Helm Crag Walk from Grasmere: Route Map, Parking & What to Expect

Helm Crag is probably one of the most iconic fells around Grasmere and the central Lake District. Its shape punctuates a lot of the views while you’re in Grasmere, as you drive through it and if you visit Grasmere Lake.

When you walk Helm Crag itself, it gives you some pretty incredible views in all directions: Grasmere village and the lake, across towards the Easedale fells and along the ridge towards Gibson Knott and Calf Crag. As you get higher, the views open out even further towards the Helvellyn range and across the surrounding fells.

I love what the Helm Crag walk packs into a relatively short distance. It’s a steep walk that takes you from woodland to open fellside with views that give you breathing space. Then the incredibly distinctive rock formations at the top almost feel like they belong on another planet.

From here, you can either keep to Helm Crag alone or extend it along the ridge towards Gibson Knott and Calf Crag for a much bigger day out.

My guide to the Helm Crag walk from Grasmere is 7km / 4.3 miles with 387m / 1,269ft. ascent and descent. The distance and ascent might not sound like a huge amount, but this trail can pack an unexpected punch.

You can walk it in roughly 2.5 to 3 hours, but I’d recommend giving yourself longer, particularly if you simply want to go at a slower pace.

Below, you’ll find everything you need to know for the Helm Crag walk from Grasmere. It includes what to expect, where to park, what to bring and my downloadable, easy to follow route map, all from first hand experience.

Helm Crag Walk: Quick Stats

Distance: 7km / 4.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 387m / 1,269ft. ascent and descent
Approx Time Needed: 2.5 – 3 hours at least
Difficulty: Moderate. A relatively short but steep walk. Lots of rocky and uneven ground, some drop offs and sections where careful footing is needed.
Start Point: Grasmere. Parking and public transport options covered later in this guide.
Route Type: Circular / loop
Wainwrights covered: Helm Crag
Family friendly: Yes, for families with relevant fell walking experience. Please read the Helm Crag walk what to expect section and consider the distance, ascent and terrain details before deciding if this route is right for you.

Downloadable Route Map Options

Open in OS Maps Open in AllTrails

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Download your route before you go

Phone signal is unreliable across much of the Lake District, so make sure you have your route downloaded in a walking navigation app such as OS Maps or AllTrails, and that you know how to follow it before setting out. Google Maps and similar road navigation apps aren’t designed for following outdoor walking routes, particularly in remote areas, so don’t rely on them for this.

Which should I use?

Why we offer both
OS Maps and
AllTrails maps

The right navigation tool can depend on the route and the person walking it: because routes vary by difficulty and terrain, you don’t need the full topographic detail for every walk. We therefore offer both, so you can choose the mapping software that best suits where you’re at.

AllTrails

A straightforward way to follow a route, from beginners to progressing onto more challenging walks. As it’s used worldwide, it can also be a practical choice if you’re visiting from overseas and already use the app.

OS Maps

More detailed topographic mapping for understanding terrain and more advanced navigation. As detailed Ordnance Survey mapping is specific to Great Britain, it may be less familiar to overseas visitors.

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Our take

For most of our easy to moderate walks, AllTrails is a perfectly good option. For more remote, steep or complicated terrain, or for people who follow hiking routes within the UK, we’d choose OS Maps.

OS Maps vs AllTrails

• OS Maps helps you understand the landscape, whereas AllTrails is more focused on helping you follow a route through it. For a lot of Lake District walks, the additional topographic detail is very useful for understanding terrain and making informed decisions.
• OS Maps has extremely detailed mapping, including precise contours and terrain information, whereas AllTrails relies on OpenStreetMap data, which does not contain the same level of topographic detail.
• OS Maps is generally considered the authoritative standard for topographic mapping in Great Britain. However, paths and features on the ground can change over time, particularly on higher fells, so a mapped path should not always be assumed to perfectly reflect what you will find on the ground.
• OS Maps is primarily focused on Great Britain, whereas AllTrails is used internationally. If you already use AllTrails at home and are visiting the Lake District for a short time, it may therefore be the more familiar option.
• OpenStreetMap, which AllTrails uses, is community maintained and can sometimes receive frequent updates. However, these updates depend on contributed data and do not provide the same level of detailed topographic information as OS mapping.
• Offline map functionality is limited on the free versions of both services. AllTrails requires a paid subscription for offline maps, while OS Maps also requires a paid subscription for its full offline mapping features.

