Parking
Park at the Upper Lake Car Park, about 200 m from the National Park Information Office, where the loop begins.
Overview
About Poulanass and St. Kevin’s Cell
A 1.0 km loop from the National Park Information Office, waymarked with bronze arrows and graded moderate. Allow about 30 to 45 minutes, with roughly 85 m of climbing packed into a short distance.
Why go
- Poulanass Waterfall beside the climb
- Upper Lake viewpoint and monastic history
Heads up
- Steep climb packed into 1 km
- Brief outing rather than a long hike
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Wicklow Mountains map
Full mapElevation136–216 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
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 Poulanass and St. Kevin’s Cell, 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 Poulanass and St. Kevin’s Cell
The sequenceThe trail starts climbing almost immediately, rising steeply beside Poulanass Waterfall and on…
The trail starts climbing almost immediately, rising steeply beside Poulanass Waterfall and on through Glendalough oak woodland. Above the falls it joins a forest road that winds gently down, then steps lead off to St. Kevin's Cell and a viewpoint over the Upper Lake and the mountain slopes around it. From there the route returns to the information office.
Difficulty and footingMost of the distance is forest road and track, which is the easy part.
Most of the distance is forest road and track, which is the easy part. The waterfall section is the real work: steep, sustained for its length, and followed later by the steps down to the cell and viewpoint, which need care on descent. Anyone comfortable with stairs and a short sharp climb will manage it, but this is not a flat stroll despite the modest total distance.
Scenery and photographyThe payoff comes in two parts: the falling water and oak woodland on the way up, then the open…
The payoff comes in two parts: the falling water and oak woodland on the way up, then the open view across the Upper Lake with mountains behind it from the viewpoint near St. Kevin's Cell. The lake view is the frame worth carrying a camera for. Note that the cell itself is a small early Christian monastic remnant with only the foundations surviving, so expect an atmospheric site rather than standing walls.
Access and petsAll Glendalough waymarked trails begin and end at the National Park Information Office near the…
All Glendalough waymarked trails begin and end at the National Park Information Office near the Upper Lake. Park at the Upper Lake Car Park, about 200 m from the office. Dogs are welcome in the national park only on a lead at all times.
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.
