Eryri National Park — officially renamed from Snowdonia in 2022 to reflect its Welsh identity — is one of the most visited places in Wales, with over four million visitors a year. Most of them come in July and August. This is understandable but suboptimal. The best time to visit is September and October, when the mountains are at their most dramatic, the crowds have gone and the landscape does something extraordinary.
What happens to Snowdonia in autumn
The bracken, which covers the lower slopes of most of the mountains, turns from summer green to every shade of copper, rust and amber between late September and early November. Combined with the oaks and rowans in the valley woods, and the whitegrass and ling heather on the higher tops, the visual effect is remarkable — particularly on clear days when the colours are lit by low autumn sun against dark approaching cloud. The light in Snowdonia in October is a photographer’s gift: lower, warmer, more dramatic than the flat summer light of August.
The waterfalls are also typically at their best in autumn, fed by early-season rainfall. The Swallow Falls near Betws-y-Coed, the Pistyll Rhaeadr south of Blaenau Ffestiniog, and the series of falls above Nantgwynant are all more impressive after wet weather. Early autumn often brings several weeks of settled weather following the August monsoons, making September genuinely one of the most reliable months for walking in North Wales.
The crowds genuinely thin
The Snowdon Mountain Railway — which carries around 140,000 passengers a year to the 1,085-metre summit — has significantly shorter queues in September than in August. Llanberis, the main walking base at the foot of the Llanberis Path, feels like a different town. The car park at Pen-y-Pass, the highest point on the A498 and the start of the two most popular walking routes, is more manageable, though still worth arriving by 8am on good weekends. The smaller valleys — Nantgwynant, Cwm Idwal, the Ogwen Valley — are noticeably quieter.
What to do in Snowdonia in autumn
Walk Snowdon via the Pyg Track or Miners’ Track
Both routes start from Pen-y-Pass and are the most spectacular approaches to the summit. The Pyg Track is the more dramatic, traversing the edge of Crib Goch above the glacial lake of Glaslyn; the Miners’ Track is gentler initially before steepening sharply below the summit. Neither is technically difficult in good conditions, but both require proper footwear and clothing — conditions on the summit can change rapidly at any time of year, and in October the summit is frequently in cloud or snow.
Explore the Glyderau
The Glyderau range — Glyder Fawr, Glyder Fach and the extraordinary rocky chaos of Castell y Gwynt — lies immediately north of Snowdon and is substantially less visited. The traverse from Ogwen up Y Garn, across the Glyderau and down through the Devil’s Kitchen to Llyn Idwal is one of the finest mountain days in Wales and is rarely crowded even in summer. In autumn it is often empty.
Walk in the Aberglaslyn Pass
The path through the Aberglaslyn Pass, a narrow gorge through which the Glaslyn river tumbles between wooded crags, is one of the most beautiful short walks in North Wales and accessible to almost anyone. In autumn the oak and rowan woodland is extraordinary. The walk connects the village of Beddgelert (worth a stop for the famous grave of the hound Gelert) with the Glaslyn estuary at Porthmadog.
Ride the Ffestiniog Railway
The narrow-gauge Ffestiniog Railway runs 13.5 miles from Porthmadog on the coast up through the mountains to Blaenau Ffestiniog, climbing over 700 feet through scenery that changes dramatically with each season. In autumn the woodland sections are particularly beautiful. The return journey can be broken at Tan-y-Bwlch, a quiet request stop with a short walk to Llyn Mair, a lake surrounded by ancient oak woodland.
Where to stay
Betws-y-Coed is the most central base for the whole national park — a Victorian tourist village at the confluence of the Conwy and Llugwy rivers, with a good selection of hotels, guesthouses and self-catering. Beddgelert is smaller and more atmospheric. Llanberis, on the shore of Llyn Padarn at the foot of Snowdon, is the walkers’ village of choice. For something more remote, Nant Gwynant has a handful of campsites and guesthouses in the valley below Yr Wyddfa — staying here means you wake up inside the national park rather than on its edges.
Getting there
The nearest mainline railway station is Bangor on the North Wales Coast Line, served by Avanti West Coast from London Euston (around 3 hours) and regular trains from Cardiff, Birmingham and Manchester. From Bangor, local buses serve Llanberis and Betws-y-Coed. Alternatively, Conwy Valley Railway connects Llandudno Junction to Betws-y-Coed and continues to Blaenau Ffestiniog, passing through the heart of the national park. By car, the A55 North Wales Expressway provides fast access from England.