JB Malone Memorial and Lough Tay
A short detour off the trails leads to the JB Malone Memorial, one of the best viewpoints over Lough Tay and the surrounding Wicklow mountains. Neither marked walk officially goes there, so keep an eye on the route.
Ballinastoe Woods
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About
A Coillte forest in the Wicklow Mountains where a wooden boardwalk climbs through towering pines to sudden panoramas over Lough Tay — a favourite of walkers, mountain bikers and photographers.
Things to Do
The boardwalk through the pines
A wooden boardwalk climbs through dense Sitka spruce and pine; its steep upper bend is the much-photographed stretch that looks like a film set. From the mid-way entrance it is only a 10-20 minute walk, and the forest floor is very dark away from the glades, so bring a torch for early or late visits.
Slí na Sláinte loop
A 5 km waymarked loop of about 1.5 hours starts from the Ballinastoe mountain-bike car park and follows posts with yellow arrows along forestry tracks. It skips the boardwalk but runs beside the JB Malone Memorial.
Mountain-bike trails
Ballinastoe is one of Coillte's mountain-bike trail centres, with waymarked blue (5 km), red (30 km) and black (16 km) routes through forest and open land. Riders need a helmet and good technique; the upper slopes are exposed and can be very windy in bad weather.
Longer Wicklow Way walks
The woods sit on the Wicklow Way, and combining the boardwalk with the Slí na Sláinte trail makes a 10 km route of roughly 3 to 3.5 hours. Stay off the main bike track and listen for approaching riders.
Plan Your Visit
- Hours: Open 24 hours a day; the Pier Gates car park opens at weekends only, roughly 09:00-19:20.
- Admission: Free admission; parking is free at most of the car parks.
- Parking: Three main car parks: a small free lay-by part-way up the Wicklow Way hill (about two cars), the larger free Ballinastoe car park at the top of the hill, and the paid Wicklow Way/Luggala car park below, which locks in the early evening.
- Food: No café on site; a small refreshment van serves the Wicklow Way car park, and Roundwood village is about 4 km away for cafés and pubs.
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