Is Cam Chreag a hard climb?

Cam Chreag is rated 3/5 (moderately challenging) on the OutdoorSCOT scale. The standard route covers about 15km with 758m of ascent and takes most walkers 5-7 hours. Ground conditions: The Loch Lyon dam-side track is firm.

How much drop does Cam Chreag have?

The drop is 166m: measured from the summit of Cam Chreag down to the saddle joining it to higher terrain.

Where's the parking for Cam Chreag?

Park at NN465415. Double-check the grid reference on an OS map first; informal laybys here fill early in high season.

What's the best month to climb Cam Chreag?

Aim for May, June, July, August, September, October on Cam Chreag. In the remaining months treat it as a winter hill — full kit, solid navigation, and a look at the relevant SAIS avalanche forecast before you go.

Can dogs go up Cam Chreag?

Dogs are fine on a lead. The route passes livestock or ground-nesting bird habitat, so keep them close throughout.

By Gary

Photo: Rob Burke / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Geograph

Submit a photo

Corbett · Fife & Perthshire

Cam Chreag

This Cam Chreag — there are several "crooked crag" hills of the same name in Scotland — sits on the watershed between Glen Lyon and Loch Rannoch, north of the Munro Stuchd an Lochain. The 861m summit is a small cairn on a long grassy ridge with a single notable rock outcrop on its south flank, the namesake feature. The view north over Loch Rannoch and south to Ben Lawers gives this otherwise modest hill an outsized sense of position.

Quick facts

Height: 861.7m/ 2827ft
Prominence: 166 m
Distance: ~15 km
Ascent: ~758 m
Time: 5–7 hrs
Difficulty: 3 / 5Strenuous
Grid ref: NN536491
Parking: NN465415
Nearest city: Fort William· 50km
Dogs: Dogs on lead required near livestockDog-friendly guide ↗

Height and prominence cross-checked against the Database of British and Irish Hills (CC BY).

No GPX track yet

Walked this route? Share your track to help other walkers.

Submit your GPX

Standard route

dam track 25% · open grass 40% · broad ridge 25% · summit area 10%

15km · 758m ascent · 4.3 hrs

The shortest line is from the dam at the head of Loch Lyon, accessed via the long single-track road up Glen Lyon from Bridge of Balgie. From the dam, take the estate track south-east briefly before peeling north onto open grass slopes that lead to the broad south ridge of Cam Chreag. The full circuit is roughly 15km with 758m of ascent. The hill is often combined with Meall Buidhe across the bealach to the west for a Glen Lyon double.

Terrain

The Loch Lyon dam-side track is firm. Off the track the south flank of the hill is short grass and crowberry with patches of bog around the burns — easy walking with no path. The summit ridge is broad and gently angled with the rock outcrop on the south side easily skirted. No exposure; navigation across the broad top in mist is the only concern.

In winter

A dependable winter Corbett — easy-angled ground throughout, no avalanche slopes and no cornicing of note. The single-track road up Glen Lyon is rarely gritted past Bridge of Balgie and can be impassable after significant snow. Once at the dam the hill itself is straightforward. Daylight and access driving are the main constraints.

Outside the SAIS network. No Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecast covers Cam Chreag. SAIS forecasts six areas only — Northern and Southern Cairngorms, Creag Meagaidh, Lochaber, Glencoe and Torridon — and this hill is outside all of them, so there is no avalanche forecast to read for it. In winter, use MWIS Southeastern Highlands ↗ for mountain weather, judge snow stability from first principles, and treat any cornice or wind-loaded slope with extra caution.

Best time of year

Best OK Avoid

Getting there

Glasgow2h 47m
Edinburgh2h 13m

Parking: NN465415

OS maps: OS Landranger 51

Mobile signal: Intermittent in upper Glen Lyon; nothing on the hill itself

Current conditions

Daylight Today

14h 06mwalking daylight

Sunrise: 06:48
Sunset: 19:38
Civil dawn: 06:10
Civil dusk: 20:16

NOAA Solar Calculator · 15 September 2026

Pair with

Curated multi-hill combinations from Cam Chreag.

Two-hill day
Cam Chreag + Cam Chreag
Not usually combined — too far apart. Better paired with the Ben Lawers range Munros on the same day
22km · 1100m ascent · 9 hrs

Got a photo of Cam Chreag?

30 seconds, helps other walkers.

Submit a photo

Walked it with a GPX?

From your watch or phone.

Submit GPX

Trip report?

Share what it was actually like.

Get in touch →

Around Cam Chreag on the SCOT network

Getting there, basing yourself, and what to do off the hill.

On TripSCOT

station

Getting there: Rannoch station

Rannoch Moor — remote West Highland Line stop; Schiehallion approach via bus

15km from the hill

tripscot.co.uk

On TripSCOT

town

Base yourself in Aberfeldy

Loch Tay base — Ben Lawers, Tarmachan ridge, Birks of Aberfeldy

32km from the hill

tripscot.co.uk

Before you go

Hillwalking carries real risk and the responsibility for any day on the hill is yours. Conditions in Scotland change fast and can differ sharply from the forecast — check the weather and the ground before you commit, turn back when the day stops working, and carry map and compass with the ability to use them rather than relying on a phone.

The distance, ascent and time shown on this page are editorial estimates for the usual line, not measurements from a recorded track — that is what the ~ means. Treat them as a rough shape of the day. Your own pace, the conditions and the exact line you take will all move them.

Mountain forecasts: MWIS and the Met Office mountain forecast. Access rights and responsibilities are set out in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

We check what we publish, but we cannot check the route on the day you walk it. Nothing here is a substitute for your own judgement.

Cam Chreag — common questions

Is Cam Chreag a hard climb?: Cam Chreag is rated 3/5 (moderately challenging) on the OutdoorSCOT scale. The standard route covers about 15km with 758m of ascent and takes most walkers 5-7 hours. Ground conditions: The Loch Lyon dam-side track is firm.
How much drop does Cam Chreag have?: The drop is 166m: measured from the summit of Cam Chreag down to the saddle joining it to higher terrain.
Where's the parking for Cam Chreag?: Park at NN465415. Double-check the grid reference on an OS map first; informal laybys here fill early in high season.
What's the best month to climb Cam Chreag?: Aim for May, June, July, August, September, October on Cam Chreag. In the remaining months treat it as a winter hill — full kit, solid navigation, and a look at the relevant SAIS avalanche forecast before you go.
Can dogs go up Cam Chreag?: Dogs are fine on a lead. The route passes livestock or ground-nesting bird habitat, so keep them close throughout.
Will I get phone signal on Cam Chreag?: Intermittent in upper Glen Lyon; nothing on the hill itself
Is Cam Chreag safe in winter?: A dependable winter Corbett — easy-angled ground throughout, no avalanche slopes and no cornicing of note. The single-track road up Glen Lyon is rarely gritted past Bridge of Balgie and can be impassable after significant snow. Once at the dam the hill itself is straightforward. Daylight and access driving are the main constraints.

Get the OutdoorSCOT weekly

One email a week — new route, hill and bothy guides, seasonal conditions and the odd hard-won lesson. No spam, unsubscribe in one click.