Parking
The Jaunting Car Park is opposite Killarney National Park’s gated entrance on the N71, about 5.5 km from Killarney town. Walk through the gate; the start is just past the gate lodge on your right.
Overview
About Lakeside Walk
Why go
- Easy grade with a lakeside destination
- Muckross Abbey is an optional history stop
Heads up
- The meandering trail is rough underfoot
Map & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Killarney Tour Guide
Your drive to Lakeside Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Killarney National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Muckross Abbey0:00 / 0:32
“You're approaching the park entrance for the walk to Muckross Abbey. A short walk from the roadside parking brings you to this fifteenth-century Franciscan friary.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Killarney Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Blue Pool Woodland Trails
- A New Set of Antlers
- Muckross House and Gardens
- Ross Castle and Innisfallen
- 18 audio storiesacross Killarney’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Sika Deer, Feral Goat, and 10 more
- Works offlinemaps, 29 trails, 32 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Lakeside Walk
An easy lakeshore walkLakeside Walk is an easy 5 km out-and-back from Killarney National Park’s main N71 gate to…
Lakeside Walk is an easy 5 km out-and-back from Killarney National Park’s main N71 gate to Muckross House. It follows a rough, meandering trail beside Lough Leane. This is a good choice when you want lake views without a strenuous hike, though the ground is uneven in places. Allow about 1.5 hours for the walk itself, plus time for stops.
Start at the main gatePark at the Jaunting Car Park opposite the gated entrance on the N71, about 5.
Park at the Jaunting Car Park opposite the gated entrance on the N71, about 5.5 km from Killarney town. Walk through the main gate; the trail starts just past the gate lodge on your right. Follow the path to Muckross House, then retrace it to the entrance. The park’s 5 km figure is the full return trip.
Make time for Muckross AbbeyMuckross Abbey is an optional stop along the route.
Muckross Abbey is an optional stop along the route. The Franciscan friary was founded in 1448 with the support of Gaelic chieftain Donal McCarthy Mor. Its cloister is built around a mature yew that may be up to 400 years old; a 1756 account by Charles Smith already remarked on its height. Inside the courtyard, frame the tree with some of the stone arches so the photo shows both the yew and the cloister around it.
Finish at Muckross HouseThe house is the walk’s turnaround, with views of Lough Leane along the way.
The house is the walk’s turnaround, with views of Lough Leane along the way. The rough, meandering surface is the main tradeoff on an otherwise easy route. Take the Abbey detour if you want the history; otherwise continue to the house and return the way you came.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Killarney
104 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
207 sightingsSika DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
12 sightingsFeral GoatMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
49 sightingsSwanMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
48 sightingsHeronMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
15 sightingsCormorantMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Killarney. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
