Parking
Use Upper Lake Car Park, then walk about 200 m to the National Park Information Office, where the marked walk begins.
Overview
About Miners’ Road Walk (Purple Route)
Why go
- Easy, mostly level lakeshore walking
- Ruined Miners’ Village at the turnaround
Heads up
- Rockier footing near the village
- Out-and-back route with no loop variation
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Wicklow Mountains map
Full mapElevation130–190 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 Miners’ Road Walk (Purple Route), 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 trailhead
Glendalough Upper Lake0:00 / 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 this trailhead in the Parkwolf Wicklow Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Glendalough Monastic Site and Lower Lake
- Hero Mine
- Wicklow Heather Restaurant
- Brockagh Mountain
- 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 Miners’ Road Walk (Purple Route)
The short versionAn out-and-back walk of 5 km total, roughly 2.
An out-and-back walk of 5 km total, roughly 2.5 km each way on the same corridor, following the purple waymarks. Graded easy, with only about 20 m of climb, and about 1 hour 10 minutes for the round trip at a normal pace.
Route and payoffThe stone ruins of the old lead mining settlement at the head of the valley are the reason to…
The stone ruins of the old lead mining settlement at the head of the valley are the reason to do this walk. You can wander the remains before turning back.
- Start at the National Park Information Office near the Upper Lake.
- Take the signed access footway that links onto the Miners' Road.
- Follow the road along the north side of Upper Lake through Scots pine woodland.
- Finish at the ruined Miners' Village at the western end of the lake, then return the way you came.
Footing and effortMost of the way is a broad sandy or fine-gravel track, wide and even, which is why the grade is…
Most of the way is a broad sandy or fine-gravel track, wide and even, which is why the grade is easy and the climb barely registers. The final stretch around the mining village is rockier, so slow down there and wear shoes with some grip and ankle support. Because of the gravel and those rocky sections, this is an easy walk but not a fully surfaced, step-free accessible path.
Views, history and wildlifeThe route skirts Upper Lake with open views across the water to the surrounding mountains.
The route skirts Upper Lake with open views across the water to the surrounding mountains. About halfway along, look across the lake for St Kevin's Bed, a cave in the rock face on the far side. Feral goats are common along the valley and often close to the track, and peregrine falcons are sometimes seen overhead. Give the goats space rather than approaching or feeding them.
Parking and accessUse the Upper Lake Car Park, about 200 m from the information office where the walk actually…
Use the Upper Lake Car Park, about 200 m from the information office where the walk actually begins. Walk from the car park to the office and pick up the signed footway from there.
DogsDogs are allowed in the park but must be kept on a lead or under close control, and must not…
Dogs are allowed in the park but must be kept on a lead or under close control, and must not disturb wildlife or other visitors. With feral goats often close to the track on this route, a lead is the sensible choice.
A flatter alternativeIf you want something shorter and flatter, the Green Road Walk is a loop beside the Lower Lake…
If you want something shorter and flatter, the Green Road Walk is a loop beside the Lower Lake with a boardwalk section through the wetlands. Choose the Miners' Road instead when you want the lake shore, the pine woodland and the ruins at the end.
Managed byThe trail is in Wicklow Mountains National Park, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife…
The trail is in Wicklow Mountains National Park, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
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.
