Ascending via the Pyg Track and descending via the Miners' Track is the classic Snowdon traverse — two routes that complement each other perfectly, the Pyg Track giving bird's-eye views of Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw from above, the Miners' Track returning along their shores. Together they provide a full understanding of the eastern cwm and the history written in its landscape. This is Experience #17 of the Snowdonia 100.
Route Details
| Start/End | Pen-y-Pass |
| Distance | 12km circular |
| Ascent | 730m |
| Time | 4.5–6 hours |
| Direction | Ascend Pyg (left from car park); descend Miners' (right from car park) |
The Pyg Track
The Pyg Track climbs from Pen-y-Pass along the northern wall of the cwm, with immediate and dramatic views down to Llyn Llydaw. At Bwlch y Moch — the Pass of the Pigs — the route splits: the Pyg Track continues west along the ridge, while the Crib Goch approach heads right. The final ascent to the summit zigzags up the zig-zag path on Yr Wyddfa's southeast face.
The Miners' Track
The Miners' Track descent passes Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw — copper lakes whose green-blue colour comes from dissolved copper minerals, the legacy of the Glaslyn copper mines that operated here until 1916. The track follows the old mining road, wide and well-surfaced, past the ruins of the ore-crushing mill at Llyn Llydaw and then down through the valley to Pen-y-Pass. The contrast between the two routes — the Pyg Track above the lakes, the Miners' Track alongside them — gives the classic traverse its lasting appeal.
Experience #17 of 100 — Routes and Ridges category.
Independently written — Snowdon.com