Parking
Start and finish at Ross Castle car park, the park access used for the island walks.
Overview
About Ross Island Loop
Why go
- Combines Copper Mines, Governor’s Rock and Library Point in one gentle loop.
Heads up
- The low approach to Library Point can be muddy or flooded after rain.
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 Ross Island Loop, 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 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 Ross Island Loop
A full lap of the islandRoss Island Loop is an easy 3.6-mile (5.
Ross Island Loop is an easy 3.6-mile (5.8-km) circuit from Ross Castle car park, across wooded Ross Island and back to the same start. It links the Copper Mines, Governor’s Rock and Library Point; allow about 1½–2 hours with stops. The line saved here measures 5.8 km. Distances vary because the island has several overlapping named walks and optional headland loops; this is the combined circuit, not just the shorter Copper Mines walk. If you want a shorter outing, the park’s Copper Mines circuit is about 3 km.
Tracks, woods and shoreThe approach leaves the surfaced access near Ross Castle and continues on broad tracks, gravel…
The approach leaves the surfaced access near Ross Castle and continues on broad tracks, gravel and narrower earth paths through mature woodland. It stays low, with small rolling rises rather than a sustained climb. The quiet interior can feel far from the busy castle grounds; along the shore, breaks in the trees open views over Lough Leane toward the mountains.
The old Copper MinesThe loop passes the island’s historic copper workings.
The loop passes the island’s historic copper workings. Mining at Ross Island began around 2400 BCE, in the Bronze Age, making this a much older landscape than the castle. Shafts and stone workings sit among the woodland; stay on the paths as you pass them. The route is a good choice if you like a walk with something substantial to notice between its lake views.
Two limestone headlandsGovernor’s Rock and Library Point add the most open stretches.
Governor’s Rock and Library Point add the most open stretches. At Library Point, water appears on both sides of the narrowing peninsula, and erosion has cut the shore limestone into a shape like books on a shelf. Look across to Innisfallen Island and its medieval monastery ruins. A low fence marks unstable ground at the water’s edge; stay behind it. Governor’s Rock gives another lakeside outlook, with Ross Castle among the route’s landmarks.
Before you set outStart and finish at Ross Castle car park.
Start and finish at Ross Castle car park. Public toilets are behind the castle, and a coffee shop in the adjacent house operates seasonally; both are at the trailhead, not along the walk. Dogs are allowed in the national park but must stay on a lead. The low, marshy approach to Library Point can flood in winter or after heavy rain, so be ready to turn back if water blocks the path.
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.
