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Family-Friendly Hikes near Dublin

42 routes near Dublin qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 3.1 km and 69 m (226 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 6.5 km.

That is 59 percent of the 71 routes we map near Dublin. They are shorter than the local average, 3.1 km against 8.1 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day. They also climb less than the area average, 69 m (226 ft) against 187 m (614 ft), so they suit a recovery day or a group with mixed fitness.

Family routes here are short, gently graded and interesting enough to keep younger legs moving. Every one is under seven kilometres with limited climbing. Most of these are on the gentler end, which makes the list a good starting point if you are new to the area. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.

Trails

Easy

Glendalough Grey Route

Wicklow Mountains National Park · County Wicklow

Distance
4.5 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
90 m
Typical duration
1 hr 5 min
  • Mountain
  • Forest
  • Wildlife watching
Easy

Glendalough Green Route

Wicklow Mountains National Park · County Wicklow

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
20 m
Typical duration
35 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Glendalough Pink Route

Wicklow Mountains National Park · County Wicklow

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
100 m
Typical duration
30 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Summer Walk

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
3.3 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
72 m
Typical duration
47 min
  • Coastal
  • Wildlife watching
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Glen Beach Cliff Walk

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
3.6 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
110 m
Typical duration
55 min
  • Coastal
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Woodland Loop

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
26 m
Typical duration
17 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Ballydonarea Loop Walk

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
3.6 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
80 m
Typical duration
53 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Bray Head Loop

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
5.9 km
/ 3.7 mi
Elevation gain
130 m
Typical duration
1 hr 26 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Clane Slí na Sláinte

County Kildare · Ireland

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
93 m
Typical duration
1 hr 1 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

De Buitléar Way

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
93 m
Typical duration
1 hr 1 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Delgany Heritage Trail

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
104 m
Typical duration
1 hr 8 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Mass Path

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
3.3 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
72 m
Typical duration
47 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Walk

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
29 m
Typical duration
19 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

The Sugar Loaf Way

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
4.5 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
99 m
Typical duration
1 hr 5 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Ticknock - Fairy Castle Loop

County Dublin · Ireland

Distance
5.6 km
/ 3.5 mi
Elevation gain
124 m
Typical duration
1 hr 21 min
  • Castle and ruins
Easy

Ciaran Shannon Walk

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
51 m
Typical duration
34 min
Easy

Fitwalk Circuit

County Dublin · Ireland

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
13 m
Typical duration
9 min
Easy

Fitwalk Circuit

County Dublin · Ireland

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
18 m
Typical duration
12 min
Easy

Jamestown Bog Path

County Meath · Ireland

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
50 m
Typical duration
33 min
Easy

Jim's Way

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
2.5 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
55 m
Typical duration
36 min
Easy

Maulin Trail

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
6.5 km
/ 4.0 mi
Elevation gain
143 m
Typical duration
1 hr 34 min
Easy

Oak Glen Loop Trail

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
60 m
Typical duration
39 min
Easy

The Carton trails: Red

County Kildare · Ireland

Distance
3.3 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
72 m
Typical duration
47 min
Easy

Tymon Park Purple Slí

County Dublin · Ireland

Distance
4.4 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
98 m
Typical duration
1 hr 4 min
Easy

Tymon Park Red Slí

County Dublin · Ireland

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
67 m
Typical duration
44 min
Easy

Tymon Park Yellow Slí

County Dublin · Ireland

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
51 m
Typical duration
34 min
Easy

Avoca Red Kite Walk

County Wicklow · Ireland

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
44 m
Typical duration
29 min
Easy

Griffeen Valley Walk

County Dublin · Ireland

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
25 m
Typical duration
16 min
Easy

Rathmichael Walk

County Dublin · Ireland

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
38 m
Typical duration
25 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Glendalough Grey RouteWicklow Mountains National Park4.5 km90 m1 hr 5 minEasyApril to October
Glendalough Green RouteWicklow Mountains National Park2.7 km20 m35 minEasyApril to October
Glendalough Pink RouteWicklow Mountains National Park1.7 km100 m30 minEasyApril to October
Little Sugar Loaf Agreed Access RouteCounty Wicklow1.3 km29 m19 minEasyApril to October
Summer WalkCounty Wicklow3.3 km72 m47 minEasyApril to October
The Devil's Glen - Waterfall WalkCounty Wicklow4.9 km107 m1 hr 10 minEasyApril to October
Glen Beach Cliff WalkCounty Wicklow3.6 km110 m55 minEasyApril to October
Woodland LoopCounty Wicklow1.2 km26 m17 minEasyApril to October
Avondale Forest Park - River WalkCounty Wicklow5.1 km112 m1 hr 14 minEasyApril to October
Bray Greystones Cliff WalkCounty Wicklow2.9 km63 m41 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Glendalough Grey Route, Glendalough Pink Route, Glendalough Green Route. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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