Ben Nevis
A mighty wild place with rugged peaks and ridges, Britain's highest summit and the dramatic Steall gorge.
The Ben Nevis estate comprises 1,761 hectares (equivalent to 2,766 football pitches!) within the Ben Nevis and Glencoe National Scenic Area. The land we look after includes the summits of three Munros: Ben Nevis, Càrn Mòr Dearg and Aonach Beag.
Nevis is a popular area attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Well over 100,000 people choose to walk to the summit of the Ben, also the UK's highest point. And around 60,000 enjoy the wild and rocky route through the Steall Gorge to the stunning Steall Ban waterfall.
Wild Ways Path Appeal
Help us carry out urgent footpath repairs and protect alpine habitats
What we're doing
For the past 20 years, we've worked with neighbouring land managers in the Nevis Landscape Partnership to manage this special and popular wild place. This includes managing visitor impact by maintaing the upper stretch of the Ben Nevis summit path and the Steall Gorge trail, as well as regular litter picks.
Protecting and restoring habitats
We carry out regular wildlife and habitat surveys at Nevis and are working to encourage the natural expansion of native woodland including Scots pine. This includes deer control so that native trees can regenerate, as well as some planting with the local community as part of the Nevis Landscape Partnership Future Forest project. In autumn 2022, we carried out a peatland restoration project at Nevis.
Wildlife at Nevis
Ben Nevis is home to golden and white tailed eagles, red deer, pine marten and water vole, as well as snow bunting, ptarmigan, and rare butterflies like the mountain ringlet and chequered skipper. There are also 75 different species of lichen, 33 of which are considered rare in the UK.
Adopt an acre of Ben Nevis
Send a unique wild place gift that supports our work at Nevis
Visiting Ben Nevis
Over 130,000 people climb to the summit of Ben Nevis each year. It's a challenging but rewarding experience and anyone wishing to make the trip to this wild place should be well prepared for changeable weather conditions.
Another option is to walk to the dramatic Steall Waterfall, Scotland's second highest falls, with waters plunging more than 100 metres. The spectacular two mile walk to the waterfall passes through rocky gorges and grassy meadows. There's also the opportunity to cross the wire bridge over River Nevis.
Please be sure to follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code if you are visiting.
Ben Nevis Trail Guide
See the map on Walkhighlands for climbing Ben Nevis by the Mountain Path
Get the map
Steall Gorge Trail and Waterfall
Find out more about walking the route through Steall Gorge on Walkhighlands
Find out more