Connemara National Park

A great National Park with a good visitor centre with a large free car park on the outskirts of Letterfrack. Varied scenery from coast to mountains, a marked "mountain" trail up Diamond Hill from the visitor centre. Many historic sites, famine villages, holy wells, prehistoric forts, and such like, within the park. Visitor centre has cafe and toilets. Can be very busy in season.

Definitely do the Diamond hill walk in Letterfrack. I'd say medium grade walk but you can see most of it from the village so you can make up you own mind. Great local pubs immediately at the bottom to eat and drink.

Beautiful national park! They have a visitor center offering information, parking, toilets, and areas for eating—all for free. The different hiking paths are well marked, with options for all levels, from easy to hard.

The Connemara trek was absolutely beautiful. At the base, there's a café where you can grab a snack, and toilets are available as well. The trail starts off flat and gradually becomes steeper as you approach the Upper Diamond, but overall it's not a difficult trek. The views are stunning, with the Atlantic Ocean in the distance and a refreshing cold breeze throughout. There are clear signboards and well-maintained steps along the way. Everything is well organized—perfect for a scenic and enjoyable hike. Everyone loves the hike...

The red loop that brings you to the top of the mountain had a lot(mainly 90%) of stone stair but easily doable for most people that hike a least 2-3 time a year. It is a beautiful hike of around 6.5km. Lot of wind of top of it, bring good equipment if you can't handle cold. It says to not do it on bad weather, but if you're an avid hiker, it won't be a problem, simply be careful not to lose for on the stone, it could get slippery. Clean site, beautiful place.

Absolutely gorgeous! Don't miss the upper Diamond Hill Trail loop if you're able. We were all alone except for a few sheep. The views are incredible and just get better and better as you go.

The car parking is pretty spacious, if the designated parking is full, then the cars can be safely parked along the road side. It's free car parking. At the base of the hiking, there are clean toilets, tea rooms, a good eatery where refreshments, coffee, tea, ice cream are sold, the staffs are wonderful. We chose the longer hiking loop, which was about 4 kms, but had to abandon the last leg of it due to unsafe climatic conditions. E The hiking experience was pretty good. Better to have hiking gear including hiking shoes and support if possible. Overall, a great experience. Would love to visit again.

Stunning countryside with beautiful places to visit. Great food and drink. Take a ferry over to Inishbofin for marvelous scenery, great cycling and plenty of choice for a lunch stop.

We stopped here on our way to Kylemore Abby. It was breathtaking and worth the side trip. Beautiful views, and make sure you watch out for the sheep!

The park itself was quite small from what we are used to in the US but the hike up Diamond Mountain was great! The trail was very well maintained and the views from the top are spectacular. We had a couple sandwiches from the tea room. They were ok, but nothing to brag about. I would recommend the upper or lower diamond hike for sure.

On our way to Kylemore Abbey we passed Connemara National Park and so we took a pit stop to see what it was all about. I was pleasantly surprised. The visitors centre is just lovely, a nice setup. There is a exhibition on the park, with one section describing bogs and turf making. There is also a Tea Room, a picnic area and a playground. There are three walks from the visitors centre up the nearest hill, Diamond Hill. All at different degrees of distance and difficulty. We decided on the quick walk as we didn't have a lot of time. Definetly worth a look if you are in the area.

My husband and I chose to do the second smallest hike, the yellow route on the map, and we were not disappointed! The views from here were amazing! I wish we had more time to spend so we could have gone further! We arrived just after the visitor center closed so I can't speak to that, but go for the views!

This is one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever been on! My husband and I opted to hike to the summit, which wasn't terribly difficult and was very rewarding when we got to the top! There are several things that I loved about hiking Diamond Hill: 1. Admission/parking is FREE! Can't beat that. 2. Helpful and kind staff handing out maps and discussing which hike would suit you best. 3. Clear, well-marked paths to lead you up and down the mountain. There is no confusion about where you are supposed to be and where your current path will lead you. 4. Additional amenities: playground for the kiddos, restrooms that are clean, horses & sheep to see. This was a fantastic way to spend our Sunday in Connemara! The drive alone is worth the trip.. breathtaking!

Connemara NP - hard to discern - you drive into/along it, never quite sure where it actually might be - no doubt, there are beautiful vistas and lakes everywhere, and plenty of places to pull-off and enjoy the view up close. In fact, driving in Ireland practically means any spot is a potential parking pull-off. I got a laugh out of a hotel clerk later in the trip when I mentioned illegal parking -- I suppose that concept doesn't really occur here. And yes, you should definitely drive yourself around this Island -- we saw tour buses along the way and I can't imagine being told when to stop and what to see -- ultimate freedom comes from driving. Take the chance like I did and just do it. It'll all be okay. Anyhow, back to the National Park -- there are Lots of sheep. Not lots of cars. Quiet. Beautiful countryside in Ireland. We had sunny weather making it especially spectacular. Mountains and meadows. Lakes. Ocean. We came across the famous abbey that everyone will know, who has ever been there - it looks like a medieval castle in the foothills of a huge mountainside. Worth a short or a long visit, depending on your time. After lunch in an oceanside park, we found an official Connemara visitor center complete with a choice of three walking trails up the hillside. Being american, we chose the shortest route, because, of course, we didn't have much time to spend here. Our short 30-minute walk along the hillside was well worth it. We took lots of pictures of the mountains and ocean views. It was free. It was worth the stop. Was it as spectacular as US National Parks. Yes and No. Was it nice and worth a visit? Yes. Yes, it was.

Put the sturdy hiking boots on and be overjoyed and overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of this Oasis in the wild west of Ireland. Friendly, knowledgeable staff explain the trail options - yellow (leisurely loop stroll), blue (intermediate climbing) and red (about loop including summiting Diamond Hill). I suppose you can do the yellow sans the boots, but if it's the blue and certainly the red trails you are advised by this recent climber to tie those boots extra tightly. The trail is often narrow and your ascent angle approaches 45 degrees. In good weather the red is a tough climb; in inclement weather the park has the prerogative to cancel ascents. We thought we would be able to make it all the way but alas, we had to bail out at a wisely-designed spur. The planners of the red trail must have thought this through...basically a last chance to call it a day...and yet not be disappointed because the view at this level is magnificent. All the way up you are treated to a 360-degree panorama of Connemara. If it's the red trail for you be advised...a strenuous ramble. Afterwards treat yourself at the care located in the Visitor Centre or take in the lovely atmosphere of Letterfrack. Do not bypass Connemara National Park.