Mount Keen routes, easiest to hardest: times, distances and GPX

Peakify lists 2 measured routes up Mount Keen, traced on OpenStreetMap paths from the start to the summit. Distances and ascent are one way, to the top.

Mount Keen routes, easiest to hardest

Sorted by grade, easiest first: Easy, Moderate, Hard, then Scramble. Routes with the same grade keep the order in which Peakify's editors listed them.

Mount Keen route times by Naismith's rule

The times above use Naismith's rule: 5 km/h on the flat plus 10 minutes for every 100 m of ascent, rounded to the nearest 5 minutes. "There and back" doubles the distance and counts the ascent once, for coming down the same way. Naismith assumes a fit walker and no stops, so add time for breaks, a heavy pack, rough or snowy ground, and a group that moves at its slowest member's pace.

Each Mount Keen route

Invermark via Glen Mark and the Queen's Well

A track follows Glen Mark past the Queen's Well. The Mounth Road zigzags up the slope and a path leads to the summit. It starts from Invermark car park (head of Glen Esk). 8.1 km one way with 637 m of ascent. About 2h 40m to the summit and 4h 20m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Moderate.

Glen Tanar via the Mounth Road

A long estate track follows the Water of Tanar into the hills and joins the Mounth Road to the summit. It starts from Glen Tanar visitor centre (Braeloine). 9.4 km one way with 684 m of ascent. About 3h 0m to the summit and 4h 55m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Moderate.

Mount Keen route GPX

This page doesn't offer a GPX download. To get a GPX file for a Mount Keen route, use the Peakify iPhone app: open Mount Keen, plan the route in the route planner (or import a GPX you already have), save it, then choose Export GPX on the saved route. GPX export is part of Peakify Pro.

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Before you pick a route

The grade describes the ground in fair weather. Wind, rain, cloud and ice change it: a Moderate path can be hard to follow in mist, and a scramble in strong gusts is a different proposition from the same rock on a calm day. Check whether it is safe to climb Mount Keen today and the Mount Keen 14-day forecast before you set off, and allow for the walk out in daylight.

Planning a day on Mount Keen routes

The walking times above use Naismith's rule, which assumes a fit walker on good paths with short stops. Most groups take longer: add a quarter for a mixed group, more for children or heavy packs, and plan the descent as carefully as the climb, because tired legs and fading light cause more trouble on the way down than on the way up.

Start early. Car parks at popular starts fill by mid-morning in summer and at weekends, and an early start leaves spare daylight if the weather turns or the walk takes longer than planned. In winter, work back from sunset and leave a margin of at least an hour.

Carry a map and compass and know how to use them, even on a well-trodden path; a phone battery fails fastest in cold, wet weather. Pack a waterproof jacket and trousers, a warm layer, a hat and gloves in every season, plus food, water and a head torch. Tell someone your route and when you expect to be back.

If you are new to Mount Keen, choose the easiest route in the table for a first ascent and save the harder lines for a settled day when you know the mountain. Turning back is always an option; the summit will still be there.

Questions about Mount Keen

What is the easiest route up Mount Keen?

Invermark via Glen Mark and the Queen's Well has the easiest grade of the 2 routes listed here (Moderate).

How much time does each Mount Keen route take?

Invermark via Glen Mark and the Queen's Well: about 2h 40m up and 4h 20m there and back. Glen Tanar via the Mounth Road: about 3h 0m up and 4h 55m there and back. Times are by Naismith's rule (5 km/h plus 10 minutes per 100 m of ascent), before stops.

Can I get a GPX file for a Mount Keen route?

Not from this page. In the Peakify iPhone app, plan the route in the route planner (or import one), save it, then choose Export GPX on the saved route. GPX export is part of Peakify Pro.