Overnight at Sacred Mother Peak, Hiking Sanjiaolunshan 三角崙山 and the Batang Trail 巴唐古道 元

 

The moon over the ocean and lights on the Lanyang Plain below Sacred Mother Peak

Sacred Mother Peak (Sheng Mu Feng) in Yilan, with its view of the ocean and the Lanyang Plain, photogenic "Matcha Mountain" and Catholic iconography, is a stunning and unique place. It is a popular day hike but staying overnight at the hut is a much different experience.  Many visitors turn around after reaching the viewing platform but on the second day I climbed above the hut to Sanjiaolunshan South East Peak 三角崙山東南峰 and Sanjiaolunshan Main Peak 三角崙山, then descended via the Batang Trail.

The Sacred Mother Peak hut seen from the viewing platform at the peak

Next to the peak are the green hills of what is known as Matcha Mountain. It is said to resemble matcha powder made from green tea leaves. It has become a popular place for day hikers to have their picture taken.

Distance/Time:  Day 1: 9.7 km/ 4 hours 20 minutes. This could be shortened if taking transport. I walked from the Jiaoxi bus station to the Wufengqi parking lot which is 3.4 km. 

Day 2: 7.8 km/ 10 hours 21 minutes. However, this would have only taken about 5 hours or probably less if I had taken the Batang Trail when I first came to it as I originally intended. I met another hiker who invited me to walk another trail with him and we spent time trying and failing to follow it.

More information as well as maps can be found here (Day 1):  http://rblr.co/Oet5m  and here (Day 2): http://rblr.co/Oet5j

The track for Day 2 is not dependable. I had to backtrack and then later my phone overheated and I had to shut it off, which is why near the end there is a big straight line and then the track picks up again. However, its easy to find the way from from Sanjiaolunshan Main Peak to the Batang Trail which connects to the Sacred Mother Peak Trail.

The Trail: 

I would characterize this as a hard hike. My total ascent for the first day was 1087 meters. I've done this as a day hike several times and not felt it was that hard but it was tougher than I expected carrying a full pack with lots of water. 

The path to Sacred Mother Peak 聖母登山步道 (908 meters) is wide and well-maintained but climbs steadily all the way.  It passes three waterfalls and a church--the Catholic Sanctuary of Our Lady of Wufengqi. Later the path is gravel and dirt. Once you reach steps it's steep, non-stop climbing until the top. 

At the bottom of the trail there is moist, dense forest but near the top it becomes drier with scrubby, wind-dwarfed forest and grass.  

The Sacred Mother Peak Hut is a roomy structure nestled in between green hills. I read that it can sleep 40 but I can't imagine staying there with that many people. The first time I stayed there were 5 of us. This time only two. There are tables and benches on a porch and a sleeping platform inside. A light is powered by a solar panel. 

There are toilets and a sink near the cooking area and usually running water but this time there was no water at the hut. 

The first hut was built in 1979 by Brother Luigi Pavan. He worked in a hospital in Luodong for 26 years and built the hut after climbing the mountain several times. 

Near the hut is a statue of the Virgin Mary and on the concrete viewing platform at the top there is a statue of Jesus on a cross. 

Richard Saunders' book, Taiwan 101 Volume 1 explains that some hikers were lost here in 1980. They prayed and once they found their way they saw a vision of a white figure in a tree. The Catholic church investigated and documented it as a possible sighting of the Virgin Mary. Since then it has become a pilgrimage site for Catholics. 

I noted that hikers had carried up bags filled with stones. I thought that perhaps Catholic worshipers carry them to the top as a sign of devotion---especially because they were placed at the foot of the Virgin Mary and the Jesus statue. (I felt like I was doing penance carrying all of that water up there.) But a friend thought people volunteer to carry the stones in for trail maintenance---so I'm not sure.

Sanjiaolunshan 三角崙山, at 1029 rises above Sacred Mother peak and has a 360 degree view. It is number 83 on the list of small Bai Yue (the 100 small peaks of Taiwan). It takes about half an hour to get there from the hut.

Batang Trail 巴唐古道 元  is an alternative decent. It is reached via a fork just before the ascent to Sanjiaolunshan South East Peak (997m). It is clear and easy to follow. It is not hard but descends steeply. Near the end it crosses and follows a pretty stream. It rejoins the Sacred Mother Peak Hiking trail not far from the bottom of the steps. 

Before descending via the Batang Trail I tried and failed, along with another hiker I met at the hut, to follow a different path which was supposed to connect to the Sacred Mother Peak trail at the 2.5 km mark. There used to be a trail. Now there are some remnants of a trail but mostly it's nearly impenetrable thorns and brush. Maybe if you had a machete you could make it.

