Parking
Use the Upper Lake Car Park near the National Park Information Office at Glendalough; follow the marked walk from the office.
Overview
About Woodland Road (Silver Route)
Why go
- Quiet woodland and river sections
- Good variety in a short loop
Heads up
- Short public-road section
- Rough tracks and a steady climb
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Wicklow Mountains map
Full mapElevation133–251 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 Woodland Road (Silver 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
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Woodland Road (Silver Route)
The short versionA 4.
A 4.8 km total loop from the National Park Information Office at Glendalough, waymarked with silver (grey) arrows and managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Allow around 1 hour 45 minutes at a relaxed pace with stops. Official park sources quote shorter times, approximately 1 hour on the current park trail page and 1 hour 15 minutes on the official park map, so your pace will depend on how much time you spend looking around.
Route sequenceThe payoff is variety rather than a summit: river, forest road, valley woodland and open…
The payoff is variety rather than a summit: river, forest road, valley woodland and open wetland in one continuous circuit. This is a woodland and valley walk, not a mountain hike.
- Start at the National Park Information Office and join the Lower Lake boardwalk
- Pass through a gate onto a short section of public road
- Follow St Kevin's Way beside the Glendasan River
- Climb through mixed woodland over the shoulder of Camaderry
- Descend back to Glendalough across the Lower Lake wetlands boardwalk
Difficulty and surfacesGraded moderate on the current route listing, while the older park map describes it as a ramble.
Graded moderate on the current route listing, while the older park map describes it as a ramble. There is a 90 m climb and the walking surface changes several times: asphalt and wood boardwalk, gravel and rough tracks, forest road, and a stretch of public road. Rough sections can be uneven underfoot, so footwear with grip and support helps. Take care on the public road, where you share space with traffic.
Distance figures vary slightly between sources. The current tourism listing gives 4.8 km, while the older park map rounds the same loop to 4 km.
Wildlife and characterMixed woodland dominates the middle of the walk, with the Glendasan River alongside St Kevin's…
Mixed woodland dominates the middle of the walk, with the Glendasan River alongside St Kevin's Way and reed and wetland habitat near the Lower Lake. Red squirrels are sometimes seen in the wooded sections.
Getting there and parkingThe trailhead is the National Park Information Office, Glendalough, grid reference T 111 961.
The trailhead is the National Park Information Office, Glendalough, grid reference T 111 961. Use the Upper Lake Car Park, the named visitor parking near the office. From the parking area it is a short walk of roughly 100 m to the point where the marked route begins on the Lower Lake boardwalk.
DogsDogs are welcome in the national park but must be on a lead at all times.
Dogs are welcome in the national park but must be on a lead at all times. This matters here because the loop includes a public-road section as well as woodland and wetland habitat.
A flatter alternativeIf the climb and rough tracks do not appeal, the Green Road Walk is the flatter and easier…
If the climb and rough tracks do not appeal, the Green Road Walk is the flatter and easier lake-and-wetland option in the same valley.
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.
