Tryfan
Tryfan is a 3,010ft (917.5m) mountain in the Ogwen Valley, Snowdonia National Park, North Wales, known for it’s shark fin like appearance and incredible scrambling routes, making it one of the most popular mountains in the UK. Despite being smaller than it’s neighbouring summits of the Glyders, Y Garn and Pen Yr Ole Wen, Tryfan clearly stands out in most visitors memories.
Of the many paths available to the summit the North Face is the most fun, with a seemingly endless choice of boulders, slabs and cracks in the rocks to scramble and climb. East facing Heather Terrace makes a beautiful walk to the summit, an ideal place to catch the morning sunshine, while the well kept path leading from Llyn Ogwen to Llyn Boclwyd is the most walked trail route. It’s possible to descend from the summit to Llyn Ogwen in under ten minutes on the West Face descent line, a line that drops nearly 2,000ft in just 0.63 miles.
The incredible views are what bring most people back time and time again, because Tryfan’s roughly triangular mountain shape means uninterrupted 360 degree from the small summit plateau, with insane valley views in abundance on every route up.
Free Tryfan Trail Routes
All our favourite hiking, scrambling and running routes.
Click through to find full trail route info, videos, maps and links OS Maps, all free of charge.
Tryfan Photo Gallery
Some of our favourite memories from literally hundreds of visits to the summit of Tryfan mountain in every kind of weather, from bright summer sunshine to full winter conditions. We only ever wear trainers and use no special equipment, read more about the Gear We Use.

Tryfan Facts
Popular info, questions and answers for this amazing Welsh mountain.
Connection & Addiction
Pete… “for me Tryfan is all about running the west face descent, heading from Adam and Eve down the boulder filled gulley and then taking the steep scree channel to Ogwen. It’s 10 to 15 minutes where I forget everything else in life, completely absorbed meditation, a place I can focus entirely on what I’m doing.“
Sian… “with endless routes to try, exposed sections and steep gullies, the north face is the ultimate go to playground. For me, the fun really starts once I hit the cannon stone and I’m presented with these beautifully imposing walls of craggy rock to scramble all over. I find that my racing mind quietens and I’m just completely consumed by what I’m doing in that present moment. It’s totally addictive.“
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