Parking
Start at Crosscliff car park in Dalby Forest. Trail maps for the forest are available from the Dalby Forest visitor centre.
Overview
About Crosscliff View Trail
Why go
- Wide moorland panorama from the viewpoint
- Flat, surfaced loop with no steep gradients
Heads up
- Very short as a standalone walk
- Limited route choice once you have seen the viewpoint
Because the loop is so brief, most people pair it with something else in Dalby Forest rather than treating it as the day's walk. If you want distance, look at the forest's longer waymarked trails; if you want the view with almost no effort, this is the one.
Parkwolf’s verdictWorth knowingMap & elevation
The route
Loading the North York Moors map
Full mapElevation212–241 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
8 active North York Moors alerts
- ClosureHawnby Bridleway 110 closurePublic Bridleway 25.122/110/1 in Hawnby is closed to pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians because its bridge is unsafe. - The closure is between grid references SE 5309 9073 and SE 5335 9097.Official details
- ClosureWest Ayton Footpath 1 closurePublic Footpath 1 in West Ayton (Forge Valley) is temporarily closed because its boardwalk is unsafe. - The closure is between SE 9860 8494 and SE 9839 8712.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
North York Moors Tour Guide
Your drive to Crosscliff View Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for North York Moors 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.
Recorded for this area
Bickley Gate and Deepdale0:00 / 0:32
“You're approaching Bickley Gate, a Dalby Forest trailhead for the small valley of Deepdale.”
Plays on the road 1.6 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Staindale Lake
- The Forest Eye
- Bridestones
- Nissen Hut and Adderstone
- 298 audio storiesacross North York Moors’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Eurasian Otter, Red Deer, Grey Seal, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 126 trails, 65 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 Crosscliff View Trail
The route in shortA short, closed loop of 0.8 km (0.
A short, closed loop of 0.8 km (0.5 miles) from Crosscliff car park, around the top of Crosscliff and back to the same access point. Follow the teal waymarkers with white arrows and you cannot really go wrong. Allow about 15 minutes of walking, plus however long you want to stand at the viewpoint.
Sequence and payoffYou start on a surfaced forest road through woodland, which opens out at the viewpoint before…
You start on a surfaced forest road through woodland, which opens out at the viewpoint before the loop brings you back. The view stretches across North York Moors moorland, with Blakey Topping off to one side, and on a clear day the Fylingdales early-warning installation can catch the light in the distance. Keep an eye up as you walk: birds of prey are seen along this route.
Effort and surfacesThis is graded Easy Access.
This is graded Easy Access. The walking is flat and even on surfaced forest roads with no steep gradients, and the height change along the whole loop is minimal. It is genuinely gentle and genuinely short, so it works well as a quick stop, an evening stroll, or a walk with anyone who does not want a climb.
Access and parkingStart and finish at Crosscliff car park, which sits right on the loop.
Start and finish at Crosscliff car park, which sits right on the loop. Trail maps for the forest are available from the Dalby Forest visitor centre if you want something in hand before you set off.
DogsDogs are welcome in the forest, including on this trail.
Dogs are welcome in the forest, including on this trail. Keep yours under close control around other visitors and on the forest road, since it is a shared surfaced track.
Ground and weatherThe surface is firm, but this is still countryside: after wet or rough weather, path conditions…
The surface is firm, but this is still countryside: after wet or rough weather, path conditions can change and surfaces may be softer or messier than usual. Footwear you do not mind getting muddy is the sensible call.
Wildlife
Wildlife in North York Moors
15 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
10 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
79 sightingsGrey SealMost seen around noonSighting map
26 sightingsWestern Barn OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
33 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
10 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around noonSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across North York Moors. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
