Glenmacnass Waterfall

Glenmacnass Waterfall
Glenmacnass Waterfall
Gleann Log an Easa
Location	Wicklow Mountains, Ireland
Coordinates	53°03′51″N 6°20′13″W / 53.064223°N 6.33688°W
Type	Cascade
Elevation	350 metres (1,150 ft)
Total height	80 metres (260 ft)
Number of drops	3
Watercourse	Glenmacnass River

Glenmacnass Waterfall (

Sally Gap in the north, to the village of Laragh

in the south.

Geography

The Glenmacnass River begins high up on the southeast slopes of Mullaghcleevaun 849 metres (2,785 ft), with smaller tributaries flowing in from the eastern slopes of Tonelagee 817 metres (2,680 ft); the river then reaches the top of the waterfall at an elevation of 350 metres (1,150 ft) above sea-level, where it falls 80 metres (260 ft) down the waterfall in 3 staggered drops to an elevation of 270 metres (890 ft) above sea-level, where it reaches the Glenmacnass Valley floor.^[2]^[3]

The river continues through the

U-shaped valley until it joins the Avonmore River (Irish: Abhainn Mór, meaning "big river") at the village of Laragh. It is later joined by the Avonbeg (Irish: Abhainn Beag, meaning "small river") to become the Avoca and eventually flows into the Irish Sea at the coastal town called Arklow.^[2]^[3]

Geology

moraines marking the positions of the ice-front as it retreated back towards the source area higher up in the centre of the Wicklow mountains.^[2]^[4] The GSI highlight an impressive moraine about halfway between the waterfall and Laragh and can be seen as a boulder-strewn mound running right across the valley.^[2]^[4]

Glenmacnass Waterfall flows over grey-colored, smooth

Palaeozoic Maulin Formation) can be seen jutting out; thus the waterfall has formed at the boundary between these two major rock types.^[2]

Access

The Glenmacnass Waterfall is a popular tourist destination and scenic viewpoint area in the Wicklow Mountains, and the entire Glenmacnass Valley can be accessed by the

Sally Gap to Laragh. There are parking facilities at the top of the waterfall, and the waterfall and valley are in the Wicklow Mountains National Park.^[2]