Opening off the South Deeside Road close to Ballater, Glen Muick is a popular excursion for walkers, cyclists and car tourers. An impressive waterfall at the Linn of Muick lies close to the end of the lower wooded part of the glen. The car park at the end of the public road is the starting point for the ascent of Lochnagar and other long-distance paths into the eastern Cairngorms, as well as the old track, the Capel Mounth which goes to Angus via Glen Clova. Further up Glen Muick is Loch Muick, lying below steep hillsides. By its shore is the Glas-Allt Shiel, a hideaway royal lodge built by Queen Victoria and still in use today. The Loch Muick area is a nature reserve managed by Balmoral Estates, with a visitor centre near the car park road-end.