Step onto the Waterfall Walkway and the world closes in green around you. The timber boardwalk hangs on stilts above a fast little river, pathways cut into the cliff face, ferns and moss crowding in on every side. Ess-na-Larach comes first — a white ribbon of water dropping through the trees — and further on Ess-na-Crub, the falls loudest and fullest after rain, spray hanging in the gorge.
The full loop is about three miles, and it climbs. You come up out of the gorge to a viewpoint that opens right down the length of Glenariff to the sea at Waterfoot — one of the nine Glens of Antrim laid out below you. It's the kind of view that stops the whole family in their tracks. Then the path brings you back down through the woods, past the tea house, to the car park.
It can be steep and the boards can be slick, so decent grippy shoes matter here. But that's the trade for a walk this good — a proper forest, a real gorge, waterfalls you'll hear before you see. Bring a flask, take your time, and you'll leave fuller than you came.
Plan your visit
Can I just turn up? Yes — it's free to walk in.
The forest is free to enter and open every day — you can walk in on foot around the clock. The only charge is for the car park: £5 per car, with the gates opening by 8am and locking at dusk, so keep an eye on the time on a winter afternoon. There are shorter trails too if the little ones aren't up for the full loop — a 1km viewpoint walk and a short Rainbow Trail — but check the boards at the car park on the day.
Tea house on siteToiletsPicnic & barbecue areasViewpoint over the glenDogs on leads
Good to know:
Forest Service lists the on-site play park as closed for repairs — worth a quick check before you promise the kids a playground. And the waterfall boardwalk has steps and can be muddy and slippery, so it's not one for prams or wheelchairs. Confirm the parking price and anything else on the day.
Before you set off
What to wear & bring
👟Grippy shoes or bootsThe boardwalk and steps get slick, especially after rain — solid footwear makes all the difference.
🧥A coat for the gorgeIt's shady and cool down among the falls even on a warm day, and rain only makes the water more dramatic.
☕A flask or a picnicThere are picnic and barbecue areas, and a tea house on site to warm up in afterwards.
📷A cameraThe falls and the view down the glen to the sea are worth stopping for.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Cost
Free to enter and walk. The car park is £5 per car (confirm the current rate on the day). Laragh Lodge nearby has its own small car park.
Hours
The forest is open on foot every day, 24 hours. The car park gates open by 8am and are locked at dusk, so plan your finish around that in winter.
The main walk
The Waterfall Walk follows the boardwalk through the river gorge past Ess-na-Larach and Ess-na-Crub falls — roughly a 3-mile / 3km loop with a climb. Shorter options include a 1km viewpoint trail and the short Rainbow Trail; a longer 8.9km scenic trail runs deeper into the forest.
What you'll see
A wooded river gorge with timber boardwalks and cliff-cut paths, two waterfalls, mossy woodland, and a viewpoint down Glenariff to the sea at Waterfoot.
Food
A tea house on site, plus picnic and barbecue areas. Laragh Lodge, a restaurant right by the falls, is the other option nearby.
Toilets
Toilets at the car park / visitor area.
Dogs
Dogs are welcome on leads — keep them close on the narrow boardwalk sections and around the falls.
Accessibility
The waterfall walkway has steps and can be muddy and slippery — not suitable for prams or wheelchairs. The car park area and shorter level paths are easier going.
How long
Allow two to three hours for the full waterfall loop and the view; less if you take a shorter trail.
Questions
Before you go
Is there a charge?
It's free to walk in — the only cost is the car park, which is £5 per car. Worth having the coins or card ready; confirm the current price on the day.
How long is the waterfall walk?
The Waterfall Walk is about a 3-mile loop along the boardwalk through the gorge, with a climb up to the viewpoint. Allow two to three hours to enjoy it properly. There's a shorter 1km viewpoint trail if you'd rather.
Is it OK for young children or prams?
Older children who can manage steps love the full loop. But the boardwalk has steps and gets muddy and slippery, so it's not one for prams or wheelchairs — the shorter level paths near the car park suit the very little ones better.
What if it rains?
Rain is when the falls are at their best — fullest and loudest, the gorge at its greenest. Just wear grippy shoes, because the boardwalk turns slick when it's wet.
Can I bring the dog?
Yes, on a lead. Keep them close on the narrow boardwalk and around the water.
Is there anywhere to eat?
There's a tea house on site and picnic and barbecue areas, and Laragh Lodge restaurant sits right by the falls nearby.
Getting there
98 Glenariff Road, Glenariff, Ballymena, County Antrim, BT44 0QX — on the A43 between Ballymena and Waterfoot, up in the Glens of Antrim, with the pay car park on site.
Glenariff is one of the nine Glens of Antrim, and long the best-loved of them — visitors have called it the Queen of the Glens for well over a century. The forest park spreads across more than a thousand hectares of woodland, lakes and open recreation ground on the high ground above Waterfoot, run today by the Forest Service.
The famous timber walkway through the gorge was first built around a hundred years ago and has been rebuilt to carry walkers safely along the cliffs and over the river. It's the reason Glenariff has drawn people up into the glen for generations — the falls, the ferny gorge, and that long green view down to the sea.