Parking
Start at Woodlands car park in Inverdruie, signposted from the Aviemore–Glenmore road.
Overview
About Beaver Trail, Rothiemurchus
Why go
- Beaver signs and a lochan viewpoint
- Ruined island castle on the short lochside detour
Heads up
- About a third of the loop follows single-track road
- One short rough section can be muddy
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation215–278 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Cairngorms alerts
- CautionStorm Boelo high windsStorm Boelo will bring extremely windy weather to the Cairngorms; take extra care and limit time outdoors. - The Park Authority expects the very windy weather to last until Monday 26 October.Official details
- ClosureGlenmore wildfire closures and dangerous treesWildfire damage has closed Allt Mor car park and the path to Sugarbowl/Utsi’s Bridge; keep out of the closed area.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Cairngorms Tour Guide
Your drive to Beaver Trail, Rothiemurchus, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Cairngorms National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Cairngorms audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Rothiemurchus Centre, Food and Beaver Trail0:00 / 0:32
“You're nearing Rothiemurchus Centre, a useful stop for lunch, local food and advice on estate walks. The Barn Café serves breakfast rolls, soups and cakes; Cullen skink comes with a homemade cheese scone.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Craigellachie’s Viewpoint Walk
- Coylumbridge and the Lairig Ghru
- Strathspey Railway from Aviemore
- Geal-charn Mòr from Lynwilg
- 298 audio storiesacross Cairngorms’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Reindeer, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 260 trails, 90 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Beaver Trail, Rothiemurchus
The full loopThe Beaver Trail is a 7 km (4.35 mi) loop from Woodlands car park, usually 2–2.5 hours.
The Beaver Trail is a 7 km (4.35 mi) loop from Woodlands car park, usually 2–2.5 hours. It follows forest paths and sections of single-track road to Lochan Mor, then takes a short detour to Loch an Eilein before returning by Croft Track and Blackpark. The route undulates with short and longer moderate slopes: most paths are wide, smooth and firm, with one short rough section that can be muddy. About a third follows single-track road. For a shorter outing, walk to Lochan Mor and turn back for 3.2 km (2 mi) total. Rothiemurchus Farm Shop and Barn Café are near the start.
Beaver signs at Lochan MorBeavers were released at Rothiemurchus in 2023.
Beavers were released at Rothiemurchus in 2023. Around Lochan Mor, look for pencil-shaped stumps, wood chips, pawprints, channels and lodges; dawn and dusk are the most active times, so signs are a better expectation than a guaranteed sighting. Stay on the paths, keep dogs under close control and quiet, and give wildlife space.
Loch an Eilein detourAbout halfway around, a short diversion reaches the shore of Loch an Eilein and views of its…
About halfway around, a short diversion reaches the shore of Loch an Eilein and views of its ruined island castle. Toilets and a small shop are by the loch car park on this detour, not at Woodlands. Following the path all the way around Loch an Eilein adds a longer extension to the Beaver Trail.
Croft Track and the returnThe return climbs gently through woodland, passes deer-farm fields and Croft House, then…
The return climbs gently through woodland, passes deer-farm fields and Croft House, then reaches Blackpark and the Old Logging Way back to the start. From Croft Track, look west toward the Monadhliath, also called the Grey Mountains. Red squirrels and roe deer are possible in the forest, goldeneye on the water, and frogs or toads in spring; the return woods are also noted for badgers and pine martens.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Cairngorms
159 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
63 sightingsReindeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
102 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
37 sightingsBlack GrouseMost seen around 4 AMSighting map
72 sightingsRed GrouseMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
82 sightingsPine MartenMost seen around 9 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Cairngorms. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
