Walking and Hiking in Killarney National Park

Hours, prices and access verified by the Killarney National Park Tours team — last checked August 13, 2026

Fourteen waymarked trails, graded by the park itself, from a one-kilometre stroll to a seven-kilometre mountain road. Every distance below is the official figure, and every route starts from a car park you can find.

Easy — seven waymarked walks under 5 km

These are surfaced or well-made paths with no real climbing, and most of them suit a buggy. The Knockreer Circular (5 km) starts from the town-centre entrance and crosses open parkland with the Reeks ahead of you. The Lakeside Walk (5 km return) runs from Muckross along the water.

The Mining Trail (3 km) loops Ross Island past the old copper workings. Library Point (5 km) and Governor’s Rock (4 km return) start from the same car park. The Dundag to Torc path (2.5 km return) links the lakeshore to the waterfall, and the Old Boathouse Trail (1 km) is the shortest thing here.

Moderate — five walks with some climbing

Arthur Young’s Walk (5.6 km) is the pick of them, running through the old Muckross woodland that made the park’s reputation. Killegy Woods and Queen’s Drive (3 km) climbs behind Muckross for the view back over the lake.

Mossy Woods (2 km) is exactly what it sounds like and is at its best after rain, which is most of the time. The Dinis Cottage path (1 km) drops to the Old Weir Bridge where the lakes meet. The Cloghereen Guided Nature Trail (1 km) is short, interpreted and good with children.

Strenuous — the Old Kenmare Road and the Mass Path

The Old Kenmare Road (7 km) is the historic route south out of the valley, climbing away from Torc into open bog and mountain. It is rough underfoot in places and exposed the whole way, and it is the best walk in the park on a clear day.

The Mass Path (4 km one way) is the other serious one, and being one-way it needs a plan for getting back. Both want proper boots and a look at the forecast, and neither is waymarked as generously as the easy routes.

The one everybody does: Torc Waterfall

From the N71 car park the made path reaches the foot of the falls in about five minutes. Most people stop there, and that is a perfectly good visit. The steps above the falls climb to a viewpoint in another ten minutes, and from the top you can join the Old Kenmare Road.

Go before ten or after four in July and August. The car park is small and the path is narrow.

Walking in from Killarney town

You do not need a car to walk here, which is unusual for a national park. Through the Killarney House gates on Muckross Road you are in Knockreer in five minutes, at the Lough Leane shore in twenty, and at Ross Castle in about forty.

Muckross is a longer proposition on foot — about six kilometres each way on a road with traffic. That is the walk most people regret, and it is the one a jaunting car or a bike solves.

What the Kerry weather asks of you

It rains here on more days than it does not, and the walks are open in all of it. A waterproof and shoes with grip turn a wet day into a good one, because the woods are at their best in rain and the crowds thin out.

Midges are active from June to September, mostly at dusk near water. Mountain weather on the Old Kenmare Road and Mangerton changes fast, so check the forecast and turn back early if the cloud comes down.

Trails that work with a buggy or a wheelchair

Three of the easy routes are surfaced, level and wide enough throughout. The Muckross Lakeside Walk is the best of them, running 5 km there and back along the water with the house at one end. The Knockreer Circular is grass-and-gravel parkland, firm in summer and soft after a wet spell.

The Old Boathouse Trail at Muckross is the shortest option at 1 km on made surface. Avoid the Mining Trail and anything marked moderate — roots, steps and loose stone start almost immediately.

Walking versus riding — an honest comparison

If you have a day and reasonable legs, walk. The trails above are free, they are excellent, and nothing beats the Old Kenmare Road in September.

Book a ride instead when the distances beat the time you have, when you are with small children or someone who cannot manage six kilometres, or when you want the carriage roads that walkers can use but cars cannot. An hour on a jaunting car covers ground that would take a morning on foot, and the jarvey supplies the history.

The full official trail list