Description
Carrick Mountain is a Coillte forest above the village of Glenealy in County Wicklow, ridden informally rather than run as a trail centre: there is no operator, no visitor centre and no official trailhead. Riders describe it as a rockier, quieter alternative to Ballinastoe Mountain Bike Trails, with open hillside, granite outcrops and an informal web of rocky, rooty singletrack through the commercial forest. The hill has a long history in Irish gravity racing, from an Enduro World Series round in 2015 to today's Gravity Enduro and National Downhill series.
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The Trails
There is no official trail centre at Carrick and no waymarking on the ground. What exists is an extensive informal network of singletrack on the hillside above Glenealy, linked by forest roads: rocky and exposed on the open ground below the summit, rootier and more wooded lower down. Riders have mapped around 48 trails on Trailforks, about 44km in all, from 367m at the highest trailhead, rated from blue to black. Those names and ratings are riders' own rather than official, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off.
- Blue: short, flowing descents such as Henderson, Flow Rider, Bluebell and Ballyknockan More, a good way to get to know the hill.
- Red: the lower Emerald Express sections, with berms, drops and jumps.
- Black: Vegas and Emerald Express Pt 1, with drops, gap jumps, rock faces and rock gardens.
Most lines are short, fast descents of a few hundred metres, so a day here means repeated forest road climbs. The Gravity Enduro race loops link the stages into rides of about 26 to 36km with over 1,000m of climbing.
The hill has serious racing pedigree. Carrick hosted round two of the 2015 Enduro World Series as the Emerald Enduro, it has been a regular Gravity Enduro Series venue (2022, 2023 and 2025), and it is a fixture on Ireland's National Downhill Series, most recently hosting round one in April 2026, run by Gravity BC, a Cycling Ireland affiliated downhill, BMX and enduro club. Expect parts of the hill to be closed to casual riding while an event is on.
Getting Here
Carrick Mountain rises directly above Glenealy on the R752, between Rathnew and Rathdrum. From the roundabout in Rathnew, take the R752 through Glenealy, then turn right just before the railway overbridge onto the L2116. A signposted minor road on the right leads to a Coillte forest entrance. This is also the haul route for timber lorries, so park considerately and leave room for them to pass. There is no car park, and no toilets or refreshments on site.
Local Organisations
- Gravity Enduro Ireland runs the Gravity Enduro Series, which regularly holds rounds at Carrick. Follow them for race dates, when parts of the hill will be busy or closed.
- The Cycling Ireland Offroad Commission publishes the national enduro, downhill and cross country race calendars, so check it for events that may close parts of the hill.
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