Gain Waterfall Trail

A circular loop from Coed y Brenin Visitor Centre, red waymarked, measured as a 4.2 mile / 6.7 km total loop returning to the same start. Allow about 2 hours, and expect a strenuous grade with 577 feet / 176 metres of climb. The distance looks modest, but the ridge crossing does the work.

• Start at the Visitor Centre and climb over the Cefndeuddwr ridge.
• Drop through forest on a mix of forest roads and rough, narrow paths.
• Cross near the upper Gain by a stone bridge.
• Pass through the Gwynfynydd gold mine landscape.
• Reach Pistyll Gain and Rhaeadr Mawddach at the confluence of the two rivers.
• Climb back over the ridge to finish where you started.

The payoff is the pair of waterfalls dropping into a rocky river gorge, with the remains of the Gwynfynydd gold working scattered through the woods around them. It is the most interesting part of the loop and the part worth lingering over, so leave time rather than treating the walk as a fast circuit.

Forest roads make up part of the route, but the descents and river sections are steep, unmade and uneven, in places less than 50 cm wide, with mud, rocks, roots, steps and loose stone. Wear stout footwear and carry waterproof layers. Not suitable for wheeled buggies.

Stay on the waymarked trail. Old mine workings may be unsafe and there are unprotected drops into the rivers, which matters most if you are walking with children.

The Visitor Centre is the start and finish, with a car park and visitor facilities, signed off the A470 roughly eight miles north of Dolgellau. Dogs are welcome on the forest park walking routes, kept on a lead or under close control.