Easy
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
Loop Trails near Dublin
37 routes near Dublin qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 5.0 km and 119 m (390 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 22.7 km.
That is 52 percent of the 71 routes we map near Dublin. They are shorter than the local average, 5.0 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, 119 m (390 ft) against 187 m (614 ft), so they suit a recovery day or a group with mixed fitness.
Circular routes: park once, finish where you started, and never walk the same section twice. The mix is broad: 27 are rated easy and 1 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.
Trails
Moderate
Wicklow Mountains National Park · County Wicklow
- Distance
- 3.8 km / 2.4 mi
- Elevation gain
- 300 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 15 min
- Mountain
- Waymarked route
Moderate
Wicklow Mountains National Park · County Wicklow
- Distance
- 7.3 km / 4.5 mi
- Elevation gain
- 160 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 45 min
- Mountain
- Waymarked route
Easy
Wicklow Mountains National Park · County Wicklow
- Distance
- 1.7 km / 1.0 mi
- Elevation gain
- 100 m
- Typical duration
- 30 min
- Mountain
- Waymarked route
Moderate
Wicklow Mountains National Park · County Wicklow
- Distance
- 9.2 km / 5.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 380 m
- Typical duration
- 2 hr 29 min
- Mountain
- Waymarked route
Hard
County Meath · Ireland
- Distance
- 22.7 km / 14.1 mi
- Elevation gain
- 500 m
- Typical duration
- 5 hr 43 min
- Castle and ruins
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
Easy
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 4.9 km / 3.0 mi
- Elevation gain
- 107 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 10 min
- Waterfall
- Waymarked route
Easy
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 3.6 km / 2.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 110 m
- Typical duration
- 55 min
- Coastal
- Waymarked route
Moderate
County Dublin · Ireland
- Distance
- 7.8 km / 4.9 mi
- Elevation gain
- 130 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 50 min
- Coastal
- Waymarked route
Easy
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 1.2 km / 0.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 26 m
- Typical duration
- 17 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Easy
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 5.1 km / 3.2 mi
- Elevation gain
- 112 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 14 min
- River
- Forest
Easy
County Dublin · Ireland
- Distance
- 1.5 km / 0.9 mi
- Elevation gain
- 33 m
- Typical duration
- 21 min
- Panoramic viewpoint
Moderate
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 12.4 km / 7.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 272 m
- Typical duration
- 2 hr 59 min
- Waymarked route
Easy
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 3.6 km / 2.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 80 m
- Typical duration
- 53 min
- Waymarked route
Easy
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 5.9 km / 3.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 130 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 26 min
- Waymarked route
Easy
County Kildare · Ireland
- Distance
- 4.2 km / 2.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 93 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 1 min
- Waymarked route
Easy
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 4.2 km / 2.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 93 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 1 min
- Waymarked route
Easy
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 4.7 km / 2.9 mi
- Elevation gain
- 104 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 8 min
- Waymarked route
Moderate
County Dublin · Ireland
- Distance
- 8.1 km / 5.0 mi
- Elevation gain
- 160 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 56 min
- Waymarked route
Moderate
County Dublin · Ireland
- Distance
- 12.3 km / 7.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 240 m
- Typical duration
- 2 hr 55 min
- Waymarked route
Moderate
County Dublin · Ireland
- Distance
- 7.0 km / 4.4 mi
- Elevation gain
- 130 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 40 min
- Waymarked route
Easy
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 1.3 km / 0.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 29 m
- Typical duration
- 19 min
- Waymarked route
Moderate
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 7.1 km / 4.4 mi
- Elevation gain
- 157 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 43 min
- Waymarked route
Easy
County Dublin · Ireland
- Distance
- 5.6 km / 3.5 mi
- Elevation gain
- 124 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 21 min
- Castle and ruins
Easy
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 1.6 km / 1.0 mi
- Elevation gain
- 35 m
- Typical duration
- 23 min
- Forest
Easy
County Dublin · Ireland
- Distance
- 0.9 km / 0.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 20 m
- Typical duration
- 13 min
Easy
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 2.3 km / 1.4 mi
- Elevation gain
- 51 m
- Typical duration
- 34 min
Easy
Easy
County Dublin · Ireland
- Distance
- 0.8 km / 0.5 mi
- Elevation gain
- 18 m
- Typical duration
- 12 min
Easy
Easy
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 6.5 km / 4.0 mi
- Elevation gain
- 143 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 34 min
Easy
County Kildare · Ireland
- Distance
- 3.3 km / 2.0 mi
- Elevation gain
- 72 m
- Typical duration
- 47 min
Easy
County Dublin · Ireland
- Distance
- 4.4 km / 2.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 98 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 4 min
Easy
County Dublin · Ireland
- Distance
- 3.1 km / 1.9 mi
- Elevation gain
- 67 m
- Typical duration
- 44 min
Easy
County Dublin · Ireland
- Distance
- 2.3 km / 1.4 mi
- Elevation gain
- 51 m
- Typical duration
- 34 min
Easy
County Wicklow · Ireland
- Distance
- 3.4 km / 2.1 mi
- Elevation gain
- 75 m
- Typical duration
- 50 min
Easy
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.
| Route | Distance | Ascent | Time | Difficulty | Best season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glendalough Grey RouteWicklow Mountains National Park | 4.5 km | 90 m | 1 hr 5 min | Easy | April to October |
| Glendalough Blue RouteWicklow Mountains National Park | 3.8 km | 300 m | 1 hr 15 min | Moderate | April to October |
| Glendalough Orange RouteWicklow Mountains National Park | 7.3 km | 160 m | 1 hr 45 min | Moderate | April to October |
| Glendalough Pink RouteWicklow Mountains National Park | 1.7 km | 100 m | 30 min | Easy | April to October |
| Glendalough White RouteWicklow Mountains National Park | 9.2 km | 380 m | 2 hr 29 min | Moderate | April to October |
| Boyne Valley CaminoCounty Meath | 22.7 km | 500 m | 5 hr 43 min | Hard | April to October |
| The Devil's Glen - Waterfall WalkCounty Wicklow | 4.9 km | 107 m | 1 hr 10 min | Easy | April to October |
| Glen Beach Cliff WalkCounty Wicklow | 3.6 km | 110 m | 55 min | Easy | April to October |
| Howth Cliff Path LoopCounty Dublin | 7.8 km | 130 m | 1 hr 50 min | Moderate | April to October |
| Woodland LoopCounty Wicklow | 1.2 km | 26 m | 17 min | Easy | April to October |
If you only have time for one, start with Glendalough Grey Route, Glendalough Pink Route, Glendalough White 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
Related guides
Other shortlists covering the same area or the same kind of terrain.
- Hiking Trails Under 10 km in Ireland372
- Easy Hiking Trails in Ireland283
- Family-Friendly Hikes in Ireland282
- Loop Trails in Ireland238
- Hiking Trails Under 10 km in Ireland233
- Hiking Trails Under 5 km in Ireland232
- Easy Hiking Trails in Ireland169
- Family-Friendly Hikes in Ireland168
- Loop Trails in Ireland165
- Hiking Trails Under 5 km in Ireland136
- Moderate Hiking Trails in Ireland123
- Moderate Hiking Trails in Ireland91
- Best Mountain Hikes in Ireland64
- Hard Hiking Trails in Ireland63
- Hiking Trails Over 20 km in Ireland56
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