Europe / Grampian Mountains
Ben Nevis
United Kingdom · 1,345 m
Photo credits and licence
Loek037 at Dutch Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ben nevis. Preview cropped from the top.Source credit: Transferred from nl.wikipedia to Commons.
Any adaptation of a ShareAlike image remains under its linked licence.
Source-linked route information · coverage incomplete
About Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis's Mountain Track is a demanding hillwalk. The alternative Càrn Mòr Dearg arête requires scrambling, exposure tolerance and navigation skills.
Mountaineering Scotland · Ben Nevis routes
Geographic source notes
Wikidata description: highest mountain of Great Britain. Imported context (CC0); retrieved 2026-10-05, not independently reviewed.
This overview is assembled from the geographic records cited below; it has not been independently field-verified.
Mountain facts
- Elevation
- 1345 metres above sea level
- Country / territory
- United Kingdom
- Mountain range
- Grampian Mountains
- Range assignment
- Source-linked Wikidata statement · 2026-10-05
- Summit coordinates
- 56.796891, -5.003675 · View summit on OpenStreetMap
Routes and variants
3 source-linked entries · research checked 2026-10-06. The inventory remains incomplete.
Documented information and open research
Starting point: 2 of 3 · Difficulty with grading system: 0 of 3 · Elevation gain: 0 of 3 · Duration: 1 of 3 · Season: 0 of 3
0 historical entries. These counts describe published entries, not all possible routes. Current access is not established.
See route research coverage and priorities →Compare 3 routes
Grades retain their published rating system; different systems and historical grades are not equivalent. Elevation gain means climbing metres, not summit altitude. Missing figures are not estimated.
Scroll sideways to compare all columns. Select a route name for its details.
| Route | Activity / direction | Difficulty / system | Starting point | Elevation gain | Duration | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Track | HikingAscent | Not documented | Glen Nevis visitor centre | Not documented | 6–9 hWhole Mountain Track outing including return | Source 1 ↗ |
| Càrn Mòr Dearg arête | ScramblingTraverse | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Source 1 ↗ |
| Tower ridge | Rock climbingAscent | Not documented | CIC Hut · technical ridge approach | Not documented | Not documented | Source 1 ↗ |
Choose an activity to see its entries. Ascent, descent, approaches and historical climbing lines are labelled separately.
Hiking (1)
Mountain TrackHiking · Ascent
Mountaineering Scotland describes the main walking approach as demanding.
- Activity
- Hiking
- Direction / role
- Ascent
- Starting point
- Glen Nevis visitor centre
- Difficulty
- Not established from the checked source
- Elevation gain
- Not established from the checked source
- Duration
- 6–9 h · Whole Mountain Track outing including return
- Season
- Not established from the checked source
- Current access
- Not checked for current use
Mountaineering Scotland · Ben Nevis routes · source checked 2026-10-05
The source establishes a route listing. Detailed navigation, current protection and conditions require the original reference.
Scrambling (1)
Càrn Mòr Dearg arêteScrambling · Traverse
A narrow ridge requiring scrambling and navigation, distinguished from the Mountain Track.
- Activity
- Scrambling
- Direction / role
- Traverse
- Starting point
- Not established from the checked source
- Difficulty
- Not established from the checked source
- Elevation gain
- Not established from the checked source
- Duration
- Not established from the checked source
- Season
- Not established from the checked source
- Current access
- Not checked for current use
Mountaineering Scotland · Ben Nevis routes · source checked 2026-10-05
The source establishes a route listing. Detailed navigation, current protection and conditions require the original reference.
Rock climbing (1)
Tower ridgeRock climbing · Ascent
The local guide describes a climb finishing close to the summit.
- Activity
- Rock climbing
- Direction / role
- Ascent
- Starting point
- CIC Hut · technical ridge approach
- Difficulty
- Not established from the checked source
- Elevation gain
- Not established from the checked source
- Duration
- Not established from the checked source
- Season
- Not established from the checked source
- Current access
- Not checked for current use
Abacus Mountain Guides · Tower Ridge · source checked 2026-10-05
The source establishes a route listing. Detailed navigation, current protection and conditions require the original reference.
Route questions, answered
Specific planning questions, with the scope of each source kept visible.
Does the Mountain Track’s 6–9 hours include coming back down?
Yes. Mountaineering Scotland gives that figure for the whole Mountain Track outing. It is not an ascent-only estimate and should not be transferred to the Càrn Mòr Dearg arête or Tower Ridge. Conditions and the group’s pace can change the actual duration.
Are Càrn Mòr Dearg arête and Tower Ridge alternatives for the same skills?
