Skip to content
Peakyas
EN
Snowdon in 3D: real relief (Copernicus DEM) and satellite image (Sentinel-2)

Mountain·United KingdomUnited Kingdom

Snowdon

1,085m

Snowdonia

Summit weather

3D view drawn from Copernicus WorldDEM-30 (© DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA) and Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH, CC BY 4.0

Elevation
1,085m
Prominence
1,039m
Isolation
369km
Relief
1,033mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope
55°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit
Dec–AprSee month by month ↓
First ascent
1639
Summit
53.0686°N, 4.0763°W

Highest mountain in Wales

Snowdon is a mountain in the Snowdonia (United Kingdom). Its summit stands 1,085 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 1,039 m, and the nearest higher ground is 369 km away. It was first climbed in 1639.

From the lowest point within 5 km (52 m), it rises 1,033 m. The steepest side is the south face: 30° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 55° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Llanberis, 6 km away at 128 m: 957 m below the summit.

Read more on Wikipedia

Scores

Snowdon for skiers and climbers

Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.

Hiking & mountaineering

8.0/10

Difficulty to the top

Mountain walk

Most path sections around the top are T3 on the SAC hiking scale.

Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.

  • 2.4/2.516 waymarked routes and 106 path sections nearby
  • 1.5/1.513 huts and shelters
  • 1.0/2957 m of ascent from the valley
  • 1.3/1.51,039 m of prominence
  • 1.5/1.512 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
  • 0.3/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

—

No ski runs within 12 km in OpenStreetMap.

How these scores are made

Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.

Plan your visit

Stay, climb and get there

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

Snow

When there is snow on Snowdon

At the summit, snow from December to April. Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Summit1,085 msnow from December to April
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all month
Halfway up606 mno snow
No snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snow
Llanberis128 mno snow
No snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snow
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.

Summit weather

Snowdon, month by month

Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.

On an average August afternoon the summit reaches about 10 °C; on February nights it falls to about -2 °C. Afternoons at the top are above freezing in every month of the average year. In August the 0 °C line climbs to about 2,700 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, April is the driest month (70 mm) and December the wettest (147 mm).

0 m1,000 m2,000 m3,000 mSUMMIT · 1,085 mLLANBERIS · 128 mJanuary: 1,240 mFebruary: 1,190 mMarch: 1,350 mApril: 1,680 mMay: 2,100 mJune: 2,470 mJuly: 2,680 mAugust: 2,700 mSeptember: 2,530 mOctober: 2,150 mNovember: 1,700 mDecember: 1,390 mJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit
MonthSummit high °CSummit low °CLlanberis high °C0 °C line (m)Rain & snow (mm)Wet daysSun h/day
January1-271,240123191.2
February1-271,190101162.6
March2-281,35090164.5
April40101,68070156.4
May73132,10075147.7
June95152,47084157.5
July107172,68096176.7
August107172,700108196.0
September96162,530103164.9
October74132,150132192.9
November42101,700142211.5
December2081,390147200.8

Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 68 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.

Relief

The mountain in profile

Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. Heights drawn 2× taller than lengths, so the shape can be seen.

West – east
1,085 m102 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmWE
South – north
1,085 m51 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmSN
Steepness by direction
30°N: 5°NNE: 16°NEE: 30°ESE: 25°SES: 30°SSW: 16°SWW: 29°WNW: 15°NW

Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.

Around the mountain

Huts, lifts and trails around Snowdon

Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.

Snowdon seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 5 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

  • 13mountain huts and shelters

    ULMC Caseg Fraith Hut, Lletty Llwyd, Cwm Glas Mawr, Ynys Ettws and 9 more

  • 1cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways

    Vivian Incline

  • —ski areas
  • 16waymarked hiking routes

    Welsh Three Thousands, Lôn Gwyrfai, Llwybr Llyn Llydaw, Llanberis Path and 12 more

  • —via ferratas
  • 11climbing crags and routes

    Clogwyn Du'r Arddu West Buttress, Dinas Mot, Dali's Hole, Australia and 7 more

  • —named glaciers
  • 23viewpoints

    Clogwyn y Fulfran, Eagles Rock, Twll Du, Rhaeadr Llanberis and 19 more

  • 18campsites

    Llwyn Celyn bach, Llanberis Touring Park, Cwellyn Arms Campsite, Bryn Gloch and 14 more

  • 76hotels, B&Bs and chalets

    Seiont Manor, Dolbadarn Hotel, The Heights, Snowdonia Mountain Lodge and 72 more

  • 48restaurants and cafés

How hard are the paths?

106 path sections within 5 km, by SAC hiking scale (T1 easy walk … T6 difficult alpine).

T1T2T3T4
  • T1 hiking
  • T2 mountain hiking
  • T3 demanding mountain hiking
  • T4 alpine hiking

Towns at the foot

  • Llanberis6 km · 128 m
  • Deiniolen10 km · 212 m
  • Llanrug12 km · 119 m
  • Talysarn12 km · 120 m
  • Blaenau-Ffestiniog12 km · 231 m
  • Bethesda13 km · 176 m
  • Tregarth14 km · 130 m
  • Penygroes14 km · 110 m

OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Photos

Seen by climbers and visitors

Snowdon from Llyn Llydaw
User:Gdr · CC BY-SA 3.0
5 30am Shadow (164770866)
Richard Leonard · CC BY-SA 2.0
A Winter's Morning - Flickr - Petersrockypics
Petersrockypics · CC BY-SA 2.0

Recent years

How each month compared at the summit

Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
1991–2020 average11247910109742
2020+1.1+1.0+0.3+2.1+1.1+0.6−1.0+1.0±0.0−0.8+0.8−0.2
2021−1.0−0.1+0.5−0.9−1.4+0.3+1.7+0.3+1.6+0.7+0.4+0.5
2022+0.8+1.7+1.8+0.6+0.5+0.3+1.2+2.4+0.8+1.5+1.4−0.9
2023+0.7+1.3±0.0+0.4+1.2+3.3−0.1+0.2+2.2+0.7+0.2+1.0
2024+0.1+1.7+0.9+0.3+1.7−0.8−0.3+0.5±0.0+0.4+0.5+0.9
2025−0.4+0.1+1.7+2.6+2.0+1.1+1.3+1.9+0.1+0.3+0.7+0.7

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominenceWikidata (Q217142) · CC0
Relief, 3D view, profilesCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0
Around the mountain© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

The family

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.

beachesCoastyaFind your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit
lakesLakeyasEvery lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit
mountainsPeakyasEvery summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.You are here
waterfallsCascadyasEvery waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit
islandsIslandyasEvery island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Coming soonVisit
riversRiveryasEvery river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Coming soonVisit
canyonsCanyonyasEvery canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Coming soonVisit