Overview
Maulin isn’t the biggest hill in the Wicklow Mountains, but it has one trick the others don’t: from its slopes you can see across the valley to Powerscourt Waterfall. The walk crosses Ride Rock, a shelf where the view opens across to the falls. That is the reason to pick Maulin over its neighbours.
The usual route is the Crone Woods–Maulin Mountain Loop, which crosses the slopes of Maulin near Enniskerry. Sport Ireland grades the 6.6 km loop strenuous, with about 350 m of ascent.
The walk
Start and finish at the designated Crone Woods entrance car park. The loop is waymarked with arrows on red discs carrying a footprint symbol, so follow them and carry the route map. The first stretch runs on forest track through Crone Woods, a conifer plantation managed by Coillte. Watch the forest junctions, as walkers have reported markers missing where tracks fork.
Out of the trees the character changes. The path climbs the open slope in a series of steep hairpins, and the climb is the hardest part of the day. Keep to the waymarked route and well back from exposed edges, wear footwear for rough ground, and check Coillte updates before setting out.
What you can see
- Powerscourt Waterfall: the headline. From Ride Rock the falls are framed by the valley walls, a view you can’t get from the car park at their foot.
- The Great Sugar Loaf: its cone anchors the horizon.
- Glencree valley: the country around leads the eye towards the rougher central peaks.
Views change with the season and the light, and hill weather can turn quickly.
History and landscape
The Irish name, Málainn, means “high or sloping ground”, which about covers it. The hill is built of the dark blue-grey slate, phyllite and schist of the Wicklow range. The lower slopes are Crone Woods, a conifer plantation with buzzards over it. These quiet valleys had another use within living memory: during the War of Independence, the folds of country around here made handy cover for rebel columns.
Practical information
- Parking: use the designated Crone Woods entrance car park.
- Duration and difficulty: allow around three hours. The loop is graded strenuous, though the distance is modest; about 350 m of ascent overall.
- Dogs: must be on a lead.
- Best time to visit: late May for the heath greening up, late October for the gold and amber. The tops are windier and colder than the valley, so carry a windproof year-round.
- Navigation: waymarked, but bring the OSi Discovery sheet 56 or a charged phone with GPS.
Nearby
- Enniskerry: cafés and pubs, the standard post-walk stop.
- Djouce Mountain: a longer, tougher day around the Glensoulan peaks.