Forming part of the Cromer Ridge of glacial moraine, the heath is an important wildlife site and also has the largest cluster of Bronze Age burial mounds in Norfolk. The predominant vegetation is gorse and heather, but in recent years the open aspect of the southern part has been lost by encroaching birch and oak woodland. It is known locally as a good place to hear nightingales and nightjars in early summer. Salthouse Heath has the remains of a number of WWII structures and defences.
