Description
A bird's eye view of Ireland's forest wilderness
South of Dublin, in the 500-hectare Avondale Forest Park, the Avondale Treetop Walk leads up into the crowns of more than 100 tree species. Between the path and the observation tower, the trail descends into the earth: a tunnel reveals the living worlds between the roots
The barrier-free, 1,440-meter-long treetop path invites all young and old explorers to take a walk. Here, the forest habitat surrounds you - and the natural gradient of the terrain allows you to see all levels of the forest, even though the path only rises or falls a few degrees.
Along the way, visitors pass through the Avondale Forest Arboretum, a collection of Ireland's most beautiful trees. They learn interesting details about the famous trees, which they can see, smell and touch. Some of them were planted by Samuel Hayes over 300 years ago or during the Great Tree Experiment when Avondale was a forestry experiment station in the early 20th century.
Balance through the air and learn about forest creatures
Along the trail, there are interactive play and adventure stations for children and the young at heart, encouraging them to look at the forest from a different perspective and learn about the animals and their habitats in the surrounding forest
Observation tower offers breathtaking 360-degree view
The 38-meter-high observation tower stands amid a grove of eucalyptus trees on the edge of the historic Great Ride in Avondale and delivers unparalleled views of the Wicklow Mountains. Brave visitors whiz back down to the ground through the 90-meter tunnel slide at its center. Note: The adrenaline rush costs two euros per slide. At peak times, there can be long waits.
Sights in the vicinity
Right next to the treetop trail is the Seed Café, a small eatery, a children's playground, a sensory garden and the Coillte Pavilion area, which shows the history and importance of Irish forestry. From 2023, additional guided tours of Avondale House will bring to life the history of the Parnell family, who made their home there in the 19th century.
Historical Information
Ireland's first treetop walk opened in July 2022
Since mid-2022, Treetop Walk Avondale has been open to visitors as Ireland's first tree-top walk in the middle of the centuries-old Avondale Forest Park in County Wicklow. The opening took place as part of a joint venture and in the presence of the Irish President Michael D. Higgins
The operator is Erlebnis Akademie AG, based in Bad Kötzting. It has now built 13 treetop trails in six countries, five of them in Germany. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, it is involved in a joint venture in the treetop trails in Lipno (2012), the Krkonoše Mountains (2017) and the High Tatras (2017). Since summer 2018, there has been a treetop path in the Austrian Salzkammergut region in Gmunden on the Grünberg mountain. Additional facilities are located in Slovenia (2019), Alsace, France (2021), and Ireland (2022). In July 2022, eak opened another gigantic wooden structure in Canada.
How to get there
Car
- Easily accessible by car from all directions
- GPS coordinates: 52⁰54'41.7" N, 6⁰13'9.7" W
- From Dublin Airport, M50: approx. 1 hr. 5 min
- From Belfast, M1: approx. 2 hrs. 40 min
- From Dublin South, M11: about 40 minutes
- Parking: There is on-site parking for 450 cars and ten coaches. The parking lot also has charging stations for e-cars.
Train
There are daily train services from Dublin and Wexford to the nearby village of Rathdrum.
Bus
Local bus service No. 133L runs daily from Wicklow Town to Rathdrum.
Bicycle
There are bicycle racks next to the visitor center to safely store bicycles during your visit.