Is Cook's Cairn a hard climb?

Cook's Cairn is rated 4/5 (challenging) on the OutdoorSCOT scale. The standard route covers about 14km with 619m of ascent and takes most walkers 4-7 hours. Underfoot: Excellent gravel grouse-shooting tracks for most of the distance, then a final kilometre of trackless heather and peat.

What is Cook's Cairn's prominence?

213m of prominence. That's the vertical drop from the summit to the col that links Cook's Cairn to the next higher ground.

Where do I park for Cook's Cairn?

Most walkers start from NJ256262. Verify the grid reference on an OS map before you set off — space is tight on busy summer weekends.

When is the best time to climb Cook's Cairn?

April, May, June, July, August, September, October give the most reliable conditions on Cook's Cairn. Beyond that window the high ground turns wintry: carry full mountain kit, be confident navigating, and check the SAIS avalanche forecast for the area.

Is Cook's Cairn dog-friendly?

Yes, but dogs must be kept on a lead — there is livestock or ground-nesting bird interest on the route.

By the OutdoorSCOT editor

Photo: Steven Brown / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Geograph

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Graham · Cairngorms

Cook's Cairn

A rolling whaleback summit deep in the Cabrach country between Glenlivet and the upper Deveron, far enough from main roads to feel genuinely lonely. The flanks fold into heather-bag glens carrying small burns north toward Dufftown.

Quick facts

Height: 755.9m/ 2480ft
Prominence: 213 m
Distance: ~14 km
Ascent: ~619 m
Time: 4–7 hrs
Difficulty: 4 / 5Serious
Grid ref: NJ302278
Parking: NJ256262
Nearest city: Inverness· 66km
Dogs: Dogs on lead required near livestockDog-friendly guide ↗

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

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Standard route

estate track 35% · heather moorland 45% · grassy upper area 10% · summit area 10%

14km · 619m ascent · 3.8 hrs

Start from the road end at Glenlivet at the bridge over the Suie Burn or from the Cabrach side at the small carpark by Knockfundland. Estate tracks lead a long way south-east onto Carn Liath before a short bog-pull tops out at the cairn.

Terrain

Excellent gravel grouse-shooting tracks for most of the distance, then a final kilometre of trackless heather and peat. Burns can be impassable after rain.

In winter

A modest Speyside summit where the real winter problem is drifting snow filling the shooting tracks rather than alpine conditions on the top. The peat bowls hold concealed soft snow well into spring.

Kit for this: the winter Munro kit list · which boots take crampons

Outside the SAIS network. No Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecast covers Cook's Cairn. 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 Cairngorms NP and Monadhliath ↗ 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

Glasgow3h 24m
Edinburgh3h 57m

Parking: NJ256262

OS maps: OS Landranger 37

Mobile signal: Reasonable signal near Grantown-on-Spey; 2 bars at the top

Current conditions

Daylight Today

11h 48mwalking daylight

Sunrise: 07:43
Sunset: 18:14
Civil dawn: 07:05
Civil dusk: 18:53

NOAA Solar Calculator · 14 October 2026

Pair with

Curated multi-hill combinations from Cook's Cairn.

Two-hill day
Cook's Cairn + Carn Ealasaid
Link Cooks Cairn with Carn Ealasaid for a full Speyside-Cairngorm fringe circuit
18km · 900m ascent · 7 hrs

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Around Cook's Cairn on the SCOT network

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

On TripSCOT

station

Getting there: Aviemore station

Cairngorm plateau; Lairig Ghru; Speyside Way; Glenmore

43km from the hill

tripscot.co.uk

On TripSCOT

town

Base yourself in Dufftown

Speyside whisky town in the eastern Cairngorms

12km from the hill

tripscot.co.uk

On TasteSCOT

distillery

After the hill: The Glenlivet

Ballindalloch — the first legal distillery under the 1823 Excise Act

4km from the hill

tastescot.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.

Cook's Cairn — common questions

Is Cook's Cairn a hard climb?: Cook's Cairn is rated 4/5 (challenging) on the OutdoorSCOT scale. The standard route covers about 14km with 619m of ascent and takes most walkers 4-7 hours. Underfoot: Excellent gravel grouse-shooting tracks for most of the distance, then a final kilometre of trackless heather and peat.
What is Cook's Cairn's prominence?: 213m of prominence. That's the vertical drop from the summit to the col that links Cook's Cairn to the next higher ground.
Where do I park for Cook's Cairn?: Most walkers start from NJ256262. Verify the grid reference on an OS map before you set off — space is tight on busy summer weekends.
When is the best time to climb Cook's Cairn?: April, May, June, July, August, September, October give the most reliable conditions on Cook's Cairn. Beyond that window the high ground turns wintry: carry full mountain kit, be confident navigating, and check the SAIS avalanche forecast for the area.
Is Cook's Cairn dog-friendly?: Yes, but dogs must be kept on a lead — there is livestock or ground-nesting bird interest on the route.
Is there mobile signal on Cook's Cairn?: Reasonable signal near Grantown-on-Spey; 2 bars at the top
Is Cook's Cairn safe in winter?: A modest Speyside summit where the real winter problem is drifting snow filling the shooting tracks rather than alpine conditions on the top. The peat bowls hold concealed soft snow well into spring.

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