Route & Safety Disclaimer

All routes uploaded are personally created by us, from walks we’ve actually done. We redo walks regularly and make adjustments where needed to the downloadable maps we offer to you.

However, due to the sheer volume of walks in the Lake District and our growing collection, we cannot guarantee that every map will be completely accurate due to land changes we may be unaware of between times of doing the walk again.

We are not responsible for your own safety and you should be confident in your own ability and make judgement calls where needed.

Any walking route can pose hazards that may be topical and new and this is something you need to keep in mind whenever you head out.

Helm Crag Walk: What to Expect

Before You Head Off

I’ve seen Helm Crag described as a good ‘beginner fell’ many times at this point. I personally don’t think that really gives enough of a description of what this walk actually involves and is quite misleading.

When you look at the stats, sure, the distance and ascent might not seem huge, but the Helm Crag trail is really steep in places. There are sections where the topography means certain areas of ground drop away quite severely and the rocky steps and gradient that make up most of the trail can be slow going if you’re not used to this kind of walking. All those things combined don’t make it feel like a beginner fell.

Nothing I’ve just mentioned makes the Helm Crag walk really difficult, but it does mean there’s quite a lot to concentrate on. Being fit helps with the steep ascent, but there are other things in there too.

It’s less about what you’ve managed on previous walks (or even in the gym) and more about whether you’ve experienced steep and uneven ground, heights and how different weather conditions change the terrain.

If that’s more than you’ve experienced before, there are loads of great fells around Grasmere that give you a taste of this kind of walking with less to contend with at once. Loughrigg Fell is a good one for this: it still gets you up high with fantastic views and is also classed as a Wainwright but has less ascent and fewer steep edges.

The Walk

The Helm Crag walk from Grasmere starts in the village, and before long, you’ll head along the very pretty Easedale Road. It’s usually quiet, and the walk along gives you a chance to look at all the gorgeous houses, some of which are very old, against the lower farmland. Helm Crag sits pretty prominently above you here.

After crossing Easedale Beck, the Helm Crag route from Grasmere takes a turn onto the main trail and immediately starts climbing behind the Lancrigg estate. The beautiful gardens surrounding it start to give way to fairly dense woodland.

The trail climbs through the trees and this is where the views back into the valley you just walked through really start to present themselves. The mountains that you have in view start to feel much more prominent as you get higher too: your perspective rises into them.

A lot of the work comes in from here. There are loose rocks, rocky steps and plenty of sections where you need to pay attention to where you’re putting your feet. At the same time, the views really start opening out to your left, looking back into the valley you were just walking through.

As you gain more height, Easedale Tarn starts to come into view surrounded by fells, while the ridge that goes from Helm Crag towards Gibson Knott and Calf Crag becomes much more obvious. I love this section later in the day: if you get a day on this fell when there are clearer skies, the light can do some pretty magical things to the peaks around you.

Like so many of these kinds of walks, you feel like you must be near the top of Helm Crag, but when you reach the first prominent ‘top’, you realise there’s still more ascent to go.

I almost think of this as the first top. It’s significant though, because this is where you start getting some of your first proper views over the other side of Helm Crag, towards the Helvellyn range and across the wider landscape beyond.

From here, you continue over rocky ground that becomes steeper towards the summit. This is also where you reach the final spine of Helm Crag and encounter most of the steep edges.

As you approach the top, all the incredible rock formations that sit there start to open out in front of you, and I think this is one of the main highlights of the walk. The summit area also feels a lot more open than the ground you’ve just covered.

