Why should you visit the Cairngorms National Park!

Laggan is one of Scotland’s favourite trail centres. It offers great trails for families and less experienced riders with the green route, and the amazing new blue and red grade trails allow riders to have fun progressing up to the classic rocky Laggan trails.

The black route is an absolute classic, blurring the boundaries between technical cross country and enduro – it has flow but you need to find it between all the technical rock features! Laggan is also a popular race venue, with the steep and rocky trails being a favourite of riders, putting it on the map as a must ride for technical trail and enduro riders.

There is a good café on site and a bike shop with hire bikes, including ebikes, and its location halfway between Aviemore and Fort William makes it a great way of linking the popular outdoor towns for mountain bikers.

Glenlivet’s location at the northern edge of the national park gives it a different feel – its more remote, and the trails pass over the tops of the lower more rolling hills, but hidden in the forest are some delights.

Glenlivet has some great cross country trails that allow a longer ride than many trail centres. The trails have been evolving though, and over recent years Bike Glenlivet have built 'Bazzas Berms', a fantastic jump and berm laden blue trail, The Orange Jump line - a 1km jump trail that is great for building skills, and the exciting new Keiran's Line - a progressive trail with pretty huge jumps. Mini DH has had a face lift this year and is looking awesome. There are also numerous hand built enduro trails to explore too!

A new addition to the trail centre is a fantastic Zip‑wire trail. Open since mid‑2024 & includes 13 zip wires and two high bridges. Appeals to ages 8 through 80 for added aerial fun beyond biking or if you still have energy to burn post ride.

Glenlivet’s amazing wee café is surrounded by great skills trails to keep kids lapping while parents take time to enjoy lunch, making this a great place for an active family day out.

In summer 2023, after many years of interest from riders, Cairngorm Mountain developed bike facilities and have been adding to their offer ever since. The Cairngorm Mountain Bike Park is a bit different, having a real focus on being a family bike park, with lift assisted (by magic carpet lift!) gravity blue and green trails, as well as flowing blue and reds with berms and jumps, all with the scenic surroundings of the Cairngorm Mountains and Glenmore.

This July, bike uplift now available to mid station on the Mountain Railway, providing easier access to the upper trails.

To add to your day on the bike at Cairngorm Mountain, adventure play just got even better for all ages. With huge new CAIRNGORM feature letters – the latest addition to the already action-packed Adventure Play Park. Tubing, mountain karting and so much more, set against one of the most scenic backdrops in the Highlands, the Adventure Play Park is perfect for families looking to enjoy some outdoor fun.So whether you have a family and are looking for accessible high quality trails, or an experienced rider wanting a day of riding fun flow trails in a Scottish Mountain location, Cairngorm Mountain is worth a look!

The vast network of easier tracks and trails makes the area great for longer gravel rides between communities and out into the wider landscape. Add in some great cafes and the Cairngorms could be the perfect place to get the miles in through the inspiring landscape around the Cairngorm mountains.

Visit Cairngorms has been working with local bike shops to collate a collection of off road cycle routes on generally well surfaced gravel tracks. These routes have been planned to avoid sensitive habitats to reduce disturbance to nature, building a network of great rides from villages through inspiring landscapes, visiting great cafes along the way.

The Cairngorms is well set up for families with attractions like Landmark and Kincraig wildlife park.

The accessible routes in the area make family cycles a great way to spend an active day out. Hire a bike from one of the great bike shops in the area and explore the area, stopping for a break at cafes and viewpoints along the way. Popular routes include the Old Logging way to Glenmore and the Speyside Way that has some good riding for families between Kingussie Aviemore and Boat of Garten, on easy well maintained and relatively flat trails.

For good simple fun, the village of Boat of Garten has an amazing Pumptrack that is well worth a visit or linking into a ride along the Speyside Way from Aviemore. For a step up to singletrack, trails Annagach Woods in Grantown in Spey has a series of short fun trails from green to red grade, or Laggan and Glenlivet are have great options for all abilities.

One of our favourites from Aviemore, cycle a short section of the Lochs & Glens Way to Boat of Garten before catching the steam train back to Aviemore. There may be a small fee for storing bikes on the train, so it's best to check with the railway when booking your tickets. Or refuel at some of the wonderful eateries on the way, like Aviemore’s Route 7 Cafe and The Boat Hotel in Boat of Garten.

From Ballater, follow the Deeside Way to Dinnet and beyond. You’ll pass relics of the old railway line, as well as the popular picnic spot Cambus O’May Suspension Bridge.

The Cairngorms area has some truly classic Scottish trails - singletrack trails weaving their way through beautiful rolling forests and out into the rocky lower slopes of the Cairngorm mountains. The landscape constantly changes, and inspiring views are guaranteed around every corner, whether the mountain panorama, a tranquil loch or a passing glimpse into the Scots pines with the forest floor laden with blaeberries.

The Badenoch and Strathspey area around Aviemore has a great network of paths that can be linked to make great routes.

To the East, Ballater has gained a reputation as a technical trail riding destination, with the village well set up for mountain bike visitors and brilliant trails like Heartbreak ridge. For more information on the eastern Cairngorms check out our Aberdeenshire Ride Guide

To help you plan your visit to the North Highlands we have collated the official trail centre maps and rider-driven apps which can help you discover the best trails across the area.

Rider populated apps are a great way to discover new trails however they may not be up to date with trail conditions and we recommend doing further research before you ride.

Please ride responsibly on all trails - follow our Do The Ride Thing guidance.