Torc Waterfall Photos
Recommended Reviews - Torc Waterfall
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Gorgeous flowing waterfall. Our taxi driver told us that it's not the biggest waterfall, but it's a waterfall (I think he was underselling it just a tad). You could hike or as go to the parking lot and take a short walk to the waterfall. It's free to enter and dogs are allowed. It was snowing when we went (which we were told multiple times was an anomaly) but we were able to take a taxi from the city center and then head in from the parking lot. We had no cell service here so I would recommend downloading a map of the area beforehand. There is a road that also leads to Muckross House that's about a 20-30 minute walk. There's a nice view of the area further up on the stairs. I would recommend wearing shoes with good traction as it was a bit muddy even on the short walk we had.
Fantastic site to visit and super popular. You can walk to it from Muckross house or you can drive up nearby it if you have mobility issues. There is a restroom nearby that parking lot if you need. there is a small space to gather so getting pictures can get a bit cramped. I love visiting this area and come here every 1 or 2 years. After ward you can continue on up the stairs and hike more of the park or just head back down and visit the gardens at Muckross house!
We spent the day at Killarney National Park and this was our first stop. There's a small parking lot, but it is quite crowded. This is a popular place to stop. The waterfall is only a a couple hundred meters from the parking lot, so it's an easy place for lots of tourists to go. We went past the falls and did the yellow trail which it said was about a 30-40 minute hike. The falls were really pretty. They aren't huge, but they're a pretty good size. The yellow loop started out fairly steep for the first part and then leveled out and went back downhill. There were dinner good views of the lakes from the trail. I think this is a place worth stopping for a bit if you're in the area.
The Torc Waterfall is at the base of Torc Mountain. It was only a short walk from the parking area to where you start your hike up the hill. The scenery leading up to the waterfall is beautiful and the atmosphere was incredibly relaxing. We went to the top of the mountain to get the maximum view possible. There are steps that go along side the 70 plus foot waterfall that are part of the Kerry Way Walking Route. The path was heavily wooded and the ground was wet and somewhat slippery. It was absolutely breathtaking The view gets better with each step and after about 100 or so steps you will be able to view Muckross Lake and so much more. We started this hike thinking that it would take about 45 minutes to complete but it turned into a much longer experience. I easily could have spent the entire day on this side of the mountain.
I went a little trigger-happy here because the Torc waterfall was so absolutely beautiful. I also discovered there's actually two parking lots for the Torc Falls. One is the upper parking lot where you can see the water in a stream and it's 300 m to walk from this down to the actual Falls - it's a really steep gradient with three sets of stone stairs, cut into the mountainside. The other option is the lower level parking lot which is five minutes to get to the waterfall. So if you want to visit the Torc Waterfall and you are traveling with someone who has limited mobility, the lower parking lot option is the one you want to choose. However you would have to ask a local or a guide at the tourist information to figure out which road to take for the parking that is a five-minute walk vs the steep climb. Absolutely worth the visit and should be combined with a visit to Muckross House/ Abbey since they are located so close to each other. A grand visit! Note: #267 of Yelp 100 challenge for 2016
Word to the wise - there are multiple parking lots if you are visiting Torc Waterfall. If you park at the wrong one, you take a much longer walk down a hill with a ton of stairs and then have to walk back up this same hill. When you were expecting a brief 5 minute walk, this is not fun. If you park in the right parking lot, it's a brief 5 minute walk on relatively flat ground. Guess which one we parked at! We followed the GPS instead of following the signs along the road. Maybe the GPS will change where it thinks the parking is but if you start going down an unpaved road, you're not going to the easier parking lot. If you want the longer hike, I'd still recommend parking in the other lot and then walking past the waterfall and back. There's no reason to go off roading unnecessarily (although we did see a deer!). The waterfall was nice. Far from the most impressive waterfall I've seen but it was a nice way to break up the string of ruins and spend a little time walking through the Killarney National Forest. 3 stars.
TORC WATERFALL Walked out from the Lake Hotel, the one where the deer pass by on the lawn as you settle down to dinner, through the national park, past Muckross House, and ended up at Torc Waterfall on a crisp morning. You may of course drive to the car park, very close to the falls. Either way, you will hear the roar of the waterfall - certainly at this time of year - before you see it. It is not the biggest of waterfalls but is easily accessible and popular (great spot for photos, with the falls as centre or as backdrop) and there are some nice walks in the immediate area, just four or five miles from Killarney on the road to Kenmare.
