By Business & Finance 
Ireland’s largest provider of outdoor recreation, Coillte, is transforming the nation’s forests into vibrant community spaces that promote well-being, tourism, and rural development.
Discover Ireland’s largest playground.
Outdoor recreation plays a vital role in communities nationwide. Engaging in activities such as hiking, running, or even leisurely strolls in forested areas and connecting with nature not only enhances physical and mental well-being but also fosters social cohesion and rural economic development. Forests attract tourists, which in turn supports local businesses, creating economic and employment opportunities in local communities.
In recent years the use of forests for recreational purposes has increased across Ireland. As visitor numbers increase, so too does the demand for suitable, high-quality infrastructure that supports engaging visitor experiences and recreational opportunities.
That’s why Coillte, Ireland’s semi-state forestry company, is creating more recreational forests in communities all over Ireland. As Ireland’s largest provider of outdoor recreation, Coillte’s forests welcome around 18 million visits each year, boosting the local economy and supporting rural tourism. With 12 forests parks, and over 250 recreational areas, over 3,000km of dedicated marked walking trails and six mountain bike centres, Coillte’s forests provide spaces to hike, bike, explore, and relax, for people to enjoy. Coillte also has an open forest policy, according to the principles of Leave No Trace Ireland.
Over three million people visited Coillte’s top 50 most popular recreational woodlands and parks in 2024. This represents a 10% uplift in the number of visits to Coillte’s recreational forests year-on-year, demonstrating that more and more people are enjoying the outdoors in their local Coillte forest.
Much work has been done in recent years to improve the recreational offerings of Coillte’s forests including the development of ‘access for all’ trails suitable for young and old alike including wheelchair users, prams and buggies. Key partnerships have led to the development of exciting visitor destinations like Beyond the Trees Avondale, Co. Wicklow. Avondale Forest Park saw almost 350,000 visits recorded in 2024, which was the highest number of visits recorded last year. In addition to Avondale House, the home of Charles Stewart Parnell, it now boasts a unique Treetop Walk and Viewing Tower, Ireland’s longest slide, guided tours and the very popular upcoming Winter Night Lights event.
Rossmore Forest Park in Co. Monaghan, which boasts a variety of walking trails around Rossmore Castle, surrounding lakes where fishing is available, family cycling trails, and nature tracks, attracted the second highest number of visits in 2024, with over 340,000 visitors recorded. Ticknock in Co. Dublin, which offers several walking and hiking trails, as well as mountain-bike tracks and orienteering courses, followed in third place with over 260,000 visits last year.
Coillte’s target is to double the number of its forest recreation areas nationally to 500, to benefit local communities and people’s wellbeing. Coillte’s strategic vision aims to balance and deliver the multiple benefits of forests for climate, nature, wood and people. For more information on Coillte’s recreational forest areas including recreation maps visit www.coillte.ie. From the Treetop Walk at Beyond the Trees Avondale to Ziplining in Lough Key Forest Park, adventure awaits everyone!
