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The stony, mossy plateau of Càrn Liath under low cloud, a loch in the glen below.
Loch Laggan and Creag Meagaidh

Carn Liath

A Munro of 1,006 metres, number 127 of the 282.

Photograph by DL, via Google

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Carn Liath is one of the three Munros of the Creag Meagaidh range, above Aberarder and Loch Laggan, and the nearest of the three to Aberarder.

It is not to be confused with the Carn Liath on Beinn a' Ghlo in Atholl.

Stob Poite Coire Ardair is about four and a half kilometres to the west, and Creag Meagaidh itself about six to the south-west.

The hill is part of the Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve, which NatureScot looks after. Coire Dubh is one of its corries.

Starts from
The reserve's car park at Aberarder, on the A86, the same start as Creag Meagaidh and Stob Poite Coire Ardair.
The ground
Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve, kept by NatureScot.
Under snow
On 4 April 2026 the avalanche service's own forecaster recorded a size 1 dry slab avalanche in Coire Dubh, on the Carn Liath massif, triggered by a cornice on a steep east-facing slope at 900 metres. There is no forecast before 17 December 2026, and that does not mean there is no risk under snow.
Summit
Grid reference NN 472 903
Car park
The reserve's car park at Aberarder, on the A86. Wild Lochaber gives the start as grid reference NN 483 873.
Toilets and food
Wild Lochaber lists a toilet at the information point in Aberarder farmhouse. We know of no café, shop or fuel at the foot of the hill.
On the hill today
0° to 3°Drizzle on the summit, 1,006 m. Feels like −4° in the wind.

West wind to 16 mph, gusting 30
Rain, about 3 mm
Light from 7.52am to 6.14pm, ten hours

Sat 17Mostly clear−1° to 3° on top · 8 mph, gusts 16
Sun 18Mostly clear−4° to 4° on top · 9 mph, gusts 17
Mon 19Drizzle−5° to 5° on top · 6 mph, gusts 11

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: West Highlands forecast, Carn Liath, North Grampian mountain forecast, Creag Meagaidh avalanche forecast, The Creag Meagaidh forecasters' blog.

October2026

MTWTFSS

Going another day?

Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.

Before you go

Carry

  • A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
  • Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
  • Food and drink
  • A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
  • A survival bag
  • Boots with a good grip

Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.

If something goes wrong

  • Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
  • Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NN 472 903
  • Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
  • Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999

The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.

How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER

From our readers

Nobody has written from Carn Liath yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.

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From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

For the route itself, take the map and read these.

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Stob Poite Coire Ardair, Creag Meagaidh, Creag Pitridh, Geal Charn. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's and Wild Lochaber's; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's, the Met Office's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.