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TORC WATERFALL TO LADIES VIEW
KILLARNEY NATIONAL PARK IRELAND

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Torc Waterfall and Ladies View are two must-see attractions in Killarney National Park. Our walking tour included both of these Ring of Kerry attractions.

Torc Waterfall
Torc Waterfall
Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll

Torc Waterfall directions

Where is Torc Waterfall? Located five miles (eight kilometers) south of Killarney, on Kenmare Road (N71), Torc Falls is just a 10-minute walk from the car parking lot.

At the entrance, there is a sign for Killarney National Park (Pairc Naisiunta Chill Airne in Irish/Gaelic) and a Torc Waterfall map, depicting three circular walking trails.

Trail to Torc Waterfall

As we walked through the lush wooded Friar's Glen, the Owengarriff River babbled over moss-covered rocks beside us. The path emerged at a lookout point below Torc Waterfall (height: 60 feet/18 meters).

After tumbling over Torc Waterfall, Owengarriff River flows past trees and ferns into Muckross Lake.

Ladies View

We photographed Ireland's three Lakes of Killarney from the same viewpoint enjoyed by Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting in 1861, when the queen was a guest at Muckross House.

One of the ladies exclaimed: "This is the finest view in all the realm!"

Driving directions

To get to Ladies View from Torc Waterfall, we followed N71 for 10 minutes, just past Galway's Bridge, before the Killarney to Kenmare Road reached Moll's Gap.

The N71 snaked up the side of Cromaglan Mtn (1,226 feet/371 meters high) until we reached the Ladies View parking spot, 12 miles (19 kilometers) south of Killarney.

High above Upper Lake, we looked out on a panorama that included Muckross Lake, Lough Leane and Shehy, Tomies, Purple and Torc mountains. A Ladies View map, in front of the lookout, pinpointed the locations of Killarney National Park attractions.

Upper Lake, Muckross Lake and Lough Leane seen from Ladies View lookout
Upper Lake, Muckross Lake and Lough Leane seen from Ladies View lookout
Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll

"During the last Ice Age, the Arctic ice cap covered only two-thirds of Ireland," explained Frank Walsh, our guide. "Kerry had a local ice cap, centered in Kenmare, which squeezed out north, creating the lakes and three mountain passes, the Gap of Dunloe, Molls Gap and Bealach Oisin."

We strolled along a serpentine road, below Ladies View, to take photos of the Killarney Lakes that we planned to cruise the following day.


TRAVEL INFORMATION

Killarney National Park: www.killarneynationalpark.ie

Tourism Ireland: www.discoverireland.com

More things to see & do in County Kerry and Ireland