The Scottish Highlands · Linear (one way)

West Highland Way: Kingshouse to Kinlochleven

The Devil's Staircase stage, climbing from Glencoe moorland to the highest point of the West Highland Way.

Official trail pageWest Highland Way: Kingshouse to Kinlochleven

Distance 14.5 km · 9.0 miles As stated on the official page
Typical time Not stated The official page gives no time, so we show none.
Ascent Not stated No official ascent figure
Grade Moderate Our rule, see below
Route typeLinear (one way) Kingshouse to Kinlochleven

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Near the start, along the way and at the finish

Glencoe Mountain Resort, Fort William, Glencoe & Ben Nevis — Near the start: Glencoe Mountain Resort (about 2.2 km away)Photo: Steven Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0

Steall Waterfall, Fort William, Glencoe & Ben Nevis — Near the finish: Steall Waterfall (about 6.2 km away)Photo: User:DavyBoyHayes, CC BY-SA 3.0

Glen Coe, Fort William, Glencoe & Ben Nevis — Glen Coe (about 15.0 km from the start)Photo: Jeff Buck, CC BY-SA 2.0

Ben Nevis, Fort William, Glencoe & Ben Nevis — Ben Nevis (about 19.0 km from the start)Photo: Nigel Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photos of named places from our guides closest to each point of the walk, with the straight-line distance. They show the area, not the path itself: follow the waymarks and the official page.

The route

This stage leaves Kingshouse, below Buachaille Etive Mor, climbs the zig-zags of the Devil's Staircase and drops to Kinlochleven. The Way's own site says it is good underfoot, stony in places and easy to follow, but exposed in poor weather. It is a one-way walk, so plan your transport at both ends.

The interactive map needs JavaScript. The start and finish are listed below.

Along the way

Start: Kingshouse
Finish: Kinlochleven

The line is drawn from OpenStreetMap data and simplified to 480 points. It can differ from what is on the ground: waymarks and the official page take priority.

Route and map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), saved 2026-10-25. Spotted a mistake? Fix the map.

Download GPX Official trail page

The GPX file holds the route as a track and the start, finish and waypoints, for use in a walking or hiking app. It is a planning aid, not a navigation guarantee.

Before you go

Safety and access notes come from official pages. Conditions change, so read the linked page for the day you walk.

Getting there

Nearest station or stop to the start in our dataCorrour (rail, ScotRail), about 15.2 km in a straight line.
Nearest to the finishFort William (rail, ScotRail), about 14.6 km in a straight line.

Straight-line distances from our station list, not walking distances. Check timetables and the route to the start before you travel. Getting between regions

Step-free and pushchair access

The official page does not say whether this route is step-free or suitable for pushchairs, so we do not either. Check the official page (opens in new tab) or ask the site.

Safety

The page says this stage can be very exposed in poor weather, especially on the moorland section before Kinlochleven. The Devil's Staircase is the highest point of the Way, about 550 m. West Highland Way: Kingshouse to Kinlochleven (opens in new tab)
The West Highland Way site says the route crosses demanding, remote landscapes far from roads and services, and that hillwalking is a risk sport. In an emergency call 999 and ask for the police, who may call mountain rescue. West Highland Way: Staying safe and enjoying the outdoors responsibly (opens in new tab)
Mountain Weather Information Service forecasts are written mainly as warnings, and cover the West Highlands. Adventure Smart advises checking the forecast and being ready to change or cut short your plans. Mountain Weather Information Service (opens in new tab)

Seasonal access

The West Highland Way site advises sticking to the middle of paths and checking for ticks, especially from March to October. West Highland Way: Staying safe and enjoying the outdoors responsibly (opens in new tab)

How these figures were worked out

Distance: taken from the official page (source (opens in new tab)).
Grade: our rule, because the official page gives no grade. Easy: up to 8 km and up to 150 m of ascent. Hard: over 16 km or over 600 m of ascent. Moderate: everything else. No ascent figure is available for this walk, so the rule used distance only and the real grade may be higher.
Time: only shown when an official page states it.

Sources

West Highland Way: Kingshouse to Kinlochleven (opens in new tab). 9 miles (14.5 km), Devil's Staircase 550 m, terrain, exposure warning; no time or grade stated (grade by published rule; ascent not given as a figure). Checked on 2026-10-25.
West Highland Way: Staying safe and enjoying the outdoors responsibly (opens in new tab). remote-terrain, 999 and tick advice. Checked on 2026-10-25.
Mountain Weather Information Service (opens in new tab). forecasts written as warnings; West Highlands and Cairngorms areas listed. Checked on 2026-10-25.
Adventure Smart (opens in new tab). ability, weather, kit advice. Checked on 2026-10-25.
OpenStreetMap relation 19772655 (West Highland Way section) (opens in new tab). route geometry (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL; measured 14.34 km. Checked on 2026-10-25.
OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab) (ODbL). Route geometry. Saved 2026-10-25.

More walks in the Scottish Highlands

West Highland Way: Kinlochleven to Fort William
The final stage of the West Highland Way: a rough Lairigmor track and a forest path into Glen Nevis.

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