Ben Macdui loop from Cairngorm Base Station — Cairngorms National Park

Hiking trails & Routes

Ben Macdui loop from Cairngorm Base Station — Cairngorms National Park

Hard

4.9

(156)

1,359

hikers

Ben Macdui loop from Cairngorm Base Station — Cairngorms National Park

05:52

16.8km

760m

Hiking

Embark on the difficult Ben Macdui loop from Cairngorm Base Station, a challenging hike covering 10.5 miles (16.8 km) with an elevation gain of 2498 feet (761 metres), typically taking 5 hours and 51 minutes. The trail begins on well-constructed paths before transitioning to rugged mountain terrain, extensive boulder fields,…

Last updated: April 23, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Cairngorms National Park

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

137 m

Cairngorm Mountain Base Station

Highlight • Parking

The Cairngorm Mountain Railway is a two-kilometer funicular railway on Cairn Gorm in Scotland and the highest railway in the United Kingdom. It is located in Cairngorms National Park, Britain's …

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3.88 km

Stob Coire an t-Sneachda Summit

Highlight • Viewpoint

Along with neighbouring Corie an Lochain, Corie an t-Sneachda is one of the famous Northern Corries. It is known for its gloriously accessibility from the car park at the Cairngorm …

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8.63 km

Ben Macdui summit

Highlight • Summit

Small stone pyramids show the way on the ascent.
In good weather / clear visibility you have a great view. In bad weather (sudden weather change) you can quickly lose your orientation (map / compass / GPS)

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16.8 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

12.1 km

3.85 km

843 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

6.96 km

5.36 km

3.87 km

434 m

202 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (1,300 m)

Lowest point (630 m)

Weather

Wednesday 21 October

5°C

-1°C

83 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 24.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

March 27, 2023,Ben Macdui from Cairngorm Base Station in deep snow

Fabulous day on the mountain in really deep snow. Parked at the ski station and headed up the Northern Corries path. Once on the ridge the plateau opens out in front of you with the toute to Cairn Gorm off yo your left. Braeriach & Cairn Toul are off to your right. Cross the plateau and then your destination of …

October 17, 2024,🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Ben Macdui ✞ - Cairn Gorm ✞ 🏔️

Today was the 2nd attempt to climb Ben Macdui - with success 👍🏻🏔️💪🏻

I've been keeping an eye on the weather forecast for the past few days and today, after the aborted tour, a second window of opportunity opened up.
Much better than the storm the day before yesterday, today there was pure sunshine.
The climb was a mix of …

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