main route summary 
Ben Nevis or just 'The Ben', being the highest mountain in the British Isles, can get incredibly busy. The summit is also littered with cairns and memorials. However, look beyond this and you'll see what a wonderful peak Ben Nevis is. Superb views - on a clear day, I challenge you to count and name all the peaks you can see from the top ! Look down the west side into Coire Leis and you'll see what climbers get excited about. Beyond Ben Nevis, things get much quieter. The Carn Mor Dearg Arete, though not difficult, requires some concentration. Some effort is needed up a loose path to reach the Aonachs. The Grey Corries range is a fine group of summits, all bouldery in parts and apart from the last, Stob Ban, on a continuous high-level ridge.

nevis, fort william and spean bridge weblinks 
Website for the ski-centre, gondala and downhill biking is here
See todays conditions in the Nevis range on the cam here
Get the local area weather forecast here
The John Muir Trust owns the Ben, here is their website
Mountain Gear in Fortwilliam at Nevisport or Ellis Brigham
Fort William area info is at Lochaber.com 

main route outline     
Start from the Youth Hostel in Glen Nevis, cross the river using the bridge and follow the well-maintained "Pony Track" zig-zagging up the hill.Busy, wide and well constructed, the path has aluminium bridges over narrow sections. Get to a sharp turn at around 500m with sign, encouraging you to turn left. Instead, don't be a sheep and head straight up then e over loose and wet ground, then grass and heather to re-join main path. Continue to follow path towards the summit of Ben Nevis with several turns. Care in mist just before the top,as there are sudden drops to the left. A huge cairn with a shelter, another with a trig point, the remains of the old observatory, memorials and litter make this an untidy place. The views are exeptional, just count the munros you can see from here !

Aim e for 100m then se, pick up poles follow faint path down steep bouldery ground to the Abseil Post at around 1,050m. Start along the Arete, wide at first, then narrowing. Easy scrambling path comes and goes between and around the boulders. Drop a bit, then climb again to reach summit of Carn Mor Dearg. Good vantage point to Ben Nevis which looks huge.

From cairn aim e on faint worn path. Some care is required, down over steep and bouldery terrain. Reach the bealach and climb directly uphill on rhs of burn on worn path. The steep pathzig-zags up over 300m climb and can be mucky in bits. The ground starts to level out at just over 1050m where there'sa junction,keep straight up, turning right will go to Aonach Beag. After levelling out, the path disappears and turns ne then n, joining another path going n-s. Walk over grassy ground, gradually rising for best path of 1km to large untidy summit cairn of Aonach Mor

Turn around and follow path s to the bealach, where the ground becomes gravelly then narrow. Scramble over a short section, then onto a path to follow up the scree and boulders to summit of Aonach Beag. The small cairn is an excellent vantage point to look down over Grey Corries.

From the summit, follow faint path se to drop 150m then continue on ridge around top of coire and over another rise. Drop again, still on path aiming east to a point marked 1048 on map. Turn ses, still on path and look for a path on left to go down hill. First part of this path is steep with a bit of scrambling on slippy rock and grass. It then continues steeply, zig-zagging and becomes fainter until disappearing on approaching the bealach. Rocky ground andremnants of a wall are encountered just before the bealach. The ground becomes a bit wet, where a path is then followed up over easy grassy to Sgurr Choinnich Beag. Down the other side, the path continues e, then up Sgurr Choinnich Mor, again over easy terrain

Sgurr Choinnich Mor has a long interesting arm heading ne with some unusual gaps in the ground. Follow the path along this arm then the path suddenly hits a short section of shattered steep ground. Down this then over the broad bouldery col where then path disappears. Climb up Stob Coire Easain, keeping to the crest, there's no obvious path. At the cairn, turn right (se) and downhill along a narrow ridge and onto a faint path to bealach. Continue along ridgeover boulders and scree to Stob Coire an Laoigh

Ne from summit over boulders and a grassy section to bealeach, then an enjoyable ledge of steps and more small boulders to a top Caisteil. Continue over Torridon-esque terrain to Stob Choire Leith followed quickly by Stob Choire Claurigh and its large pile of stones posing as a cairn. Superb views from here, with the next munro, Stob Ban, appearing tiny below.

Head se over boulders for 150m descent to reach grassy ground and a faint path. Turn s towards the lochan at Bealach Coire Rath, following the path. Past the lochan over mixed terrain followed by a short descent to reach the foot of the Stob Ban screes. No alternative, but just get up this via the scree - two steps up, one step down !

Heading e off Stob Ban, path zig-zags down screes then grass to flat area at 750m. The path skirts n around the slight rise ahead, then down over wet grassy, then peaty ground. A cairn marks where this path meets the one coming from Luibeilt and a few minutes further on is the cossy bothy. Don't bother with the new bridge, unless the burn is in spate, as the ground around the bridge is soaking. From the bothy a good track aims north to Corriechoille, 6km away, where hopefully transport awaits. After crossing the bridge over the Allt Leachdach, you'll find that most of the foresty is still being felled. Notices prohibiting access have been posted on the gates however myself and other people ignored them !

Ben Nevis to Aonach Mor 
Follow the main walk left over Ben Nevis, Carn Mor Dearg and Aonach Mor to Aonach Beag.

Leave Aonach Mor and head ses, around the corrie, then aim for the bealach before Sgurr a'Bhuic. If you're top-bagging, climb up this, otherwise it can easily be skirted around. Aim directly for the ruin at Steall over easy grassy (and sometimes very wet) ground. Cross the bridge by the ruin and follow path (again sometimes very wet). Fabulous views of waterfall - have a play on the wire bridge ! Follow the constructed path by the Water Of Nevis to the carpark. Hitch a lift, walk or cycle back to the Youth Hostel

Total distance : 18.5km (11.5m), total ascent : 2280m (7,480ft)

alternatives
The route on the left can be split into 2 shorter outings :

Stob Ban to Sgurr Choinnich Mor 
Start from Corriechoille and head s down the good track through the forest to the bothy below Stob Ban. Cross the burn, take path on right, then right again at the cairn. Follow the route over Stob Ban, Stob Choire Claurigh, Stob Coire an Laoigh and Sgurr Choinnich Mor as described in reverse above.

After Sgurr Choinnich Mor, return to Stob Coire Easain, then head n down a short section of scree. Continue n on grassy ground over Beinn na Socaich and aim for just s of the dam marked at NN240264. Cross burn at s end of the small dammed lochan - don't cross on the dam ! Pick up a track at the dam and follow this north, some sections of the old railway remain hidden in the forest. Continue to an obvious turn on the track which travels ne through thicker forest, then clearing, then thicker again back to Corriechoille

Total distance : 25km (15.5m), total ascent : 1800m (5,900ft)

There are two popular hill races in this area

ben nevis hillrace 
One of the most popular hill races in the UK. The entry list is limited to 500 runners, and the list is full up nearly a year before the race. The route starts from the playing fields, and heads up the tourist route, more or less as described on the left. The record is held by Kenny Stuart who set 1hr 25mins in 1984 - that's up and down ! Details on on the Ben Nevis Race  website

aonach mor uphill race 
Held on New Year's day. One of only two uphill only races in Scotland. From the gondola car-park up 610m and 4km. The record is held by David Rodgers and stands at 22:42mins. Details on the Lochaber Athletic Club website