The true ‘top’ of Helm Crag is actually the very top of the prominent rock formation that you won’t miss. It’s called the Howitzer, and reaching its highest point involves a scramble. Wainwright himself never actually made it to the very top of it, so if you’re ticking off Wainwrights, whether you feel you need to stand on top of the Howitzer is really up to you.

From the top of Helm Crag, there are a couple of options. You can go back the way you came to Grasmere, or continue following my route to turn this into the Helm Crag circular walk from Grasmere. This is also how you would continue along the ridge if you want to include Gibson Knott and Calf Crag (more on that in my route extensions section below).

For the circular route, you head steeply downhill past the top of Helm Crag towards the valley. The path itself is pretty good, although there are loose rocks in places and it’s a good idea to take your time just in case.

Eventually you join Far Easedale, which is a really lovely, quiet valley. This takes you back towards Grasmere, where you’ll eventually get back onto the path near Easedale Beck that you used on the outbound journey.

Key Highlights

Best Views & Photo Spots

The top of Helm Crag is obviously a highlight, and the amazing rock formations at the top make for some great photos with the mountains surrounding you. Helm Crag isn’t particularly high (405m), but just how far the views reach might surprise you.

Some of my favourite views are also just before the top, where you see Easedale Tarn and the ridge along to Gibson Knott and Calf Crag. I do think there’s something special about doing the Helm Crag hike later in the day, as the light can be stunning and often feels like it changes minute by minute.

Helm Crag Walk Route: Difficulty Breakdown

Terrain and Conditions

On Helm Crag itself, the trail moves over several types of ground. It’s mostly rocky, ranging from loose rock and smoother rock surfaces to more compacted, stepped sections. There are also grassy sections of open fell and dirt paths.

Some sections can remain wet, boggy and slippery even when the majority of the trail is dry. These are mostly higher up on Helm Crag, where the terrain opens out onto grassy fell.

After heavy rain, the trail can become very slippery and really slow down your progress, as you need to pay much more attention to your foot placement.

The same can be said after frost, snow and in very cold temperatures. Especially if it’s previously been raining, this can become icy, sometimes with black ice.

Because the top area of Helm Crag is quite exposed on the start of the ridge, if it’s windy, this trail can feel quite cold in comparison to lower ground.

Near the start of the walk, there is also a section called Easedale Beck which has been prone to flooding after prolonged or heavy rain. I’ve experienced this section as completely impassable at times, even whilst wearing waterproof boots.

If this is the case, it’s possible to walk around Helm Close instead and avoid this section, which takes you mostly past Lancrigg at the bottom of the fell.

Technical Difficulty, Exposure, Navigation and Steepness

For most of the trail, there are rocky steps. At times these can be quite steep, and others, the rock can be quite slick. There are never any points where your hands need to be involved, but you will need to take quite a few big strides at times.

Near the top, there are also some areas with slightly awkward footing and a few drop offs, which can make it feel slightly dramatic, but you will need to pay attention.

The actual very top rock formation that makes ‘Helm Crag’ requires scrambling with quite a lot of drop off, so most people don’t actually include this in the Helm Crag walk and there’s no need to do it to feel like you’ve been to the top of the fell.

The Helm Crag trail is steep throughout, as you’re gaining height over a fairly short distance. When you get closer to the last section of the walk, where you get onto the hill before the summit the sides of the fell start to drop off quite abruptly. The closer you get to the top, the more this becomes obvious.

Just before the summit is where it feels the steepest, and where you’ll want to pay the most attention to your footing, but it also isn’t a particularly long section either.

The Helm Crag route from Grasmere is fairly easy in terms of navigation in good visibility. There are only a few turns before you get onto the fell, so provided you keep a look at your map, there’s nothing really to note on that. Once you’re onto Helm Crag, it’s very straightforward.  

What I Like About the Helm Crag Circular Walk

The first time I did the Helm Crag walk I didn’t even realise that the rock formations at the very top were quite as prominent as they are. I fell in love with them and just thought they were incredible.

It’s not just the top of the Helm Crag loop from Grasmere that I like though. I love how the trail changes: at the start, the woodland section climbs up along the rock and the views really start to open out.