No. Mountaineering Scotland describes scrambling on the Càrn Mòr Dearg arête. Abacus describes Tower Ridge as a technical climb approached via the CIC Hut, including pitched climbing and the exposed Tower Gap. Compare the activity and required experience before comparing their summit destination.
Mountaineering Scotland · Ben Nevis routes · Abacus Mountain Guides · Tower Ridge
Where does the Ben Nevis Mountain Track start?
Mountaineering Scotland identifies the visitor centre in Glen Nevis as the Mountain Track starting point. Its 6–9-hour estimate covers the demanding outing, including the return. The north-side approaches to other routes are separate; a summit destination does not make their trailheads interchangeable.
Can there be snow on Ben Nevis in summer?
Mountaineering Scotland notes that snow can remain on the upper mountain into early summer and that summit weather can differ substantially from Fort William. Snow may obscure the track. Check a mountain-specific forecast and current local information; the summer calendar alone does not establish a snow-free walking route.
Does the Mountain Track estimate include coming down?
Mountaineering Scotland gives 6–9 hours for completing the demanding outing, including the return; it is not a one-way summit target.
Is CMD just another version of the Mountain Track?
No. The club describes a long, narrow arête requiring scrambling and a head for heights. Mountain Track timing should not be transferred to it.
Are all access notices on the reference page current?
No. The club page retains a forestry notice ending in March 2023. That historical notice is not used here as evidence of today's access.
Climbing Chronicle Redaktion · Sources checked · Source research; current route conditions are not confirmed.
Planning at a glance
Access and starting point
The Mountain Track begins at Glen Nevis visitor centre. Consult staff for mountain information before setting out.
Difficulty and required experience
Fitness and navigation matter even on the Mountain Track. Snow can obscure the upper path; CMD adds a narrow scrambling ridge.
Season and restrictions
Cold, wind and snow are possible even in summer. Winter conditions require appropriate equipment and the skills to use it.
Sources for current information
- Mountaineering Scotland · Ben Nevis routes
Route orientation; separate current conditions check required.
This page stores reference sources, not live conditions. Check the provider’s publication date and route coverage before use.
Research still needed
For Ben Nevis, this atlas does not yet document first-ascent history. Missing first-ascent evidence does not mean a mountain is unclimbed.
Use the linked sources as starting points; summit coordinates do not describe a climbing route or public access.
Sources and coverage
Imported geographic data from Wikidata (CC0); not independently field-verified. Data snapshot: 30 September 2026. Elevations and boundaries can differ between sources. Mountain-range membership follows explicit Wikidata relationships or a coordinate match against published GMBA v2 standard polygons. GMBA: Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (2021), CC BY 4.0; methodology: Snethlage et al. (2022). Missing evidence remains open.
Explore the surrounding regions
Grampian Mountains · Northwest European Highlands · Mountains in United Kingdom
Editorial responsibility
Responsible publisher and editorial author: Climbing Chronicle Redaktion. AI-assisted source research; no on-site inspection or professional route approval is claimed.
- Route listing source check
- 2026-10-06 · partial inventory; current access remains open
- Planning source check
- 2026-10-06 · only the individually cited planning additions
- Earlier profile review
- Open · no complete editorial review recorded
- Imported context retrieved
- 2026-10-05 · automated retrieval, not an editorial review
How sources, authorship and review dates work
Further reading about Ben Nevis
Links discovered through the Wikidata record. These articles have not been checked as evidence for route, difficulty or access claims.
Mountains nearby
Recorded mountains, ordered by straight-line distance. This does not describe a route or accessible connection.
1–20 of 30 recorded mountains within 25 km
- Càrn Mòr Dearg · 1.4 km
- Càrn Dearg Meadhonach · 1.6 km
- Aonach Beag · 3.0 km
- Aonach Mòr · 3.1 km
- Sgùrr a' Mhàim · 4.6 km
- An Gearanach · 4.8 km
- Stob Bàn · 6.1 km
- Am Bodach · 6.3 km
- Binnein Beag · 6.6 km
- Binnein Mòr · 6.7 km
- Mullach nan Coirean · 6.7 km
- Na Gruagaichean · 7.1 km
- Stob Coire an Laoigh · 7.4 km
- Stob Choire Claurigh · 9.9 km
- Stob Bàn · 10.1 km
- Pap of Glencoe · 12.6 km
- Stob Coire Easain · 14.2 km
- Stob a' Choire Mheadhoin · 15.2 km
- Bidean nam Bian · 17.2 km
- Stob Coire Sgreamhach · 17.7 km