Parking
Inveruglas Visitor Centre car park, off the A82. Follow signs for “Loch Sloy & Hills.”
Overview
About Loch Sloy Dam Walk
Why go
- A substantial hydro dam beneath Ben Vorlich
- A firm surfaced road makes the long climb easy to follow
Heads up
- Seven miles and roughly 300 m of climbing
- The out-and-back retraces the same route
This is a 7-mile (11 km) out-and-back from Inveruglas Visitor Centre to Loch Sloy Dam, around the back of Ben Vorlich. Allow about four hours; a typical outing takes three and a half to five. A short footpath section links the visitor centre to the hydro access road, then the route follows a broad, surfaced track. It is easy to moderate, but the length and roughly 300 m of climbing make it a proper half-day outing. You return the same way; views toward Loch Lomond look different from the other direction. If the full distance is too much, turn around earlier; the walk's difficulty depends on how much of the access road you take.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy walkMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs map
Full mapElevation14–276 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Loch Lomond & The Trossachs alerts
- CautionLoch Lomond navigation-aid defectsMentions Loch Lomond, referenced in this guideSeveral navigation aids and hazard marks on Loch Lomond are off station or have lighting discrepancies; boaters should account for them when navigating.Official details
- CautionA82 restriction near Kings House HotelThe A82 is restricted in both directions near Kings House Hotel, Glencoe, because of planned roadworks. - Temporary traffic lights are in place; follow the traffic management.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Loch Lomond & The Trossachs Tour Guide
Your drive to Loch Sloy Dam Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Inveruglas Lochside Viewpoint0:00 / 0:28
“You're approaching Inveruglas on Loch Lomond's west shore, a good place for a short pause rather than a whole day out.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Loch Lomond & The Trossachs Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Summer Homes Above Inveruglas
- Roe in the Woods, Red on the Hill
- The Pipes Above Inveruglas
- Loch Lomond’s Hidden Powan
- 196 audio storiesacross Loch Lomond & The Trossachs’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Golden Eagle, Red Deer, Mute Swan, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 93 trails, 73 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Loch Sloy Dam Walk
Up to Loch SloyThe signed start goes through footpaths close to Inveruglas before settling onto the service…
The signed start goes through footpaths close to Inveruglas before settling onto the service road. From there, the broad surface and clear line make the climb straightforward to follow, though it keeps rising for much of the way. You leave the A82 behind and head into mountain country beneath Ben Vorlich; at the far end, the road reaches Loch Sloy Dam and its reservoir. The dam is a 56 m wall across the valley, and the surrounding slopes make it look smaller than it is. Include some of those hills in a photo to show its scale. Turn around at the dam and retrace the route to Inveruglas.
A working landscapeWork on the dam began in 1946, and prisoners of war awaiting repatriation built it.
Work on the dam began in 1946, and prisoners of war awaiting repatriation built it. Inveruglas had a camp and railway station for the workforce; the project was the first dam of its kind built by the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board. Start at the Inveruglas Visitor Centre car park off the A82 and follow signs for “Loch Sloy & Hills.” The café and toilets are at the centre. The route follows hydro access: stay on the signed walking route and obey gates or posted access notices. General traffic is not permitted on the surfaced road.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs
14 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
37 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
100 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
48 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
24 sightingsEurasian BeaverMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
37 sightingsEurasian Pine MartenMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Loch Lomond & The Trossachs. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
