5 Alternatives to Hiking Ben Nevis

If you’re looking for an alternative to hiking Ben Nevis, here are five brilliant Highland trails that deliver all the views, but without the crowds. Expect sweeping views, varied terrain, and routes that feel every bit as rewarding – in some cases, even more so – than Scotland’s highest peak.

Written by: Trev Summits

Every year, thousands of people from around the world flock to Fort William to climb Ben Nevis. From April to October, the mountain track up Scotland’s highest mountain is a hive of activity. On a sunny weekend, the car park is overflowing by 8am.

If you decide to climb Ben Nevis, you’ll join hundreds of hikers of all nationalities walking line astern up the mountain track.

You’re rarely 10 meters away from other hikers for the entire walk. There’s a path all the way to the top, and on a clear day, navigation is easy. If you enjoy crowds and chatting to other people, it’s a fun experience.

If you’re open to a less mainstream hike away from the crowds, there are 19 other Munros (Scottish mountains over 3,000ft / 915m) in the Fort William area. 10 along the Mamores range and 10 along the Nevis Range. They’re some of the finest mountains in Scotland, and you’ll be lucky to see a handful of other walkers all day.

I’m a Mountain Leader in the Fort William / Glen Nevis area, and here are my top 5 alternatives to hiking Ben Nevis. For comparison, Ben Nevis via the mountain track is 16km & 1,340m of ascent. It takes 6-7 hours for people with average fitness. I’ve rounded all the numbers a little for easier comparison.

If you’d like help planning routes or would like a local guide to join you on your hike, get in touch.

The Aonachs via the Gondola
9.5km + 845m | 3-4 Hours

Hiking The Aonachs via the gondola is the easiest way to enjoy a walk in the Scottish mountains, bag two Munros, and see some spectacular landscapes. On a clear day, you can see the North Face of Ben Nevis, the Grey Corries and the Mamores, to name just a few.

The route includes the summits of Aonach Mòr and Aonach Beag (big and small), but you can turn back after Aonach Mòr, reducing the walk to 6km & 560m of ascent.

On a clear day, this walk is for most ability levels. After the initial 500m climb, the walk is mainly a flat grass-and-gravel path with one short, steep, rocky section up to Aonach Beag.

The all-weather gondola at Nevis Range takes you to the Snowgoose Café at 650m, which you can visit before or after your walk. The gondola costs around £30 per person.

Park at Nevis Range car park. All day parking costs £6.

Stob Ban & Mullach nan Coirean
13km + 1,165m | 5-6 Hours

Stob Ban is one of the finest mountains in Scotland, even though it’s only 1,000m high. Its name translates to "White Peak." In the evening, the setting sun makes the white quartzite rocks on the peak shine white.

You can walk directly up and down it for a shorter day (4-5 hours), but I recommend including Mullach nan Coirean (Summit of the Corries) for a fantastic ridge walk between the two summits. You might not see another walker on this route all day.

There’s some loose scree and mild scrambling, plus navigation isn’t easy in poor weather, so it’s not a beginner route.

Park at Lower Falls car park. 6 hours cost £3.

The Lochaber 4000’s
17km + 1,450m | 7-9+ Hours

This is undoubtably the finest route on the Nevis side of the glen. You “bag” the 4 highest mountains in Lochaber (all over 4,000 ft), including Ben Nevis, for just an extra kilometre and 100m of climb. That’s assuming you take the Nevis Range gondola to 650m.

Not only that, but you get to traverse the famous Càrn Mòr Dearg (CMD) Arête to Ben Nevis plus the Watershed Arête joining the Aonachs to Càrn Mòr Dearg.

This is an advanced route. The terrain is technical involving steep descents, scrambling and exposed arete walks, so it’s only for experienced hikers with good gear.

The easiest way to tackle this route is to stay in Glen Nevis campsite or Youth Hostel and take a taxi to Nevis Range, head up the gondola, bag 4 Munros, then walk down the Mountain Path with the other Ben Nevis walkers.

You can also park at Nevis Range car park and walk back via the halfway lochan. This adds 4km to the route. All day parking costs £6.

The Ring of Steall
16.5km + 1,800m | 7-9+ Hours

The Ring of Steall is a challenging horseshoe route that bags 4 Munros. This route is talked about with reverence by seasoned Scottish “Munro Baggers”, so it should only be attempted by experienced walkers.

The hike starts from the Lower Falls car park with a 5km low-level walk to Steall Falls, the third-highest waterfall in Scotland at 105 meters. You need to traverse the wire bridge or pack a towel and water shoes to wade the river. It’s then a 750m steep climb to the summit of An Gearanach.

Once on the summit, you have a fantastic undulating ridge walk, tagging Stob Coire a' Chàirn and Am Bodach, before traversing the Devil's Ridge arete to Sgùrr a'Mhaim. From there, it’s a steep scree descent back to the car park.

This is a long day on technical terrain, requiring a good level of fitness and experience scrambling, walking on loose scree, and on aretes.

Park at Lower Falls car park. 12 hours cost £4.

The Three Sisters of Glencoe
12km + 1,450m | 6-8 Hours

Glencoe is only 30 minutes from Ben Nevis / Fort William and there are lots of great hikes in the area. As an alternative to Ben Nevis, I recommend The Three Sisters.