Parking
Use the Laggan Wolftrax Centre car park; the walking loop starts behind the Centre.
Overview
About Spruce and Squirrel Trail, Laggan
Why go
- A short, red-waymarked loop through pine and spruce forest
- Look for red-squirrel feeding signs on the forest floor
Heads up
- Muddy or uneven stretches, with a few short steep slopes
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation260–321 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 Spruce and Squirrel Trail, Laggan, 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
Laggan Wolftrax and Dun da Lamh0:00 / 0:36
“Up ahead is Laggan Wolftrax, a mountain-bike centre with trails ranging from beginner greens to expert blacks. Start on the green routes if you're new; the black trails involve steep, technical riding.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Gold Speckles on the Moor
- A Military Road’s Unintended Use
- Laggan and Corrieyairack Pass
- Lower Pattack Falls
- 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 Spruce and Squirrel Trail, Laggan
The short circuitThe Spruce and Squirrel Trail is a 2.2 km loop (about 1.
The Spruce and Squirrel Trail is a 2.2 km loop (about 1.4 miles) from behind the Laggan Wolftrax Centre car park. Allow around 45 minutes. It winds through pine and spruce forest on a mostly wide, firm gravel and grassy path. Uneven or overgrown stretches, a few short steep slopes and muddy patches make the official moderate grade sensible.
Finding the foot routeStart at the Centre car park and follow the red waymarks around the walking loop.
Start at the Centre car park and follow the red waymarks around the walking loop. Wolftrax also has a separate network of mountain-bike trails through the forest, so keep to the red walking markers. Dogs may accompany walkers under Scotland’s responsible access rules; keep them under proper control around wildlife and other visitors.
Look for signs of red squirrelsRed squirrels use this forest, but sightings are never guaranteed.
Red squirrels use this forest, but sightings are never guaranteed. Look for pine cones nibbled on the ground; they are a clue that squirrels have been feeding nearby. Look up for squirrels too, but enjoy the feeding signs without counting on a sighting.
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.