When you come out onto open ground, the views really open up across the valley towards the surrounding fells, with Easedale Tarn sitting amongst them. As you get higher on the Helm Crag circular, you start to see across the other side of the fell towards the Helvellyn range.

All of those views feel like they just keep going and going, and just when you think you’ve seen everything, something else catches your eye.

Helm Crag Walk: Parking & Transport

Parking

Helm Crag walk parking is fairly easy and there are several car parks in Grasmere that are good options to start from. The link above opens a Google Map showing the car parks in Grasmere that you can use for this walk.

Whilst there are quite a few parking places in Grasmere, these can fill up quite quickly on busier days, peak season and in school holidays. So, I always think it’s best to arrive a little later in the day (3pm) for the Helm Crag walk from Grasmere, as a lot of people will have already finished.

If you wait a while, a spot will usually free up at one of the car parks, so it’s just about being opportunistic sometimes. There are quite a few people who visit Grasmere for an hour or so, and the parking turns over pretty quickly.

I have only really had problems with parking a couple of times in the hundreds of times I’ve parked in Grasmere, so that should give you an indication.

Payment for parking and prices at all of the car parks I’ve linked above differs slightly depending on which authority runs it. All of them accept card payment and contactless, and some of them offer app payments as another option too.

Another spot that can be handy for the Helm Crag Grasmere walk is to park at The Lancrigg. This puts you right at the foot of Helm Crag itself, cutting off the section from Grasmere to the foot of the fell. However, you need to pay for parking inside the venue and they only accept payment in their opening hours.

This is usually 9:30am – 5:30pm Monday – Thursday and 12pm – 5:30pm on Sunday. You can park for the full day and leave whenever you want, so long as you arrive within those hours.

They do have a decent amount of parking, but it can be hit and miss as to whether they’re closed for a wedding or private event, and you can’t usually check in advance, so not always the best if you’re short on time for the walk itself.

Public Transport

There are two main buses that go through Grasmere, these are the 555 and the 599. The 555 starts in Kendal and finishes in Keswick, passing through Grasmere on the way (via Ambleside, Windermere etc).

The 599 starts in Bowness-on-Windermere and finishes in Grasmere.

The links above take you to the operators live timetables, but you can also see the bus running times easily if you plan your route through Google Maps.

These both run very frequently and reliably through the day and evening, especially the 555. This makes getting to the start of this trail easy by public transport and a great option for busy days and during school holidays.  

Helm Crag Walk: Route Extensions & Other Walks in the Area

There are some great ways to extend the Helm Crag walk and so many other brilliant walks that start either from or near Grasmere. Here are just a few of my favourites, and trails that I think compliment this one really well.

Helm Crag, Gibson Knott and Calf Crag extension

If you like the idea of making the route longer you could continue along the ridge and do the Helm Crag, Gibson Knott and Calf Crag walk. Here’s a link to my OS Map for this route.

This does add significantly more ascent and distance to the walk. It also follows a ridge that is quite steep on both sides between Helm Crag and Gibson Knott, continuing until not long before you reach Calf Crag.

This section can take longer to cover than you might expect, as the terrain is steep and rocky and requires concentration and some experience with heights. Once down from the ridge you head back into Far Easedale valley (which is really pretty and quiet) down to Grasmere.  

Easedale Tarn

Probably the most obvious other walk in the area is Easedale Tarn. The walking route you’ll take at the start even branches off for Easedale Tarn, which sits very close to Helm Crag, and you’ll even see Easedale Tarn when you’re higher up on the Helm Crag walk.

I love the Easedale Tarn walk and think it’s one of the best walks in Grasmere. I also think that if you’re not entirely sure whether the Helm Crag walk is right for you, the Easedale Tarn walk gives you a good taste of the terrain and views in the area, with fewer drop-offs, less exposure to heights and less ascent.

Another variant of this is to try the Easedale Tarn and Helm Crag walk. This is excellent and gives you a beautiful day out in the mountains. It gives you some of the most iconic views in the Lake District and starts to connect over to the Langdales with views down to Stickle Tarn and the Langdale Pikes etc as well.

