Coire an t-Sneachda and Coire an Lochain from Coire Cas

The walk starts at the Coire Cas car park and visits each corrie in turn before returning to the car park. A path leads from the ski area across the hillside, and a branch climbs to Coire an t-Sneachda, ending among boulders under its cliffs. Back at the junction, a second path leads to Coire an Lochain and ends below its crags. Return to the car park by the same paths.

It is 11.2 km with 540 m of ascent; allow about 4½ hours. The grade is Moderate for the effort, but both corrie floors are above 900 m, and the weather up here can be harsh when the car park is calm. Each corrie is about 3 km from the car park. The paths end where the rough ground begins; beyond them lie the cliffs, which are for climbers.

In winter both corries are avalanche terrain: they fill with deep snow and cornices overhang their rims. The Scottish Avalanche Information Service publishes a forecast for the Northern Cairngorms, which is worth reading before you go. In cloud the paths can be hard to follow among the boulders. After the July 2026 wildfire some paths near Glenmore are closed: look at the Cairngorms National Park path closures page before you set out.

The Coire Cas car park is a pay car park (OpenStreetMap lists a fee), and Aviemore station is about 11 km away.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.