Wicklow Mountains National Park — Attraction in The Municipal District of Wicklow

It’s ABSOLUTELY a beautiful place to visit, but DO SOME RESEARCH and check their website BEFORE driving out there.

Visiting the national parks in Ireland and the UK are a bit different than it is in the US. In the US, there are usually one or more entrance points (where you pay and get a ticket to enter - and a trail map) and specific exit points.

In contrast, the parks in Ireland are wide open and free to visit, but you have no idea when you are inside the park boundaries - you’re just driving along a highway, and then you realize you are in the park. Entering the address into Google Maps will lead you to random spots. Quite confusing.

Look for trail markers along the roadsides and very small shoulders off the side of the road where you can park your car and then go hike. Sometimes there is only space for one car, sometimes there are 3 or 4 spots.

Some of the trails have roads to drive down but portions are privately owned and they will let you walk through them, but they won’t allow you to drive down them to get to the trail head.

Honestly, do your research before visiting on a whim like I did. Google Maps will do you no favors. It will just lead you to a random spot within the park.

The park is HUGE. If you are looking for Lought Tay, there is single roadside parking spot nearby on R759. You’ll have to walk a quarter mile to get to the trail head, and then it’s all downhill from there. The hike down is fun, but don’t forget you’ll have to hike back UP this STEEP roadway. Most of it is paved, but it’s so steep that it’s a butt kicker! Lots of movies and TV shows are filmed in this area In fact, they were filming a new TV show when were were here, so we had to walk under a few awkwardly placed tarps, and a few trails that were filled with theatrical...

Glendalough is a joy to visit, equip yourself for the weather and take you time to enjoy the wonderful views, monastic ruins and nature trails. Do pack some water and snacks as you may spend more time and energy then you expect. There are two parking areas, one by the hotel and then one by the upper lake. Go early so you are not disappointed by lack of parking spaces, as it fills up fast on a good sunny day. It costs €4 and they only take cash no cards. The nature trails have great views of both lakes then leading down to the mines and then back along the lake shore. Go in and look at information online and also the visitor center, as there is maintenance work is going on. The monastic settlement with a round tower, two churches and a high cross. This is a wonderful experience for tourist and locals alike and even through the seasons.

If you have a few hours, hike the white trail! It is more of a hike than a walk, with a significant incline right at the beginning. Dress in layers because you'll be sweating as you hike upwards but it may be cool once you're higher up where the wind is stronger. In addition to some good exercise, the hike offers wonderful views of the valley and the lakes. We also saw mountain goats and deer.

We parked at the Glendalough Upper Lake Car Park. It was a short (15 min) walk eastward to the Glendalough Monastic Settlement. Afterwards we came back to the car park and then headed west to hike the white trail. You can easily spend 5+ hours between the Monastic Settlement and the white trail, even if you're moving...

We visited Ireland in 2014 and we thought we had visited the most beautiful areas over there, however my nephews took me this time, at the end of October 2023, to visit the Wicklow Mountains National Park and I was amazed to see such a beautiful place. The park is truly spectacular, especially with the autumn colors, the region is simply picturesque, where any photographer or painter would like to visit. We went on a small trail hike where we saw church ruins, rivers, waterfalls, magnificent trees, and ended up at a wonderful lake. It's difficult to explain the beauty of the place, only actually visiting it, which I intend to do again with my husband, who couldn't go this time to visit my family who lives in Dublin. We stopped at a parking lot in the park that was not paid, but further on there was another one, closer to the lake that was paid, but closer to the lake without having to walk too far and practically in front of a small area where there are bathrooms and some kiosks with coffee and other snacks. Just a suggestion, we left Dublin with no rain, and when we got there we started our hike with rain, so if you have a rain jacket, just pack it in case you get some rain, it will help a lot. This park is really worth visiting, and if you have a day to visit only, we suggest you to get a tour that take you to the Guinness lake, P.S. I Love you Bridge and stop by Johnnie Fox's Pub that is in the area, this Pub it's totally worth...