However, it is a difficult route: it involves travel over steep, uneven ground, covers a long distance (16.5km) and involves a lot of ascent and descent (916m). I’d recommend this route if you have plenty of experience in the fells, and walking in the mountains.

In its simplest form, it marries together Helm Crag, Gibson Knott and Calf Crag with Easedale Tarn. It also adds in High Raise and Sergeant Man, which you can leave out if you want, but it doesn’t add a great amount of extra ascent and the ground you need to cover to add them in isn’t anywhere near as steep as what you will have encountered so far.

Grasmere to Alcock Tarn

Another great route that starts right out of the village is the Grasmere to Alcock Tarn walk, which we also have a full guide on. This is over the other side of the valley from Grasmere and gives you quite different views from the Helm Crag walk.

Again, this is another good one if you’re not 100% about the Helm Crag walk but still want to get up high into the fells. The tarn itself, whilst lovely isn’t really the point of this walk for me, the rest of the views are what make it.

From near the start of the Alcock Tarn trail, you can also do the Stone Arthur walk. Don’t underestimate this fell though: you ascend 435m in just over 2km, so it’s very steep!

Loughrigg Fell

As mentioned earlier, if you’re looking for a fell that is perhaps ‘easier’ than Helm Crag but still want to get up high with fantastic views, I’d really recommend Loughrigg Fell. It gives you a good taster of getting higher into the fells without quite as much to contend with.

The trail is pretty much a staircase for much of the way up, and there aren’t the same steep edges to contend with. There’s also less ascent and descent involved. We have a full guide to the Loughrigg Fell walk that covers the route in detail and is well worth taking a look at too.

A couple of slightly more chilled out routes: nearby is the Rydal Cave walk, which we also have a guide to. You can combine this with Loughrigg Fell (as it’s underneath it) or do it on its own.

Across the road, you’ve also got Rydal Falls to Buckstones Jump, which we have a guide about too. This is well worth finding time for if you can. It’s a pretty short trail you can do in a couple of hours.

What to Bring on the Helm Crag Walk

Having the right gear is only one part of being prepared. It doesn’t replace knowledge or practised skills, and it’s important to know how and when to use what you’re carrying, particularly when conditions change.

With that in mind, here’s what I’d recommend bringing for this walk, with adjustments depending on the time of year and conditions:

• Well fitting waterproof hiking shoes or boots: there are sections from Grasmere to the main turn off for this trail that can become waterlogged and some sections near the top of the Helm Crag trail that can be boggy. Loose and slick rocks on the trail can also become slippery, so good grip makes a huge difference. If you do decide on this trail after heavy frost, very cold weather or snow, bring snow spikes and/or crampons depending on the exact conditions (and be confident in attaching them to your boots).
• Warm layers including an insulated jacket: it can feel very exposed near the top of the Helm Crag walk.
• Waterproof jacket (and waterproof pants depending on just how much rain may be in the forecast – I keep mine in my pack all the time)
• Daypack: I usually bring something between 18-22l depending on the conditions.
• Gloves and a hat: or a sun hat and sunglasses in summer
• Water: at least 1l, but this should increase if it’s hot, and snacks
• Your walking route downloaded for offline use: Signal can be patchy, so don’t rely on having mobile data. Make sure you have your route downloaded in a walking navigation app such as OS Maps or AllTrails, and that you know how to follow it before setting out. Google Maps and similar road navigation apps aren’t designed for following outdoor walking routes, particularly in remote areas, so don’t rely on them for this.

Why Trust Our Lake District Walking Guides

This Helm Crag walk guide has been written by someone who lives in the Lake District. When I write a walk guide, it means I’ve done the route multiple times in different seasons, weather conditions and assessed it in detail using my years of experience in this landscape.

The aim with all our guides is to give you the information you actually need, including maps and the right level of detail to get you out and feel prepared. Overall, this will help you feel more confident and have a better impact on you and the place you’re visiting, so it’s a win-win.