Hiking Cadair Idris
After hearing about the views all over Snowdonia National Park, Cadair Idris located in the southern end of this gorgeous 823 m² / 2132 km² area in Wales has always been on our list of hikes to do in the UK. There are four routes up Cadair Idris including Pony Path, Fox’s Path, Llanfihangel Path and the more spectacular Minffordd Path which we opted for. Here is how we hiked up one of Snowdoina National Park’s most impressive mountains! We also met up with fellow blogger friends iZog Adventure for the walk and were all really excited for an epic day hiking Cadair Idris.
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The Minffordd Path
Distance 9.7km – Height 772m – Time around 5 hours (Full Loop) – Difficulty Medium / Hard
The Minffordd Path car park or Dol Idris car park is located just off the A487. Just near the Minffordd Hotel and 11km from the town of Dolgellau. The car park is £2.50 for 4 hours or £5.00 for all day. We would recommend all day as unless you are really keen (& super fast) hikers as the full Minffordd Path loop with take you around 5 hours or so.
Setting off from the car park you will pass the Ty Te Cadair Tea Room and onto the first ascent of the day. With stairs leading up through the wooded valley past the beautiful waterfalls and the river running adjacent. About a km up the trail the path will branch left and right. Take the left fork heading up to Llyn Cau. We used our trusty Maps.me app which has the all the trail maps for hiking Cadair Idris & the surrounding area.
After another km or so with the terrain plaining out, the views really open up with Llyn Cau coming into view. As well the menacing Craig Lwyd, Craig Cwn Amarch and Cadair Idris peaks looming over the lake.
Following the trail up the hill to the left of the lake and then up to the first peak Craig Llywd the terrain becomes a little steeper again. Upon reaching the top of Craig Llwyd there is a stunning view of the southern part of the Snowdonia National Park looking right down the opposite valley. Seeming like the perfect place for lunch we stopped and refuelled before setting off to the next peak.
The next part of the trail leads into a small descent before the climb to the top of Craig Cwn Amarch. Walking up you are treated to another change of scenery towards the west with the sea also coming into view. Not to mention the unbelievable vista back toward where you have just hiked from. With the sheer cliff face and view of Llyn Cau the view is nothing short of spectacular!
The trail dips again before the ascent to the top of Cadair Idris. Just when we thought the beautiful scenery couldn’t get any better we were greeted with mountain peaks, sea and valley views as far as the eye could see. The approach up to Cadair Idris brings in some more dramatic vistas looking over to the North of the Snowdonia National Park and (on a clear day) views of Snowdon and the Llyn Peninsula all the way down to the famous Bardsey island.
Reaching the top of Cadar Idris and looking back from where we started with the other two peaks in view was definitely something extra special! Especially to be hiking with people who share the same passion for travel & exploration & who’s values align with ours. Such a great experience to share!
After enjoying the inspiring views at the peak we started our descent down, heading through the snow to complete the loop and onto Mynydd Moel. The trail forks off again as you walk toward the peak of Mynydd Moel. Left onto the top and right to take a lower descended walk across the mountain. Both routes will take you back down to the car park but if you fancy another peak there is always that option!
Darren caught a corker of a photo of Rebecca & Kelly making their descent….
Cadair Idris Routes – Minffordd Path – To Sum It Up
One of the best day hikes we have done especially because the day was shared some great friends. We would highly recommend hiking Cadair Idris and taking the Minffordd Path. The dramatic views and epic scenery that can be continuously enjoyed all the way around with constantly new views of the Snowdonia National Park every few minutes to keep you more than entertained are not to be missed.
During the winter and spring this trail can be very snowy so please take care and keep a close eye on the weather as it can change quickly! Always be prepared and stay safe!
We really hope you find this post useful, if you have any questions about hiking Cadair Idris up the Minffordd Path please tell us in the comments as we’ll be more than happy to answer them!
Thinking of visiting Snowdonia National Park? Check out the great accommodation here.
You can check out the rest of our Wales adventures here.
Please also be sure to follow along with iZog Adventure .
Happy Hiking!
Adam & Kelly x
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Beautiful pictures, the colors a magical! That is kind of what I loved about Wales, when we were visiting; it is all so compact! A loop of just a few hours takes you through a lot of different landscapes and up to rugged peaks. And then an hour drive a way there is the beautiful coast!
Thank you Veera! So true, theres so many beautiful things in such close proximity in Wales! Snowdonia National Park and the Welsh coastline are stunning! Glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
Hi Adam & Kelly, thanks for sharing your adventure! We are going to visit Wales on Monday and you definitely motivated us to take Minffordd Path up Cadair Idris. We’ll stay in Wales for five days – do you have any other recommendations for us? Hope you’re having a great time in Scotland!Franzi and Jonas from Germany
Hi Franzi and Jonas, we’re so happy our post has given you some inspiration! Cadair Idris is a great hike, the views are spectacular. We would also recommend visiting Llanberis where you can take a short walk to the 2 tiered Llanberis falls, see the impressive Dolbadarn Castle and visit the Pen-Y-Ceunant Isaf tea house, run by an awesome guy named Steffan who makes a mean Welsh cake & will talk to you for hours about the local area. You can also hike up to Snowdon from here. Conway is a great town to visit, with its huge castle & the smallest house in Great Britain that you can stop by quickly. Porthdinllaen beach on the Llyn peninsula is beautiful, you can take a walk around the peninsula from here, up over the golf course & visit the Ty Coch pub, situated right on the beach. Carn Fadryn is a nice short hike, also on the Llyn Peninsula, the views are great from its peak. Portmierion is worth a visit, the setting is gorgeous & it should be nice & quiet at the time you are visiting, we have also written a blog post on it here We hope you have an amazing time, we’d love to know what you get up to so please do let us know 🙂 We are absolutely loving Scotland, thank you!
Great story and pictures! My son and I will be visiting Wales/Dolgellau/Minffordd in mid May this year and I am curious as to the time of year for the article. What would the weather likely be in mid May and would there still be much snow hanging around?
Hi Gary, thanks so much! We are so glad you loved the post and pictures. The photos of us hiking Cadair Idris are from early April but from previous experience, it’s unlikely that there will be any snow in mid-may unless the temperature stays lower than usual. The whole area is just stunning, so I’m sure you guys will love wherever you have chosen to visit. Do let us know if you have anymore questions as we have spent a lot of time in and around that area and North Wales.