Parking
Use Turlough Hill Car Park beside the R756 at Wicklow Gap. The worn path starts roughly 180 m from the lot; walk the short link to the mountain route. A nearby viewing platform car park is a separate access.
Overview
About Wicklow Gap to Tonelagee
An out-and-back climb from the Wicklow Gap to the summit of Tonelagee, listed at 2.4 miles (about 3.9 km) round trip with a moderate grade and roughly 2 to 2.5 hours on foot. The mapped mountain path runs about 1.8 km one way from the roadside up to the summit, and you return along the same corridor. Expect around 330 m of climbing, most of it early.
Why go
- Direct summit access from the Wicklow Gap
- Tonelagee and Lough Ouler views
Heads up
- Unmarked open mountain route
- Steep, boggy footing with little shelter
Fit walkers often reach the trig point in well under an hour, but the descent on tired legs can feel slower than expected.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe climb and the payoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Wicklow Mountains map
Full mapElevation479–805 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 Wicklow Gap to Tonelagee, 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
Wicklow Gap and Tonelagee0:00 / 0:32
“Wicklow Gap is coming up, with a short viewpoint stop and a longer climb toward Tonelagee.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Wicklow Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Lead Inside the Granite
- The Mountain That Stores Power
- Hero Mine
- Why the River Looks Like Tea
- 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 Wicklow Gap to Tonelagee
Footing, exposure and navigationThis is open mountain, not a groomed trail.
This is open mountain, not a groomed trail. The line on the ground is usually visible as a worn footpath, but it is unmarked, with no route signs or waymarks to follow.
Boots with grip, waterproofs and warm layers are sensible year round.
- Ground is rough and uneven, especially nearer the top, with rock, peat and loose sections.
- Boggy, muddy and slippery stretches are normal after wet spells.
- The slope is fully exposed to wind, rain and low cloud, and there is no shelter.
- In mist the summit plateau reads as featureless and navigation gets much harder, so carry a map and compass or GPS and know how to use them.
Access and parkingUse Turlough Hill Car Park at the Wicklow Gap, reached from the R756.
Use Turlough Hill Car Park at the Wicklow Gap, reached from the R756. The mapped path does not begin in the car park itself; the start point sits roughly 180 m away, so walk a short link from the parking area to pick up the climb. A separate viewing platform car park nearby is not the trail access.
Dogs and rulesDogs are welcome on national park ground but must be kept on a lead at all times.
Dogs are welcome on national park ground but must be kept on a lead at all times. Stay on the worn path where you can to limit damage to the bog and heather, and take everything back out with you.
Drawbacks and a longer alternativeThe trade-off for the short distance is a sustained steep pull, rough underfoot conditions and…
The trade-off for the short distance is a sustained steep pull, rough underfoot conditions and no signage or shelter. If you want more of a day out and the full circuit of the lake, the longer Tonelagee and Lough Ouler loop starting from Glenmacnass is a separate and more demanding outing, with greater distance, muddier ground, a river crossing to consider and weaker route definition. Treat it as a different plan rather than an extension of this walk.
The climb and the payoffThe path leaves the R756 area and rises directly across open heather and blanket bog, with no…
- The path leaves the R756 area and rises directly across open heather and blanket bog, with no gradual warm-up.
- The steepest work comes in the first stretch; the gradient eases as you gain the broad upper slopes.
- The top is marked by a trig point, with wide views over the surrounding uplands and reservoir country.
- The well-known view down onto Lough Ouler, the heart-shaped lake set below the summit, lies a short distance beyond the trig point along the rim. Reaching it adds extra ground beyond the distance quoted here, so budget a few more minutes each way if you want it.
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.
