Apart from Ben Nevis, Aonach Beag is the highest peak in the British Isles outside the Cairngorm mountains in eastern Scotland.

However, Aonach Beag is higher; the names refer to the relative bulk of the two mountains rather than their elevation.

The easiest way up is to take the gondola lift serving the Nevis Range ski area on Aonach Mòr to an elevation of 650 m and follow the ridge joining the two peaks.

More traditionally, the hill is often climbed from the south from Glen Nevis.

Aonach Beag's north face holds one of Scotland's longest-lying snow patches (grid reference NN196718), which sits at the bottom of the climb known as 'Queen's View' at an elevation of about 950 m. This patch has been known to last through to the first lasting snows of the new winter, and was present continuously from late 2006 to late November 2011.