Parking
Use Ross Castle car park. Walk to the Castle and take the left-side path near the old mining cart; the Library Point access begins beside the Castle.
Overview
About Library Point Trail
Why go
- A quiet woodland-and-shore walk with lake and mountain views
- An unusual layered limestone outcrop at the point
Heads up
- The low marshy stretch can flood after heavy rain
- The low shoreline endpoint is subtler than a summit viewpoint
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 Library Point Trail, 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
Ross Island Copper Mines0:00 / 0:28
“You're coming up on the Ross Island walking trails, where the Copper Mines add a much older story to the lakeshore.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Killarney Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Ross Castle and Innisfallen
- A New Set of Antlers
- Knockreer and Deenagh Lodge
- Killarney House and Gardens
- 18 audio storiesacross Killarney’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Sika Deer, Feral Goat, and 11 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 Library Point Trail
The walkLibrary Point Trail is a roughly 3 mi (4.
Library Point Trail is a roughly 3 mi (4.8 km) looped out-and-back from Ross Castle, with a different path around the headland on the return. Allow about 1½–2 hours. The route is mostly level with a few gentle rises. Choose it for a quiet woodland-to-shore walk and an unusual piece of geology, not a summit or high panorama.
Castle to shorelineFrom Ross Castle car park, walk to the Castle and take the path on its left near the old mining…
From Ross Castle car park, walk to the Castle and take the path on its left near the old mining cart. At the first signed junction, follow the Library Point and Governor’s Rock direction. Early gaps in the woodland open toward Lough Leane, Torc and Mangerton; farther on, secluded bays face the MacGillycuddy Reeks. The route swings around the headland before rejoining the island path back to the Castle. The separate Copper Mines walk is a different Ross Island option.
The low, wet sectionThe final stretch runs between woodland and marsh.
The final stretch runs between woodland and marsh. It is often flooded in winter or after heavy rain, and water can cut off the point. If the tread disappears under water, turn back instead of forcing through. Mud and footing are a bigger concern here than climbing.
At Library PointThe destination is a low shoreline outcrop whose eroded limestone slabs look like books on a…
The destination is a low shoreline outcrop whose eroded limestone slabs look like books on a shelf. This is a close-up geology stop, not a cliff-top panorama; enjoy the rock with the lake view. Innisfallen lies across the channel, with remains of a 12th-century monastery and an earlier oratory on the island. Stay behind the low safety fence: the ground below the formation is unstable.
The return and practicalitiesThe western headland path narrows beside cliff edges before it rejoins the wider island route.
The western headland path narrows beside cliff edges before it rejoins the wider island route. Dogs are welcome in the national park but must stay on a lead. Toilets are behind Ross Castle, and a seasonal coffee shop is beside the Castle; neither is on the trail itself. The Copper Mines combination has its own roughly 5 km figure and is not included in this Library Point route.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Killarney
106 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
209 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
16 sightingsCormorantMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Killarney. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
