Wales is a hillwalking paradise. From the rolling Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) in the south to the rocky leviathans of Snowdonia (Eryri) in the north, it’s a beautiful, beguiling landscape with a range of epic hiking opportunities.
Here, Arthurian legends, myths of fire-breathing dragons and tales of star-gazing giants imbue the Welsh mountains with something special, too.
They're steeped in lashings of history, folklore and culture, so – even when it’s raining (and it probably will be!) – there’s always fascination to be found in the highest mountains in Wales.
According to official lists, there are 190 mountains in Wales over 2,000ft – although the exact figure increases and decreases slightly over the years, when geeky geographers carry out more accurate measurements of some peaks. Regardless, that’s a whopping amount of mountains to climb, enough for a lifetime of exciting hill days for the average hiker.
Some of these mountains are famed, much-loved peaks, such as Tryfan, Cadair Idris, Pen y Fan, Cnicht (the so-called Welsh Matterhorn), Rhinog Fawr and Fan Brycheiniog.
Others are little-known, seldom-visited hills in the middle of nowhere, the kind of places frequented more commonly by sheep than humans. But which is the tallest mountain in Wales and what are the top 10 highest peaks in Wales? Here’s everything you need to know.
What is the highest mountain in Wales?
The highest mountain in Wales is Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), the iconic 1,085m (3,560ft) high-point of the spectacular Snowdonia National Park in North Wales. It is, however, not the tallest mountain in the UK – according to some lists there are a whopping 75 peaks in Scotland taller than Snowdon.
Snowdon, however, is the tallest mountain in Wales. This is 20m higher than Crib-y-Ddysgl (1,065m), the second highest mountain in Wales, which is located only about 1km to the north of Snowdon.
There are only five mountains in Wales that rise above the iconic 1,000m mark - Snowdon (1,085m), Crib-y-Ddysgl (1,065m), Carnedd Llewelyn (1,064m), Carnedd Dafydd (1,044m) and Glyder Fawr (1,001m) – and they are all located in Snowdonia National Park in North Wales.
Other iconic mountains in Wales are not as high as Snowdon. Pen y Fan (pictured above) is the tallest mountain in South Wales and the roof of the Brecon Beacons National Park, but it’s only 886m high – rather dinky by Snowdon’s standards.
Cadair Idris is 893m tall and Tryfan, which is perhaps Wales’ favourite and most dramatic mountain, is 918m tall.
We're using the English name for Wales’ highest mountain here, but it's important to note that in November 2022 the Snowdonia National Park Authority voted to officially re-name Snowdon to Yr Wyddfa and Snowdonia to Eryri.
This change is now reflected in all official communications from the national park and was inspired by a resurgence in patriotic pride in the Welsh language.
How to climb the tallest mountain in Wales
Climbing to the 1,085m summit of Snowdon is a rite of passage for all hiking enthusiasts in the UK and, indeed, from across the globe.
It’s an international attraction with mass appeal and, according to official stats from the national park authority, some 600,000 people climb the mountain every year. But what is the best route up the highest mountain in Wales?
There are several route options if you’re interested in climbing Snowdon. In fact, we’ve counted up to 10 different recognised hiking routes to the summit of Wales’ tallest peak, from relatively easy, well-maintained footpaths to razor-sharp ridges only suitable for experienced scramblers.
Arguably, the Pyg Track, Miners’ Track and Llanberis Path are the simplest, most family-friendly routes up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). The most adrenaline-inducing option is probably the famous Crib Goch ridge scramble.
Do you fancy climbing it? You can read our comprehensive analysis of all 10 routes up Snowdon here, including difficulty ratings, distances and digital maps.
The 10 highest mountains in Wales
Confusingly, there is no universally-accepted definition of a mountain in the UK and there are a number of rival logs of hills and mountains posited by different authors. So, depending on which list you look at, you’ll get a different answer to the question “what are the highest mountains in Wales?” Clear as mud, right?
The differences are usually based on the contentious issue of how much 'prominence' a mountain needs to have to be considered a separate peak from its surroundings.
If you set the prominence too low within your definition, every little bump on the way up a mountain will be (mathematically speaking) a different peak; set it too high and you’ll exclude rises that, when you’re standing on them, feel like 'real' mountains.
To be considered a separate mountain, distinct from its surroundings, does a summit need to have a drop of 15m on all sides, or 30m, or some other arbitrary figure? And is 2,000ft the correct qualifying height for a mountain, or should it be 600m, or is relative height far more important than absolute height? Many questions, few definitive answers.
There are three main lists of the highest mountains in Wales. The Hewitts are mountains over 610m high (2,000ft) with a drop on all sides of 30m – there are 135 in Wales. The Simms are mountains over 600m with a 30m prominence – there are 150 in Wales.
Both of these lists have been compiled by author Alan Dawson. But we’ve chosen to focus on the third option, which is more comprehensive. The Nuttalls are mountains over 610m high with a drop on all sides of 15m. There are 190 of them in Wales.
Based on this definition, here is our list of the top 10 highest mountains in Wales, all of which are found in North Wales.
1. Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), Snowdonia National Park
Height: 1,085m
It’s the tallest mountain in Wales and, proudly, higher than Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England. But Snowdon is also a bit of a Marmite-y mountain – will you love or hate it?
For many the experience is ruined by crowds of train-hopping, cafe-visiting tourists, as well as the crazy queues to visit the summit pillar. For others, all they see is the grandeur and beauty of a remarkable landscape.
Either way, if you catch it on a quiet day, the classic Snowdon Horseshoe – which combines an ascent scramble of Crib Goch’s saw-toothed arête followed by an excellent descent via the Y Lliwedd ridge – might just be the best day walk you’ll find anywhere across the UK.
