Mountain Recreation

The mountains of the Cairngorms National Park (including five of the six highest mountains in the UK) provide some of the most challenging terrain for recreational pursuits in the country. 

The pull of the mountains

The weather itself is key to the challenge these mountains provide - four seasons in one day is common and snow stays on the high tops for around eight months of the year. The mountains have a long history of mountaineering and even today it is the ideal training ground for aspiring mountain guides, both in summer and winter. Others come to the mountains in search of that elusive wildness journey, easily spending days at a time walking through the mountains without coming across a road.

In more recent times skiing has developed as a key industry in the National Park. Three of Scotland's five ski centres are located within the Park - Cairn Gorm, the Lecht and Glenshee. The ski centres, snow permitting, are open from around December to May.

What is being done to manage recreation?

The Cairngorms are an extremely fragile arctic alpine environment where a small hardy group of plants and animals survive in spite of the conditions the weather throws at them. Much of the Cairngorms plateau is protected under European law.

The Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust, with support from Estates and others is helping to protect this fragile environment by repairing and protecting upland paths. The Cairngorms National Park Authority plays an important role in supporting the Trust and other bodies to manage paths and promote the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. To find out more visit the Outdoor Access pages.

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