Mountain Biking in Snowdonia (Eryri)
If you’re planning on mountain biking in Snowdonia (now known by its Welsh name of Eryri), you’ve made a great decision. Covering 823 square miles, this beautiful national park is renowned for its diverse and challenging terrain, with huge pine forests, remote open ridges and single track trails that all have magnificent mountain views. The park’s rugged nature makes it an especially big draw for experienced riders, but our guide provides options for all levels and abilities, and will fill you in on everything from purpose-built mountain bike centres to forest trails and dedicated downhill routes. All you have to do is choose.
Best MTB trail centres in Snowdonia
Coed y Brenin Forest Park
The superb development at Coed y Brenin is the most famous mountain bike park in Snowdonia, and was the first purpose-built mountain bike centre in Britain. It’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and riding is free (you'll pay parking and bike hire fees only). Eight waymarked trails range from moderate tests for beginners to long and technical challenges for expert riders, with handy information panels at the start of each. Whichever you choose, you’ll get to test your skills on forest tracks, steep climbs, speedy descents, stone steps and jumps, passing towering pines, rivers and waterfalls with views of Cadair Idris.
Yr Afon (11 km) and the MinorTaur loops (3, 5, 9 and 13 km) provide a great introduction to off-road riding. Temtiwr (9 km), Cyflym Coch (12.6 km) and the Dragon's Back (30 km) up the ante with more technical challenges and longer climbs, while MBR (17.6 km), Tarw Du (20 km) and the notorious Beast (35 km, with a 1,100-metre climb) are severe tests for expert riders only. Full details are available on the Coed y Brenin website.
Handy extras for visitors include a bike shop with hire facilities on site, a skills area and a pleasant cafe that serves drinks, snacks and simple meals.
Antur Stiniog
This excellent centre near Blaenau Ffestiniog has 14 gravity-fed (i.e, downhill) trails rated from green (beginners) to black (expert), with a particularly good selection for intermediate and advanced riders. It’s open from Thursday to Monday in summer, and Friday to Sunday in winter, with an uplift service that runs throughout the day from 9.30am to 4.10pm, allowing you to maximise your riding time. Enthusiastic visitors should be able to manage between 10 and 20 runs in a full day.
Trails range from the free-flowing single track Plug and Feathers (2 km, green/beginners) to more testing trails like Jumper and Shaft (blue/intermediate). Five reds for more advanced riders include Detonator, Scrubadub and Wildcart, and five blacks (including Field Jumps and Black Powder) will test the mettle of even the most experienced rider.
The trail centre here has hire facilities at DH Bike Hire, a pump track suitable for all abilities, and a cafe serving breakfast, burgers, burritos and coffee. Full details of all trails and facilities can be found on the centre’s website.
Forest Trails
Dyfi Bike Park, Dyfi Forest
A labour of love devised and built by the Athertons, a renowned mountain biking family including former British National MTB champion Dan, the Dyfi Bike Park has some of the most exciting downhill mountain bike trails in Snowdonia, and is not for beginners. Covering 650 acres on the south-east edge of Eryri, it features a maze of natural and man-made downhill tracks that take in big jumps, steep gullies and huge slabs, with varied red and black trails through the forest for experienced and expert riders. It’s open from Thursday to Sunday (10am to 4pm), with an uplift service that runs regularly to the start ramp at 400 metres.
Nine tracks here include everything from the Super Swooper and Turns in the Ferns (red/difficult) to the triple black diamond runs of Oakley’s Icon Way and Fire in the Booth. If you want to see what you’re letting yourself in for, the track section of the park’s website has maps, pictures and lots of thrilling first-person videos.
There’s no bike hire here, but there is a shop selling spares, clothing and other riding gear. Guided rides and coaching are available (book in advance). The on-site café serves coffee and home-cooked food to help you recharge.
If you’re an experienced rider and visiting Eryri around the first Sunday in May (please check dates), you might like to take part in the Dyfi Enduro (‘The Dyfi’) – a legendary long-distance endurance event of around 55 km that provides a great introduction to other tracks around the forest and attracts 1000+ riders.
Gwydir Mawr & Bach, Gwydir Forest
Close to Betwys-y-Coed, Gwydir Forest Park has two renowned mountain biking trails, Gwydir Bach (9 km, approx 1 hour) and Gwydir Mawr (25 km, 2-4 hours), which follow forest roads with tree-lined single tracks, exposed ridges and great mountain views.
Both trails are graded red (difficult), and there are no facilities for visitors, so you’ll need to be an experienced rider with your own gear, and well prepared. There’s a good low-down on both trails, including a downloadable GPS file, on the Mountain Bike Wales website.
Mixed terrain and adventure rides
Penmachno Trails
Also in the Gwydir Forest, the two Penmacho trails can be ridden as two separate loops – Dolen Machno (19 km) and Dolen Eryri (11 km) – or combined for a challenging 30km ride. Both feature testing climbs and fast descents, boardwalks, berms, large rocks and water crossings. They’re graded red, and pretty remote, so you’ll need to be an experienced and fit rider to take them on. There’s also unlikely to be a mobile signal on much of the ride. Make sure you download a GPS file, carry spares, food and adequate clothing, and inform someone of your plans before you go.
The trails’ website has a useful downloadable leaflet with a map and further information.
Cadair Idris (Penygader) Path
The path up the 893-metre peak of Cadair Idris is most popular with walkers, but also offers a real challenge for an experienced and fit mountain biker, including occasional sections where you may have to push or carry your bike. If you’re considering taking it on, we’d advise you to know your limits, check the weather forecast before you go and plan accordingly. Overall, it’s a trip of around 15.5 miles.
The Flattyres MTB site has a good guide, including text instructions and a downloadable GPS file, or you could try this one on Komoot.
There’s no doubt that the diversity and quality of mountain bike trails in Snowdonia make it one of the best places in the UK for mountain biking. Whether you prefer a wild mountain ride, a white knuckle downhill track, a forest trail or a purpose-built centre, there’s something out there for you. It’s time to get planning.
Looking for somewhere to pitch your tent? Check out Pitchup’s collection of campsites in Snowdonia (Eryri).
For further information:
Natural Resources Wales – mountain biking