Part of the moor, at 636 metres (2,087 ft) above sea level, is the highest point in the Peak District, in Derbyshire and the East Midlands.

[13] "Scout" is an old word for a high, overhanging rock (derived from the Norse skúte),[14] and refers to the cliffs on the western side of the plateau.

From the National Park's inception, a large area of the high moorland north of Edale was designated as "open country".

Parts of the Kinder Scout plateau (except legal rights of way) are still occasionally closed for conservation, public safety, grouse shooting or fire prevention reasons, but prior notice is generally given on the Peak District National Park Authority's website.

In cold winters the waterfall freezes providing local mountaineers with an icy challenge that can be climbed with ice axes, ropes and crampons.

At the foot of Jacob's Ladder the Noe is crossed by a Grade II listed gritstone packhorse bridge, with a single span.

Salt and cheese from Cheshire and cotton from the Lancashire mills were transported to the east, while coal and lead were carried to the west.

Access to the foot of Jacob's Ladder can be made along the Pennine Way trail from Edale railway station or from the public car park at Barber Booth.

[25] Kinder Low at 633 metres (2,077 ft) above sea level is a subsidiary summit at the south west corner of the plateau.

A bowl barrow, thought to be unexcavated and to date from the Bronze Age, stands on Kinder Low, a western projection of the main massif above Hayfield.

[28] The orchestral sketch Kinder Scout was composed by Patrick Hadley, written for the Buxton Spa Orchestra and its occasional director George Cathie.