Torc Waterfall is a 20-meter (70-foot) high waterfall in Killarney National Park, where the Owengarriff River cascades down Torc Mountain. It was named after the Irish word for "boar," a local legend involves the warrior Finn McCool killing a mythical wild boar on the mountain. It was an easy maybe 4-10 minute walk from the parking (with restrooms) lot off the N71 Road. The path was well maintained and the lush green forest along the way projected and air of solitude. The map near the road shows other paths, with maybe one going to the top. The waterfall itself was pleasant and I did walk down to the water to get a closer look. It's impressive enough, but not quite what Gayle and I have experienced in the past back in the Sierra Nevada or even Iceland. And it's definitely worth a mental health stop. read more
We spent the day exploring Killarney National Park. Torc Waterfall was a lovely little stop. We found the parking lot easily. From there it's about a 5 minute easy walk to the falls. The forest is incredible. It was almost like being in a surprise tropical rain forest. It was amazing how the landscape of this immediate area is so different from other parts of the area. The trees are covered with moss. There are giant ferns all over the place. I think there were about a hundred different colors of green. It was glorious. The falls themselves are beautiful. Lots of visitors but people were very polite. read more
1 year ago
I've visited Torc twice - once in 2017 and once today. It was absolutely beautiful both times! The weather was gorgeous and while there were a lot of tourists, they were respectful and we all took turns taking photos of the views. The falls themselves are beautiful, and if you hike up the steps by them you'll see a beautiful view of Muckross Lake and Lough Leane. There is a decently sized parking lot and a restroom by the parking lot. Jaunting cars are available for hire if you don't want to walk, but I recommend walking from Torc to Muckross House as the walk is really beautiful. read more
2 years ago
Short walk (not strenuous ) from the parking lot to the falls. It took me less than 10 minutes to get there on a rainy day when I was cautious. It's worth seeing. There are bathrooms nearby as well. read more
3 years ago
Gorgeous flowing waterfall. Our taxi driver told us that it's not the biggest waterfall, but it's a waterfall (I think he was underselling it just a tad). You could hike or as go to the parking lot and take a short walk to the waterfall. It's free to enter and dogs are allowed. It was snowing when we went (which we were told multiple times was an anomaly) but we were able to take a taxi from the city center and then head in from the parking lot. We had no cell service here so I would recommend downloading a map of the area beforehand. There is a road that also leads to Muckross House that's about a 20-30 minute walk. There's a nice view of the area further up on the stairs. I would recommend wearing shoes with good traction as it was a bit muddy even on the short walk we had. read more
Fantastic site to visit and super popular. You can walk to it from Muckross house or you can drive up nearby it if you have mobility issues. There is a restroom nearby that parking lot if you need. there is a small space to gather so getting pictures can get a bit cramped. I love visiting this area and come here every 1 or 2 years. After ward you can continue on up the stairs and hike more of the park or just head back down and visit the gardens at Muckross house! read more
8 years ago
We spent the day at Killarney National Park and this was our first stop. There's a small parking lot, but it is quite crowded. This is a popular place to stop. The waterfall is only a a couple hundred meters from the parking lot, so it's an easy place for lots of tourists to go. We went past the falls and did the yellow trail which it said was about a 30-40 minute hike. The falls were really pretty. They aren't huge, but they're a pretty good size. The yellow loop started out fairly steep for the first part and then leveled out and went back downhill. There were dinner good views of the lakes from the trail. I think this is a place worth stopping for a bit if you're in the area. read more
The Torc Waterfall is at the base of Torc Mountain. It was only a short walk from the parking area to where you start your hike up the hill. The scenery leading up to the waterfall is beautiful and the atmosphere was incredibly relaxing. We went to the top of the mountain to get the maximum view possible. There are steps that go along side the 70 plus foot waterfall that are part of the Kerry Way Walking Route. The path was heavily wooded and the ground was wet and somewhat slippery. It was absolutely breathtaking The view gets better with each step and after about 100 or so steps you will be able to view Muckross Lake and so much more. We started this hike thinking that it would take about 45 minutes to complete but it turned into a much longer experience. I easily could have spent the entire day on this side of the mountain. read more
10 years ago
I went a little trigger-happy here because the Torc waterfall was so absolutely beautiful. I also discovered there's actually two parking lots for the Torc Falls. One is the upper parking lot where you can see the water in a stream and it's 300 m to walk from this down to the actual Falls - it's a really steep gradient with three sets of stone stairs, cut into the mountainside. The other option is the lower level parking lot which is five minutes to get to the waterfall. So if you want to visit the Torc Waterfall and you are traveling with someone who has limited mobility, the lower parking lot option is the one you want to choose. However you would have to ask a local or a guide at the tourist information to figure out which road to take for the parking that is a five-minute walk vs the steep climb. Absolutely worth the visit and should be combined with a visit to Muckross House/ Abbey since they are located so close to each other. A grand visit! Note: #267 of Yelp 100 challenge for 2016 read more
9 years ago
Word to the wise - there are multiple parking lots if you are visiting Torc Waterfall. If you park at the wrong one, you take a much longer walk down a hill with a ton of stairs and then have to walk back up this same hill. When you were expecting a brief 5 minute walk, this is not fun. If you park in the right parking lot, it's a brief 5 minute walk on relatively flat ground. Guess which one we parked at! We followed the GPS instead of following the signs along the road. Maybe the GPS will change where it thinks the parking is but if you start going down an unpaved road, you're not going to the easier parking lot. If you want the longer hike, I'd still recommend parking in the other lot and then walking past the waterfall and back. There's no reason to go off roading unnecessarily (although we did see a deer!). The waterfall was nice. Far from the most impressive waterfall I've seen but it was a nice way to break up the string of ruins and spend a little time walking through the Killarney National Forest. 3 stars. read more
16 years ago
TORC WATERFALL Walked out from the Lake Hotel, the one where the deer pass by on the lawn as you settle down to dinner, through the national park, past Muckross House, and ended up at Torc Waterfall on a crisp morning. You may of course drive to the car park, very close to the falls. Either way, you will hear the roar of the waterfall - certainly at this time of year - before you see it. It is not the biggest of waterfalls but is easily accessible and popular (great spot for photos, with the falls as centre or as backdrop) and there are some nice walks in the immediate area, just four or five miles from Killarney on the road to Kenmare. read more
10 years ago
A very short walk from the parking lot to a beautiful waterfall. You can hike further to the top to see a view down from the side. read more
12 years ago
10 years ago
Great stop on our Ring of Kerry Tour. The Torc Waterfall is just a 5 minute walk up a hill (easy to walk up). There are toilets before you make your way to the waterfall. read more
13 years ago
