy is one of the best places to visit in Snowdonia, and mighty Conwy Castle is the main attraction. 

The best view of Conwy and the Castle is from across the Conwy river, from the footpath along the riverfront in Llandudno Junction. There are car parks – and spaces – close by, otherwise it’s a 5-minute walk from Llandudno Junction train station.

Accessibility: On foot, easy flat walking.

See Also: Things To Do In Conwy Wales

I hope you found my article on the best views in Snowdonia helpful, and that you get to enjoy some of them soon for yourself.

These viewpoints are among the best places to visit in North Wales and a Snowdonia Road Trip is the easiest way to see many of them.

If you’re in the area I also suggest taking a look at my guides to the Best Beaches in North Wales and Best Castles in North Wales.

The North Wales coast is spectacular, and you’ll find several places there in my article on the Best Seaside Towns In Wales.

About the Author: David Angel, a Welsh photographer, writer, and historian, has over 30 years of experience exploring and photographing Wales. As former Art Director and Commissioning Editor for Visit Wales, he has explored every corner of this extraordinary country, climbed its mountains, and walked hundreds of miles along the breathtaking Welsh coastline and landscapes. He now uses a lifetime of experience to write comprehensive guides to help people like you discover and explore the best of Wales.  He is a native English speaker and fluent in Welsh.

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