Its appearance when viewed from the south-west, i.e. from the direction of Porthmadog, has earned it the sobriquet the Matterhorn of Wales, albeit being 3,789 metres lower. In reality Cnicht is a long ridge and, at 689 m, is the fifth-highest peak in the Moelwynion mountain range. It can be easily ascended from Croesor, the village at its foot, or, with more difficulty, from Nant Gwynant to the north-west.