Hidden Scotland
Sign in
The cliffs of Coire Ardair in sun above their still lochan, stones showing through the clear water in front and the notch of the Window on the skyline.
Loch Laggan and Creag Meagaidh

Creag Meagaidh

A Munro of 1,128 metres, number 30 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Creag Meagaidh is the big mountain north-west of Loch Laggan, and it gives its name to the national nature reserve around it.

Its great feature is Coire Ardair, where the cliffs rise almost 400 metres from the corrie floor to the plateau.

The reserve was designated in 1986 and is looked after by NatureScot. Sheep have been taken off the ground and deer numbers brought down, so that the woodland can come back by itself.

The massif takes in two more Munros, Stob Poite Coire Ardair and Carn Liath, both to the north-east.

Starts from
The reserve's car park at Aberarder, on the A86.
The ground
Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve, kept by NatureScot.
Under snow
The avalanche service's core area here is the popular cliffs and summits round Coire Ardair. On 4 January 2026 its forecaster reported an ongoing windslab problem and a developing cornice problem at Creag Meagaidh. There is no forecast before 17 December 2026, and that does not mean there is no risk under snow.
Summit
Grid reference NN 418 875
Car park
The reserve's car park at Aberarder, on the A86. Wild Lochaber gives the start as grid reference NN 483 873.
Toilets and food
Wild Lochaber lists a toilet at the information point in Aberarder farmhouse. We know of no café, shop or fuel at the foot of the hill.
On the hill today
−1° to 2°Snow on the summit, 1,128 m. Feels like −5° in the wind.

West wind to 18 mph, gusting 32
Snow, about 0 cm
Light from 7.52am to 6.15pm, ten hours

Sat 17Cloudy−2° to 2° on top · 9 mph, gusts 19
Sun 18Mostly clear−4° to 2° on top · 12 mph, gusts 22
Mon 19Drizzle−6° to 5° on top · 3 mph, gusts 7

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: West Highlands forecast, Creag Meagaidh, North Grampian mountain forecast, Creag Meagaidh avalanche forecast, The Creag Meagaidh forecasters' blog.

October2026

MTWTFSS

Going another day?

Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.

Photographs by ken harvey, Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve and Przemysław Szum, via Google

Before you go

Carry

  • A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
  • Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
  • Food and drink
  • A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
  • A survival bag
  • Boots with a good grip

Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.

If something goes wrong

  • Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
  • Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NN 418 875
  • Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
  • Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999

The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.

How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER

From our readers

Nobody has written from Creag Meagaidh yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.

Tell the next person

Were you up? Three words is enough.A free account, a word for the weather and a line if you like.

Sign in to tell them
From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

For the route itself, take the map and read these.

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Stob Poite Coire Ardair, Beinn a' Chaorainn, Beinn Teallach, Carn Liath. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's and Wild Lochaber's; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's, the Met Office's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.