2. Crib-y-Ddysgl, Snowdonia National Park
Height: 1,065m
Located just 1km to the north of Snowdon, some would argue that Crib-y-Ddysgl – also known as Garnedd Ugain – is not a separate mountain at all, seeing it instead as just a subsidiary top of Wales’ highest mountain.
But in the Nuttalls definition, it achieves the status of Wales’ second tallest peak. In some ways this is deserved, because Crib-y-Ddysgl is the highest point you reach after topping out at the very end of the iconic Crib Goch knife-edge arête – one of the most exciting ways up any mountain in all of the UK.
Find your way to the top of it in this route along Crib Goch.
3. Carnedd Llewelyn, Snowdonia National Park
Height: 1,064m
Carnedd Llewellyn, the rugged and commanding peak of the high Carneddau range, stands as a worthy rival to Snowdon, the reigning giant of North Wales.
Rising to 1,064m (nearly 3,500ft) and looming over the northern edge of Llyn Ogwen, this formidable mountain presents a challenging yet deeply rewarding goal for the committed hillwalker.
The best way to tick off Carnedd Llewellyn is a loop of the full Carneddau ridge, starting from the shores of Llyn Ogwen – here’s our full guide on how to do it.
4. Carnedd Dafydd, Snowdonia National Park
Height: 1,044m
Carnedd Dafydd, reportedly named after a medieval Welsh prince, is a prominent peak on the expansive Carneddau ridge – the largest area of land above 3,000ft (914m) in Britain outside of the Scottish Highlands.
Its imposing northern face is dominated by a vast, shadowed cliff, though most hikers reach it by ascending Pen yr Ole Wen, a steep path offering spectacular views of Tryfan.
You can use this Carnedd Dafydd route to reach the summit.
5. Glyder Fawr, Snowdonia National Park
Height: 1,001m
Soaring sumptuously to the south of Llyn Ogwen, the Glyders (or Glyderau in Welsh) are a mountain range of remarkable ruggedness – a world of fissured crags, rivers of boulders and weirdly-shaped pinnacles.
Glyder Fawr is the highest peak in the Glyderau range, just reaching high enough to achieve the iconic milestone of being a vertical kilometre above sea level. The best adventure you can have in the Glyderau is to bag a trio of iconic peaks – Tryfan, Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach – in one Wales’ best day hikes.
6. Glyder Fach, Snowdonia National Park
Height: 994m
Glyder Fach, famed for the iconic and precariously balanced Cantilever Stone, is the crown jewel of the Glyders – a dramatic landscape of scattered boulders and jagged crags rising magnificently above Llyn Ogwen.
For an unforgettable grade-one adventure, tackle the rugged turrets of Bristly Ridge on the ascent and descend via the equally breathtaking Y Gribin arête. Sadly, Glyder Fach falls, agonisingly, just 6m short of the 1,000m milestone.
7. Pen yr Ole Wen, Snowdonia National Park
Height: 978m
It's often over-shadowed by its loftier neighbours Carnedd Llewelyn and Carnedd Dafydd, but Pen yr Ole Wen is an integral part of the Carneddau high plateau, which soars gloriously to the north of Llyn Ogwen.
Its southern ridge is a delightful, but lung-busting, line of ascent, and it offers excellent views across the Glyderau and Tryfan.
Very few hikers will tackle Pen yr Ole Wen on its own – it’s almost always climbed as part of the superb Carneddau four-peak round, bagging Pen yr Ole Wen, Carnedd Llewelyn, Carnedd Dafydd and Pen yr Helgi Du in a long and challenging, but delightful, route (we've linked to this route above when we talk about Carnedd Llewelyn).
8. Foel Grach, Snowdonia National Park
Height: 976m
I once slept in the emergency hut on Foel Grach, sheltering from a near-apocalyptic Welsh storm of remarkable ferocity. But most hikers won’t have such a dramatic, memorable experience of this peak, which is located about 1.5km to the north of Carnedd Llewelyn in the high Carneddau plateau.
It’s an annoying out-and-back from the main ridge to tick off Foel Grach, and it’s not exactly the most exciting of summits, so many hillwalkers skip it.
So, perhaps, that’s where its appeal lies? It’ll be quieter and feel more remote, and only the most determined of peak-baggers will visit its top.
9. Castell y Gwynt, Snowdonia National Park
Height: 972m
Located just a hop, skip and a jump from the summit of Glyder Fach, many argue that Castell y Gwynt doesn’t really feel like a mountain in its own right – it’s more a rocky excrescence on the south-western shoulder of Glyder Fach.
But it meets the Nuttalls mathematical criteria and, therefore, achieves the status of Wales’ ninth highest mountain. Regardless of whether it’s worthy or not of this title, the summit is a cool place to explore – a series of spiky, fang-like pinnacles with some fun scrambling opportunities.
Tick it off via the route we shared when talking about Glyder Fach, above.
10. Yr Elen, Snowdonia National Park – 962m
Height: 962m
In a similar vein to Foel Grach, Yr Elen is one of the forgotten peaks of the Carneddau range. Located to the north-west of Carnedd Llewelyn, it’s bypassed by the main Carneddau ridge walk and, therefore, often not visited.
But if you’re an obsessional peak-bagger, it’s a nice little add-on to your day out, with a shapely ridge linking it to Wales’ third highest peak.
About the author
James Forrest is one of the UK's most experienced and knowledgeable outdoor writers. As well as being one of our primary freelance writers on LFTO and Trail Magazine, he is known for climbing all 1,001 mountains across the UK and Ireland in the fastest known time.