Three Stone Docks in Wicklow Mountains National Park

Sight · Wicklow Mountains National Park

Three Stone Docks

Three Stone Docks: low stone piers on the glacial Upper Lake

Type
Sight
Nearest trail
0.3 km
Audio stories
5 nearby

Hear the audio tour

Glendalough Upper Lake

Overview

About Three Stone Docks

Why stop

  • Three parallel stone piers make a distinctive lakeside photo stop

Heads up

  • Wind and wet, uneven stone can make the exposed docks awkward
Three short, low piers of rough stone step out from the shore of the Upper Lake, a lake carved by glaciers. They are small and unassuming, but they give you something the shoreline track does not: a few metres of solid stone out over the water, with the valley walls and wooded slopes rising on either side. Treat it as a quick photo and breather stop rather than a destination in itself.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stop

Map

Where it is

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SightThree Stone Docks53.00702, -6.34804
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Plan your stop

Before you go

Best time to go

Early morning or later in the day is best, both for softer light on the water and because sunny weekends bring real traffic and parking pressure at the Upper Lake access area. Calm, still conditions give the best reflections. In wind, the lake surface flattens to grey and the stone gets slippery when wet.

3 active Wicklow Mountains alerts

  • CautionExtreme upland fire riskDo not use solid-fuel BBQs in Wicklow Mountains National Park, and take extreme care with cigarettes and other naked flames because the hills are dry and at extreme risk of fire.Official details
  • CautionGlendalough Spinc trail works and intermittent disruptionsExpect intermittent disruption on the Glendalough Spinc trails while NPWS upgrades the White Trail.Official details
See all 3 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Wicklow Mountains Tour Guide

Your drive to Three Stone Docks, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Wicklow Mountains 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 place

Glendalough Upper Lake
0:00 / 0:49
“You’re coming up on the access to Glendalough’s Upper Lake. If you’d enjoy a quiet detour, look for Reefert Church, tucked into the woods near the lake paths.”

Plays as you drive up to Three Stone Docks in the Parkwolf Wicklow Mountains Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • Glendalough Monastic Site and Lower Lake
  • Hero Mine
  • Brockagh Mountain
  • Wicklow Heather Restaurant
  • 55 audio storiesacross Wicklow Mountains’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Sika Deer, Red Deer, Grey Heron, and 3 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 34 trails, 31 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!!!!”
JMJamesApp Store review
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Three Stone Docks

What you see and doBe honest with your expectations: visitors tend to describe the view as pleasant rather than…

Be honest with your expectations: visitors tend to describe the view as pleasant rather than the finest outlook over the lake. Higher paths give the grander panorama.

  • The three parallel piers, reached by a short, uneven approach from the track.
  • Open views along the lake and up to the surrounding mountain slopes.
  • Reflections and shoreline vegetation when the water is calm, which is the main reason people bring a camera here.
How to find itStart from the Upper Lake car park and access area at the end of the valley road, then follow…

Start from the Upper Lake car park and access area at the end of the valley road, then follow the Miners' Road track along the lake shore. The docks sit just off the track on the lake side, with a short step down, so watch for them rather than expecting a signposted spot. You do not need to walk the full length of the Miners' Road to reach them, though continuing on is easy if you have time. Coordinates: 53.0070233, -6.3480398.

Practical cautionsGusts funnel through the valley and can be strong on the exposed stone.
  • Gusts funnel through the valley and can be strong on the exposed stone. Hold onto hats, bags and camera gear.
  • Expect uneven stone, loose ground and muddy patches. Wear shoes with grip and take care with children.
  • Stay back from the edge and do not swim. There are no lifeguards and no approved safe swimming spots in the park's mountain lakes.
  • There are no facilities at the docks. Toilets, drinking water, an information office and seasonal food stalls are back at the Upper Lake car park area.
  • Check the forecast, carry a map, bring a layer and keep dogs on a lead.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Wicklow Mountains

All Wicklow Mountains wildlife maps

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Wicklow Mountains. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Three Stone Docks

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Trails nearby

More stops nearby

Parkwolf’s Wicklow Mountains ranking

Top sights in Wicklow Mountains

All 31 places
  1. 1Glendalough Monastic Site and Visitor CentreSight
  2. 2Glendalough Upper LakeSight
  3. 3Sally GapSight
  4. 4Lough Tay Viewing PointSight
  5. 5Glenmacnass WaterfallSight
  6. 6Miners' VillageSight

Take Parkwolf to Wicklow Mountains.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

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