Slieve Gullion Forest Park

A zip wire, a maze, and a giant to rescue

The Adventure Playpark has a real spread of kit. Older kids head for the Slieve Gullion ZIP, the climbing frames and the slides; there is a maze and a wishing chair too. Younger children get a specially designed toddler area of their own, so you are not chasing a two-year-old around equipment built for ten-year-olds. Right beside it, Fionn's Giant Adventure (the Giant's Lair) is a free self-guided trail through the woods where you join fairies and warriors to save the hero Fionn. Picnic tables sit next to the play area, so lunch is sorted. Dogs are welcome in the wider park but not inside the playpark.

Free to play Zip wire Toddler area Giant's Lair story trail 10km scenic forest drive Picnic tables on site

Good to know before you go:

Slieve Gullion runs seasonal events through the year, from summer family days to Halloween and Christmas happenings in the forest. Dates change each season, so check what's on before you travel.

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.

Everything before you go

Cost

Free to walk or cycle in; the playpark and Giant's Lair are free

Opening

Daily from 9am; closes 9pm May–Aug, 8pm Apr & Sep, 6pm Mar & Oct, 5pm Nov–Feb (closed Christmas Day)

Best for ages

Toddlers to about 11 — dedicated toddler area plus zip wire and bigger climbing kit

What's there

Adventure playpark, zip wire, toddler area, Giant's Lair story trail, 10km forest drive, walled garden, picnic tables

Toilets

Yes, including accessible (radar key) and baby-changing

Parking

Paid — £5 for a car of up to 7 seats at the car park beside the playground

Dogs

Welcome in the wider park under control; not allowed in the Adventure Playpark

Accessibility

Playpark and Giant's Lair area are buggy-accessible; accessible toilet on site; the forest drive is a road you can drive

How long to allow

Half a day — longer if you do the forest drive and a walk

Address

Slieve Gullion Forest Park, Killeavy, Newry, Co. Armagh

Questions

Before you go

Is it free to get in?

Free to walk or cycle in; the playpark and Giant's Lair are free

Is there parking?

Paid — £5 for a car of up to 7 seats at the car park beside the playground

Are there toilets?

Yes, including accessible (radar key) and baby-changing

What ages is it best for?

Toddlers to about 11 — dedicated toddler area plus zip wire and bigger climbing kit

Can we bring the dog?

Welcome in the wider park under control; not allowed in the Adventure Playpark

Getting there

Slieve Gullion Forest Park is at Slieve Gullion Forest Park, Killeavy, Newry, Co. Armagh. Paid — £5 for a car of up to 7 seats at the car park beside the playground. 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

Slieve Gullion is the centrepiece of the Ring of Gullion, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty formed by an ancient ring dyke — a near-perfect circle of hills around the central mountain. The forest park sits on its lower slopes near Killeavy, outside Newry.

On the summit, reached by the forest drive and a walk, sits a Neolithic passage tomb, one of the highest in Ireland, alongside a hilltop lake tied in local legend to Calliagh Berra, the witch who features in Fionn's Giant Adventure down in the woods. The story trail and the playpark are recent additions that gave the old forest a new draw for families.