Ards Forest Park - Red trail
Walking Trail · Donegal
Ards Forest Park - Red trail is a 14.1 km strenuous waymarked loop in Donegal, starting near Creeslough.
Grade
| Activity | Grade | Difficulty | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking | Strenuous | Challenging | 4 hours |
Getting there
Starts at Ards Forest Park, near Creeslough.
- Trailhead coordinates
- 55.15808, -7.88838
- Ordnance Survey sheets
- Discovery Series Sheet 2
The National Trails Register's own latitude and longitude fields are empty for all 1,186 trails on it. This trailhead comes from Sport Ireland's separate Trailheads dataset, matched to this trail on its register ID.
About the trail
This is the longest Ards Forest Park trail and goes around the perimeter of the park, touching on a wide variety of habitats, each with its own associated flora and fauna. On forest road and track, it switches from level ground at the seashore to more difficult conditions at higher elevations, providing much fine hill, forest and coastal scenery.
- Dogs
- Yes
Who manages it
Coillte West
Coillte West
Conditions and closures change. The operator is the authority on both, not this page.
Elsewhere
Trails nearby
Measured trailhead to trailhead, in a straight line.
- Ards Forest Park - Binngorm trail 0 m away · 3.9 km trail
- Ards Forest Park - Green trail 0 m away · 2.8 km trail
- Ards Forest Park - Nature trail 0 m away · 1.3 km trail
- Ards Forest Park - Yellow trail 0 m away · 2.5 km trail
- Ards Forest Park - Sand Dune trail 87 m away · 0.9 km trail
- Ards Forest Park - Marine trail 589 m away · 1.2 km trail
Common questions
How long is the Ards Forest Park - Red trail?
14.1 km, recorded as a loop on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register. It climbs 100 m in total. Sport Ireland estimates 4 hours.
How hard is the Ards Forest Park - Red trail?
Sport Ireland grades it Strenuous, with an overall difficulty of Challenging. Grades are set against national criteria, so they are comparable with other registered trails.
Where does the Ards Forest Park - Red trail start?
Starts at Ards Forest Park, near Creeslough. The trailhead is at 55.15808, -7.88838.
Can you bring a dog on the Ards Forest Park - Red trail?
Yes. The register records dogs as allowed. Much of the Irish trail network crosses working farmland, so keep a dog under close control near livestock.
Who manages the Ards Forest Park - Red trail?
Coillte West. They are the authority on current conditions and closures, not this page.
More in Donegal
Trail data from the Sport Ireland National Trails Register, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Trailhead coordinates from the companion Trailheads dataset. Snapshot taken 2026-08-13.