It is in the Scottish Highlands and is the highest point in the western massif of the Cairngorms, separated from the central section by the Lairig Ghru pass.

Probably the most commonly used route up Braeriach starts from Sugar Bowl car park, on the road leading to the Cairn Gorm ski area.

From here a path leads over the hillside to a steep-sided rocky ravine known as the Chalamain Gap, before descending around 100 metres (330 ft) to the Lairig Ghru.

Sphinx is a remote patch of snow in Cairngorms National Park on Braeriach,[3] which is historically known for its semi-permanent year-round longevity; the north-facing corrie of Garbh Coire Mor has entirely melted only in 1933, 1959, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

[4][5] Named for a nearby climbing route, it was first noted by members of the Scottish Mountaineering Club in the 1840s, and is thought by scientists to have fully melted in the 18th century, given the climatic and meteorological records.