Parking
Start at either of the two Long Hill Car Parks; the lower one is the more popular option. The loop returns to the same access.
Overview
About Djouce Woods – Blue Loop
Why go
- Short, easy route with waterfall and mountain views
- Paddock Ponds add estate history
Heads up
- Most of the route stays on forest roads and tracks
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Wicklow Mountains map
Full mapElevation214–294 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Wicklow Mountains Tour Guide
Your drive to Djouce Woods – Blue Loop, 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 area
Powerscourt Waterfall0:00 / 0:35
“You’re approaching the entrance for Powerscourt Waterfall. This is a separate stop from Powerscourt Gardens, about six kilometres away, with its own approach.”
Plays on the road 1.5 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Wicklow Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Crone Woods and Ride Rock
- Cloon Oak Glen
- Glencree's Refuge for Children
- Lough Tay Viewing Point
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Djouce Woods – Blue Loop
The short versionA closed 4.
A closed 4.6 km loop on forest road and track, and that figure is the total distance for the whole circuit, not one direction. Allow about 90 minutes. It is graded easy, with roughly 50 m of ascent spread out rather than concentrated in a steep pull.
How the walk goesFrom the Long Hill parking area the route follows an old driving road through Djouce Woods,…
From the Long Hill parking area the route follows an old driving road through Djouce Woods, running almost as far as the Paddock Ponds, then turns for home on a gradual uphill climb back to the start. Follow the blue waymarks. The uphill return is steady and gentle, and the footing stays on forest road and track the whole way, so it is a walk that does not need much planning.
What you seeGaps in the trees give views toward Powerscourt Waterfall, the Sugarloaf, the wider Wicklow…
Gaps in the trees give views toward Powerscourt Waterfall, the Sugarloaf, the wider Wicklow Mountains and down over the Deerpark. The Paddock Ponds are now dry, and the remains of a boat house sit nearby, both leftovers of the old estate landscape that give the woods more character than a standard forest circuit. Deer live in the area, though this short loop is no guarantee of seeing them.
Parking and accessStart at either of the two Long Hill Car Parks; the lower one is the more popular of the pair.
Start at either of the two Long Hill Car Parks; the lower one is the more popular of the pair. The loop starts and finishes at the same place, so there is no shuttle or backtracking to arrange.
DogsDogs are welcome under effective control, which matters here given the deer in the area.
Dogs are welcome under effective control, which matters here given the deer in the area.
If you want moreThe Djouce Woods Deerpark Walk is a separate 9.
The Djouce Woods Deerpark Walk is a separate 9.7 km moderate loop from the same woods, with broader upland views and a longer day on your feet. Take the Blue Loop when you want the easier, shorter option and still want the waterfall view.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Wicklow Mountains
204 sightingsSika DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
18 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
15 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
11 sightingsCommon RavenMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
28 sightingsEuropean Common FrogMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
11 sightingsViviparous LizardMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Wicklow Mountains. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
