Parking
Car parks are marked around Aviemore village and the railway. Park in the village and walk to the Riverside Park access by Dalfaber Road; toilets are also marked near the village. The community map gives no lot capacity or fee details.
Overview
About Riverside Park Trail, Aviemore
Why go
- Smooth, gentle paths with River Spey views
- A half-hour circuit fits easily into a visit to Aviemore
Heads up
- Very short for hikers looking for a longer outing
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation205–214 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 Riverside Park Trail, Aviemore, 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
Strathspey Railway from Aviemore0:00 / 0:35
“You're nearing Aviemore station, where the Strathspey Railway leaves for Boat of Garten and Broomhill.”
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
- A Bat’s Feeding Buzz
- Cairngorm Brewery’s Taproom and Shop
- The Whisky That Evaporates
- 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 Riverside Park Trail, Aviemore
An easy Spey-side circuitThis is a 1.4 km (about 0.9 mi) loop through Riverside Park, with views over the River Spey.
This is a 1.4 km (about 0.9 mi) loop through Riverside Park, with views over the River Spey. Allow about 30 minutes. The paths are smooth and surfaced, with gentle gradients, so this is a relaxed village walk rather than a hill day.
Where the loop goesThe circuit starts beside Dalfaber Road, follows the railway-side path north, then arcs through…
The circuit starts beside Dalfaber Road, follows the railway-side path north, then arcs through the park and returns along the river. Car parks and toilets are marked around Aviemore village and the railway; the map does not give lot sizes or fees. Dogs can use the route under Scotland’s access rights when kept under proper control.
Aviemore and the railwayAviemore was once little more than a farm and an inn.
Aviemore was once little more than a farm and an inn. The railway brought holiday visitors and changed timber transport too: logs that once floated downriver later travelled on rail wagons.
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.
