Lakes, ancient oak and yew woods, waterfalls and Ireland's highest mountains, most of it within a short walk or cycle of the town.
Species field guide with what's in season now.
Explore this section10,289 hectares of lakes, woods and mountains next to the town.
Read the village storyTorc, Mangerton, the Gap of Dunloe and Carrauntoohil.
Explore this sectionEmergency contacts and mountain rescue before you head out.
Emergency numbersAbout 2.5 km from town by path or road. The castle, the lake shore and the start of the Copper Mines and Library Point walks.
About 5 km south on the N71 or by the lakeside path. Gardens, traditional farms and the Muckross Lake loop.
About 4 km south. A short woodland nature trail to a small, clear lake, with a 1 km multi-access loop.
About 10 minutes west by car. Old oak woods on the far shore of Lough Leane.
About 15 minutes west. The pass between the Reeks and Purple Mountain from Kate Kearney's Cottage.
On the east edge of town. A Coillte woodland loop of 2.5 km, good for dogs.
22 km · Moderate · 5–8 hours · yellow arrows · 560 m of climb. From Flesk Bridge past Muckross, Torc Waterfall and the Derrycunnihy oak woods to the Black Valley.
9.5 km linear · Easy to moderate · 1–2 hours · family, buggy and wheelchair friendly. Fossa Way, Flesk Cycleway and Jarvey Trail past Killarney House and the Demesne.
6 km loop · Easy to moderate · about 2 hours · dogs on a lead. Ross Castle, the old copper mines and the shore of Lough Leane.
3 km loop · Easy · about 45 minutes. Woodland paths on Ross Island from the Ross Castle car park.
10 km loop · Moderate to strenuous · about 3 hours · dogs on a lead. A full circuit of Muckross Lake from the Muckross House car park.
2.35 km loop · Easy · 1–1.5 hours · one set of steps · dogs on a lead. From the free car park near Muckross House.
3 km loop · Easy · 45 minutes to 1 hour · forest track · dogs allowed. A 1 km multi-access short loop starts from the same trailhead.
7.5 km out and back · Moderate to strenuous · 2–3 hours · 365 m of ascent · dogs on a lead. From the Torc Upper Car Park.
7 km loop · Easy to moderate · about 2 hours · 80 m of ascent · dogs on a lead. Past O'Sullivan's Cascade and Glena Cottage.
2.5 km loop · Easy · about 45 minutes · dogs allowed. A Coillte woodland on the east side of town.
7.5 km out and back · Moderate to strenuous · about 2 hours · 228 m of ascent · black arrows · no dogs. From near Kate Kearney's Cottage.
8 km loop · Moderate · about 2 hours · 200 m of climb · purple arrows · no dogs. A low-level walk below the MacGillycuddy's Reeks.
6.5 km loop · Moderate · about 1.5 hours · 200 m of climb · purple arrows · no dogs. A low-level loop from the Lisleibane car park below the Reeks.
Mountain walks in the Reeks and on Mangerton cross remote ground, and weather changes fast. Check the forecast, tell someone your route, and carry water, a map and a charged phone. In an emergency dial 112 and ask for Mountain Rescue.
Call 112Early Autumn
A rotating pick from each part of Killarney's wild cast — birds, mammals, marine life, wildflowers and trees in season right now.
Explore the full field guide →A large brown wader with an unmistakable long, down-curved bill and a haunting bubbling call. Breeding curlew are in catastrophic decline in Ireland; the birds you see at the estuary are mostly winter visitors.
Larger and chunkier than common dolphins, and often resident year-round in the bays of west Kerry.
Spiny evergreen shrub with coconut-scented golden flowers. The saying goes that "when gorse is out of flower, kissing is out of season" — and it almost always has at least a few flowers.