A remote 450-hectare Coillte forest park in a sheltered valley below the Slieve Mish mountains, where boardwalk trails loop two lakes and the views stretch across Brandon and Tralee Bays to the Maharees.
The signature walk: a 2 km, roughly 1-hour moderate loop on a bog-bridge boardwalk that encircles Lough Caum, bounded by Stradbally Mountain, Beenoskee and Reamore Hill. The planks are narrow, uneven and slippery after rain, and there are steps, so sturdy footwear is essential; it is not suitable for prams or wheelchairs.
An easy 1.1 km (30-minute) trail along the feeder stream for Lough Slat, past picnic tables, with a shallow stream crossing and rocks the kids can climb. Start from the car park near the timber bridge.
A short 300 m 'access for all' path (about 5 minutes) leads down to the tranquil lake and the looming crag of Carrignaspaniagh, or Spaniards Rock, which features in local folklore.
The name means 'Valley of the Waterfalls' — after rain, water streams off the Slieve Mish mountainsides. Look out for sheep, birdlife and the plantation forest of Sitka spruce, larch and beech dating mostly from the 1950s and 60s.
Both lakes can be fished with the appropriate licence and permit, which you must arrange locally. Swimming in Lough Caum is possible but unsupervised, and the water is peat-stained brown.
Drive the narrow, unsurfaced road up past the forest entrance for mountain-and-ocean views over Brandon and Tralee Bays, taking in the Slieve Mish mountains and the Maharees.
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