Snowdonia National Park

The landscape of Snowdonia National Park is dominated by mountains.

Bala Lake in Snowdonia National Park is the largest lake in Wales.

Eryri, or Snowdonia, National Park is the second-largest national park in Great Britain, covering 838 square miles of northwest Wales and including the Carneddau and Glyderau mountain ranges.

The park contains Yr Wyddfa, or Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales at 3,560 feet, from which the park takes its English name. The Welsh name Eryri means "place of the eagles."

The glaciers of the last Ice Age molded the Snowdonia landscape of deep valleys and rugged mountains. Rivers, lakes and waterfalls and remnants of ancient deciduous forests are typical of the park, as is the coast, with its sandy bays, dunes and three beautiful estuaries — the Glaslyn/Dwyryd, Mawddach and Dyfi.

A rich variety of plants and wildlife mirrors the diversity of the landscape. The park is good territory for birdwatchers, with curlew, raven, buzzard, kestrel, merlin, sparrowhawk, and peregrine. Polecats and pine martens prowl at night, and there are otters in the rivers and lakes of the park.

The area surrounding and including the park is a stronghold of the Welsh language and way of life. The area is rich in history. Archaeological remains from the Neolithic period, the Roman occupation, and the Middle Ages can be found beside those of the recent industrial past of gold, lead and copper mining, and slate quarrying.

The mountains of northern Wales have served as a training base for Mount Everest expeditions, but there is plenty to do for less ambitious walkers and climbers.

Llanberis Pass boasts some of the most challenging climbs in Britain, but also a host of easier options, including guided walks and landscaped trails.

Bala Lake, the largest lake in Wales, is a popular water sports center. Coed-y-Brenin, a managed forest of 16,000 acres, has numerous walking trails.

The summit of Mount Snowdon can be reached by five different paths, or on the Snowdon Mountain Railway.