Days Out NI
Forest Park Cookstown

Davagh Forest

Free forest, a pump track and skills area, and Europe's darkest sky overhead.

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Open dailyForest open daylight hours daily; acces…
FreeNo charge
CookstownForest Park
Get directions
Two to three hours for the play park and a trail; a half-day if you add the OM observatoryHow long
All agesBest for
FreeEntry
FreeParking
OutdoorsSetting

Davagh Forest — Free forest, a pump track and skills area, and Europe's darkest sky overhead.

  • What's there: Play park, pump track, skills area, mountain bike trails (green/blue/red, up to 16km), walking trails, picnic area, bike wash, OM Dark Sky observatory nearby.
  • Best for: All ages. Toddlers get a play park and flat trailhead loop; older kids the pump track, skills area and green/blue trails; teens the 16km red.
  • Cost: Free to enter, walk and ride. The OM observatory is a separate paid attraction (£5 adult, £3.50 under-16/over-60, pre-booking essential).
  • Parking: Free at the Davagh trailhead; a second free car park at Lough Fea.
  • Toilets: Yes, at the trailhead, with changing facilities.
  • Dogs: Welcome on the forest trails on a lead; keep them clear of bikes on shared paths.
Plan your visit

A pump track, a play park and trails for every leg

Start the youngest at the play park beside the trailhead, then move up to the pump track for first pedals. The skills area lets riders practise drops and berms before committing to the waymarked routes. From there the trails grade up: gentle green and blue loops for families, then a 16km red with rock slab drops for confident riders. There's a bike wash to hose the mud off before you load the car, so nobody comes home filthy.

Free entry Free parking Pump track Skills area Play park Dark sky observatory nearby
Good to know before you go:

The OM Dark Sky Park runs guided exhibition tours through the year and seasonal stargazing nights when the sky is clear. The forest itself hosts mountain bike and trail events through the warmer months. Check ahead before a special trip, especially in winter when access can change.

Before you set off

What to bring

  • 🧥LayersOutdoor play — a coat or spare jumper covers every kind of weather.
  • 💧Water & snacksKeeps the energy up between climbs and runs about.
  • 🧻Wipes & hand gelFor sandy, muddy, ice-cream-covered hands.
  • 🛴Scooter or ballLots of flat path and green space to burn off more energy.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Cost
Free to enter, walk and ride. The OM observatory is a separate paid attraction (£5 adult, £3.50 under-16/over-60, pre-booking essential).
Opening
Forest open daylight hours daily; access to parts may be restricted during forest operations, so heed signage.
Best for ages
All ages. Toddlers get a play park and flat trailhead loop; older kids the pump track, skills area and green/blue trails; teens the 16km red.
What's there
Play park, pump track, skills area, mountain bike trails (green/blue/red, up to 16km), walking trails, picnic area, bike wash, OM Dark Sky observatory nearby.
Toilets
Yes, at the trailhead, with changing facilities.
Parking
Free at the Davagh trailhead; a second free car park at Lough Fea.
Dogs
Welcome on the forest trails on a lead; keep them clear of bikes on shared paths.
Accessibility
Some forest roads are tarmac and buggy-friendly; the off-road trails and skills area are not wheelchair or buggy suitable.
How long to allow
Two to three hours for the play park and a trail; a half-day if you add the OM observatory.
Address
Davagh Forest, near Dunnamore, Cookstown, Co Tyrone BT79 8JH
Questions

Before you go

Is it free to get in?
Free to enter, walk and ride. The OM observatory is a separate paid attraction (£5 adult, £3.50 under-16/over-60, pre-booking essential).
Is there parking?
Free at the Davagh trailhead; a second free car park at Lough Fea.
Are there toilets?
Yes, at the trailhead, with changing facilities.
What ages is it best for?
All ages. Toddlers get a play park and flat trailhead loop; older kids the pump track, skills area and green/blue trails; teens the 16km red.
Can we bring the dog?
Welcome on the forest trails on a lead; keep them clear of bikes on shared paths.
Getting there

Davagh Forest is at Davagh Forest, near Dunnamore, Cookstown, Co Tyrone BT79 8JH. Free at the Davagh trailhead; a second free car park at Lough Fea. Tap below for turn-by-turn directions.

Directions on Google Maps See it on our map
Nearby

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The story

About the park

Davagh Forest covers around 1,500 hectares in the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains, ten miles north west of Cookstown. Long a working Forest Service woodland with forest roads and a lake at Lough Fea, it was reshaped for visitors when Mid Ulster District Council developed the network of mountain bike and walking trails, the pump track and the skills area at the Davagh trailhead.

In 2020 the forest became home to the OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory. Davagh's skies are among the darkest in Europe, and it was accredited by DarkSky International as one of only two International Dark Sky Parks on the island of Ireland. The observatory building, just up the road from the trailhead, brings the night sky indoors with a telescope, virtual reality and guided tours.