Mynydd Mawr Circular Walk, Rhyd Ddu

Mynydd Mawr (698m) is the elephant shaped hill that rises directly above Llyn Cwellyn opposite Snowdon, often nicknamed Elephant Mountain for its distinctive profile. This dog friendly circular walk from the popular Rhyd Ddu car park climbs through forestry into open mountain, traverses the long heather ridge to the summit and returns by the western slopes, with mountain views over Yr Wyddfa, the Nantlle Ridge and the Llyn Peninsula.

The terrain is forestry track at the start, giving way to grassy then heathery upper paths and a short rocky summit cone. Most of the walk is on access land where dogs can be off lead, but sheep graze the lower slopes and the upper hill is part of a Special Protection Area for ground-nesting birds, so dogs should be on the lead between 1 March and 31 July. There are no facilities on the route. Parking is pay and display at the Snowdonia National Park car park at Rhyd Ddu.