Best Waterfalls in Snowdonia & Gwynedd
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best waterfalls in Snowdonia & Gwynedd are Arthog Waterfalls, Swallow Falls, Cwmorthin Waterfall, Rhaeadr Mawddach Waterfall, Fairy Falls Waterfall, Rhaeadr y Cwm, Dolgoch Falls and Pandy Falls.
Snowdonia and Gwynedd are steep, wet mountain country, and the rivers show it, dropping in cascades through wooded gorges and old quarry valleys. The best-known is Swallow Falls near Betws-y-Coed, the most visited waterfall in Wales, tumbling down its stepped gorge on the Afon Llugwy.
In the Coed y Brenin forest the broad Rhaeadr Mawddach thunders below an old gold mine, while the Afon Arthog throws itself down a wooded hillside above the Mawddach estuary opposite Barmouth. Others hide in quieter corners: Cwmorthin drops through a valley of slate ruins above Blaenau Ffestiniog, Rhaeadr y Cwm spills off the moor in a long sweep near Ffestiniog, and Dolgoch falls in a deep ravine crossed by a narrow-gauge railway near Tywyn.
In the villages, Fairy Falls drops in the heart of Trefriw and Pandy Falls runs beside an old woollen mill at Penmachno. Some are easy strolls; others a stiff climb.
Here are eight waterfalls to seek out across Snowdonia and Gwynedd.
Arthog Waterfalls
Photo: Peter S via Geograph.org.uk
Arthog Waterfalls run down a steep, wooded hillside on the south side of the Mawddach estuary, opposite Barmouth. The Afon Arthog drops through the trees in a long series of cascades and pools, falling from the high ground around the Cregennan Lakes almost to sea level over a short distance, so the path beside it climbs sharply.
Oak woodland, moss and boulders line the route, with footbridges crossing the stream. Near the bottom the falls come out close to the old railway line along the estuary, now a level walking and cycling path with long views over the water to Barmouth.
Many climb the falls one way and return along the estuary.
Swallow Falls
Photo: Margaret Sutton via Geograph.org.uk
Swallow Falls is a well-known waterfall on the Afon Llugwy, a couple of miles west of the village of Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia, the most visited falls in Wales. The river tumbles down a long, stepped cascade through a wooded rocky gorge, splitting around a central rock, dropping over a hundred feet in all.
It is reached through a turnstile off the main road, with a small charge, leading to a series of railed viewing platforms that step down the side of the gorge, and there is a freer, more distant view from a path on the far bank. The falls run hardest after rain.
Cwmorthin Waterfall
Photo: Brian Deegan via Geograph.org.uk
Cwmorthin Waterfall drops through the mouth of the Cwmorthin valley above Tanygrisiau, near Blaenau Ffestiniog. A short, steep walk on loose slate tracks climbs beside it into a valley full of abandoned slate quarry ruins, with a lake and a ruined chapel further up.
The old quarry here earned a grim nickname for its many deaths in Victorian times. The fall runs strong after rain, framed by the grey spoil and broken buildings of the workings.
Rhaeadr Mawddach Waterfall
Photo: Jeremy Bolwell via Geograph.org.uk
Rhaeadr Mawddach is a broad, powerful waterfall on the River Mawddach in the Coed y Brenin forest in Gwynedd, carrying a great volume of water over its steps of rock. It is reached on the forest's waterfall and gold-mine trail, a circular walk of about three miles on good paths from a car park off the main road.
Close by, on a side river, is the taller and narrower Pistyll Cain, seen from an iron footbridge, and just below the falls lie the ruins of the Gwynfynydd gold mine, whose gold was used for royal wedding rings. The setting is deep, wooded valley.
Fairy Falls Waterfall
Photo: Darren Haddock via Geograph.org.uk
Fairy Falls is a waterfall in the village of Trefriw in the Conwy valley of north Wales, where the Afon Crafnant drops down an angled rock face. It falls some six to eight metres in the heart of the village, easily reached on foot along the local trails.
Some of the water above is drawn off by pipe to power the old woollen mill, so the flow can drop in dry weather. It is a short, pleasant walk from the village to see it.
Rhaeadr y Cwm
Photo: Christine Matthews via Geograph.org.uk
Rhaeadr y Cwm is a long series of cascades where the Afon Cynfal drops steeply off the moor through a narrow gorge into the valley, a few miles east of Ffestiniog in Gwynedd. The river tumbles a great height down the rock in step after step, best seen in a sweeping view from a lay-by on the road across the valley rather than close up.
The gorge is a nature reserve, prized for its rare mosses and liverworts. It is a separate fall from Rhaeadr Cynfal, further down the same river, though the two are easily confused.
Dolgoch Falls
Photo: Gareth James via Geograph.org.uk
Dolgoch Falls is a series of waterfalls in a deep wooded ravine near Tywyn in north Wales, set among steep, tree-hung slopes. A circular path takes in the three levels of falls, climbing steep steps to reach the upper ones.
The narrow-gauge Talyllyn railway has a station right by the falls, and its Victorian viaduct crosses the gorge nearby. The wood is free to walk, with donation boxes at the entrance.
Pandy Falls
Photo: Damon Knight via Geograph.org.uk
Pandy Falls is a waterfall in a gorge on the Afon Machno near Penmachno, in Snowdonia, beside the old Penmachno woollen mill and a small ancient stone bridge known as the Roman Bridge, though the bridge is a later packhorse crossing rather than truly Roman. Pandy is the Welsh word for a fulling mill, and the falls, the mill and the bridge all carry the name.
There is a little parking by the mill, or a short walk from the Conwy Falls cafe on the main road. It is a separate, smaller fall from Machno Falls, which lies further downstream near where the Machno joins the Conwy.
FAQs
What can you see at Swallow Falls in Snowdonia?
Swallow Falls, on the Afon Llugwy a couple of miles west of Betws-y-Coed, is the most visited waterfall in Wales, a long stepped cascade dropping over a hundred feet through a wooded gorge. It is reached through a turnstile off the main road with a small charge, with railed viewing platforms down the side.
Are there waterfalls in Snowdonia and Gwynedd linked to old industry?
Several are. Cwmorthin drops into a valley of abandoned slate ruins above Blaenau Ffestiniog, Rhaeadr Mawddach sits beside the Gwynfynydd gold mine in Coed y Brenin, and both Fairy Falls at Trefriw and Pandy Falls at Penmachno stand next to old woollen mills that once drew on their water.
Which waterfall in Snowdonia has a railway running beside it?
Dolgoch Falls, in a deep wooded ravine near Tywyn, has a station on the narrow-gauge Talyllyn railway right by the falls, and the line's Victorian viaduct crosses the gorge nearby. A circular path takes in the three levels of falls on steep steps.
Conclusion
Snowdonia and Gwynedd pour their rivers down through some of the finest gorges in Wales. Swallow Falls draws the crowds near Betws-y-Coed as the most visited fall in the country, while the broad Rhaeadr Mawddach thunders below its old gold mine in Coed y Brenin and the Arthog cascades tumble down to the Mawddach estuary opposite Barmouth.
In the quieter corners, Cwmorthin drops through its slate ruins, Rhaeadr y Cwm sweeps off the moor near Ffestiniog, and Dolgoch hides in its railway ravine near Tywyn. In the villages, Fairy Falls and Pandy Falls fall beside old woollen mills.
Some are easy strolls, others a stiff climb, and all run hardest after rain. These are the waterfalls to seek out across Snowdonia and Gwynedd.
