Most visitors to Dublin think of the Wicklow Mountains as the place where Glendalough is. They are actually a national park covering 220 square kilometres, with peaks, bog plateaus, lakes and forest. You can spend a full day in them and not see another tour bus.
Lough Tay
The view from the top of the Sally Gap road, looking down at Lough Tay, is one of the most photographed in Ireland. The lake is dark from the peat and the beach at the south end is bright white from imported sand (the Guinness family owns the estate around it and brought in the sand in the 1930s). Locals call it the Guinness Lake. There is a viewing point with parking right by the road.
Sally Gap
The Sally Gap is the high pass on the Old Military Road, originally built by the British Army to suppress rebels after the 1798 rising. The road climbs up out of Enniskerry, crosses the bog at the top, drops back down through Glenmacnass to Laragh. Plan an hour and a half of driving even though it is only about thirty kilometres. Most of the time is in stops.
Glenmacnass Waterfall
About two-thirds of the way down the Sally Gap toward Laragh, Glenmacnass Waterfall comes into view from the road. There is a small lay-by and a short scramble down to the foot of the falls. After heavy rain the falls are dramatic.
Lugnaquilla
Lugnaquilla, the highest mountain in Wicklow at 925 metres, is the only Irish mountain over 900 metres outside Kerry and Galway. The standard route from Glenmalure takes about five hours up and down. It is a moderate hike but the summit plateau is exposed and you should not attempt it in poor visibility.
Powerscourt Estate
Powerscourt's gardens are one of the great formal gardens of Europe. The Italianate terraces step down to a pond with the Sugar Loaf framing the view. The estate also includes Powerscourt Waterfall, the highest in Ireland at 121 metres, in a separate small park up the road. Both are worth visiting; the gardens take a couple of hours and the waterfall an hour.
Where to eat
Avoca at Powerscourt for lunch with a view. The Roundwood Inn in Roundwood village does proper food in a 17th century pub. Wicklow Heather in Laragh for dinner if you are doing Glendalough the same day.
Best routes from Dublin
The most scenic drive into the mountains is via Enniskerry and the Sally Gap. The faster route is the M50 to the N11 and the Glen of the Downs, then in via Roundwood. Either way it is about an hour from the south of Dublin to the heart of the park.