Parking
Use Loch Mallachie Car Park on the B970, the marked access for the Two Lochs route. Join the forest path from the car park.
Overview
About Loch Mallachie Trail
Why go
- Two loch viewpoints on one short circuit.
- Low-level route through mature Scots pine.
Heads up
- Loose stones, uneven patches and mud make the path rough underfoot.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation223–245 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 Loch Mallachie 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
Loch Garten Nature Centre0:00 / 0:32
“Loch Garten Nature Centre is coming up, a good stop if you'd like help spotting and understanding the forest's wildlife.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Wildcat’s Family History
- Garten Woods and the Two Lochs
- The Treecreeper’s Upward Spiral
- Twinflower Needs a Neighbour
- 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 Loch Mallachie Trail
The Two Lochs routeThe Loch Mallachie Trail is a 2.7 km (1.
The Loch Mallachie Trail is a 2.7 km (1.7-mile) low-level circuit between Loch Garten and Loch Mallachie through Scots pine woodland. A short shared access track joins the circuit, so you walk that section out and back. Allow about 45 minutes; the reward is two loch viewpoints rather than a climb.
Follow the pathStart at Loch Mallachie Car Park and follow the waymarked forest path to the circuit.
Start at Loch Mallachie Car Park and follow the waymarked forest path to the circuit. Complete the full loop before retracing the short access spur. One viewpoint looks toward Loch Garten; the other faces Loch Mallachie. Stay on the marked trail where it crosses the woodland between the shores.
Pinewood and waterTall Scots pine frames the route, with open views where the path reaches the lochs.
Tall Scots pine frames the route, with open views where the path reaches the lochs. Goldeneyes and greylag geese may be on the water; crossbills and crested tits are among the birds of the pine canopy, and red squirrels also live in the forest. Sightings depend on the day, so enjoy the views without expecting wildlife to appear on cue.
Footing and dogsThe path is mostly wide and firm, but loose stones, uneven patches and muddy forest sections…
The path is mostly wide and firm, but loose stones, uneven patches and muddy forest sections make the footing less smooth than the short distance suggests. Dogs are welcome: keep them on a lead from 1 April through 31 August and under close control from 1 September through 31 March. Keep dogs away from the loch in spring and summer to give breeding birds space.
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.
