Parking
Start at Glen Tilt Car Park in Blair Atholl, the named starting access for the loop.
Overview
About Craig Urrad Trail
Why go
- Panoramic summit views from the old stone beacons
- A varied climb through Scots pine, blaeberry and larch
Heads up
- Steep, rough climbing and several waymarker turns
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation162–420 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 Craig Urrad Trail, 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
Old Bridge of Tilt and the Red Squirrel Walk0:00 / 0:26
“You're approaching Old Bridge of Tilt, with woodland walks from Glen Tilt car park. For a short stop, I'd choose the red-marked Red Squirrel Walk, a gentle one-mile loop taking thirty to forty minutes beside the river.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Blair Castle and Gardens
- Atholl Country Life Museum and a Village Meal
- A Siege in the Family
- The Woodland Leaves That Fold
- 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 Craig Urrad Trail
The circuitCraig Urrad is a 7.
Craig Urrad is a 7.6-mile loop from Glen Tilt Car Park, climbing above the Banvie Burn and returning through larch above Glen Bruar. Plan on about four to five hours for the rough ascent, summit detour, descent and stops. The published distance is 7.6 miles; this mapped trace measures about 8.2, so expect some variation, especially if you add the Falls of Bruar viewpoint.
Finding the climbFollow the black Banvie Burn markers from the car park.
Follow the black Banvie Burn markers from the car park. At the upper bridge, stay on the track briefly and join the blue waymarkers, then turn right uphill rather than descending back beside the burn. The climb is steep and rough in places. Keep left at the fork as the path rises through Scots pine and blaeberry, with views opening over Glen Banvie and then south toward Glen Garry.
The summitNear a stone wall, take the right-hand path to the summit and its old stone beacons.
Near a stone wall, take the right-hand path to the summit and its old stone beacons. The high point is the payoff: a broad panorama across the surrounding glens. Return to the main track, which descends gradually through larch with views toward Glen Bruar.
The way backAt the track, turn left and follow the orange markers toward the car park.
At the track, turn left and follow the orange markers toward the car park. The Falls of Bruar viewpoint is an optional detour, so allow extra time and distance if you take it. Keep dogs under close control and give way to cyclists and horse riders on shared tracks.
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.