What to bring/preparations before going: 

This was the second time I stayed at the hut. The first time I just showed up but this time I had a Taiwanese friend help me make a reservation via the hut's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/185834538788284/  

I am very glad that he made the reservation because their reply confirming the reservation, informed us that there was no water at the hut. So one of the most important things that I took was lots of water. 

It was very hot in August and I knew I would need lots of drinking water as well as water for cooking dinner and breakfast. Better safe than sorry, so I carried a Nalgene canteen which holds 2.8 liters as well as a big sports drink bottle.  I refilled my water at the shelter just before the climb to the peak.

I took food to cook for dinner and breakfast and lunch the next day and of course my stove. I also packed a sleeping pad and pillow. I didn't take a sleeping bag because it was summer but I did take a fleece and long pants because it can get colder up there even in summer. (There are some blankets in the hut in a cabinet but I didn't use them.)

If you prefer to take a tent the rules on the Facebook page says tents are only allowed on the concrete platform next to the pool in front of the hut.

Transportation: I took a Capital Star bus 1572 from Taipei City Hall bus station to the Jiaoxi bus station. The ticket is NT$96 and takes about an hour.  I walked the 3.4 km from the station to the Wufengqi Parking lot. Previously, I have taken a taxi which took less than ten minutes and cost NT$160. There is also a shuttle bus.

On the way back, we called a taxi company in Jiaoxi and within a few minutes a driver picked us up. The number is 03 988 2612. And then I took the same bus back to Taipei. When getting the bus from Jiaoxi station, they board by number, so get a number from the counter even if using an Easy card.

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The hike:  

This was the third time recently that I had been hiking near Jiaoxi in Yilan. Most people go to Jiaoxi for the hot springs but there is excellent hiking there too. 

I had some time off so I decided to take advantage of it and spend a night at the Sacred Mother Peak Hut. One of my friends took Friday off and we planned to go together but the day before a family emergency came up and he had to cancel. 

Since I did not need to start too early, I took a bus late morning bus from Taipei and had lunch in Jiaoxi. 

It looked like the shuttle bus had just departed so I decided to walk the 3.4 km from the Jiaoxi bus station to the Wufengqi parking lot which took 46 minutes. I sort of came to regret this. It was very hot and exposed on the road and my bag was heavy. Also, truth be told, I was a little hung over from the night before and had a headache which the bright hot sun was not improving.

I cut through the Jiaoxi Hot Spring park next to the bus station and on the other side turned right on Gongyuan Road and left on Zhongxiao Road. When Zhongxiao road reached a T-intersection with just a smaller lane going straight, I went right on Deyang Road. 

Then I came to a very clear sign with an arrow pointing right toward Wufengqi and followed it. This was more of a country road and I felt I had left the town behind. 

I passed the Royal Sky Park Campsite and Golf Course and the Hotel Royal and finally came to the entrance of the Wufengqi Scenic Area parking lot.

I went right toward distant green hills following a road and trail, passed some weirs with deep water and in about 18 minutes came to a sign pointing right that simply said "waterfall." It's shorter and more scenic to take the waterfall route to the church.

There are three waterfalls at Wufengqi and the first one is only about ten minutes from here. It's easy to find all three by just following the signs. I went up steps next to a stream. There were some people soaking their feet in the water and I saw three Formosan Blue Magpies also having a bath. At the top of the steps there is another parking area with lots of vendors. 

I turned left along a wide road and soon came to the first Wufengqi. waterfall. This is the smallest one but my favorite because of the nice, deep pool at the base. 

 

Just around the corner is the second, taller waterfall.

The third waterfall is the furthest away. It is reached by turning sharply left just before the second waterfall and then right up steep steps for about ten minutes. At the top the path goes straight for a short way under wire mesh and steel beams (to protect visitors from falling rocks) and comes to a viewing platform.

I went back to the bottom of the steps, turned right and joined a road. I turned uphill and started passing around the high wall of one of the church buildings. The road curves around and there is a nice view of the church from above.

The Catholic Sanctuary of Our Lady of Wufengqi

From here the trail is very easy to follow. It is usually gravel, sometimes paved but always consistently uphill. There are trees and usually a wall on the right and the river valley below on the left.

I saw a medium sized snake climbing up the stone wall and disappearing into the brush but did not get a good look at it or a picture. I am sure that snakes cross this trail often unbeknownst to hikers. When I saw this one, some hikers who were going down had just passed and they never saw it. 

The next day, on the way back out I heard a noise and turned to see a very large, beautiful, black snake making a beeline for the brush on the other side. Again I did not get a picture because I had put my phone inside my pack to charge it.

I reached a shelter house at the base of the steps just after 3:00 (two hours after starting from the parking lot and 2 hours and 47 minutes from the bus station). 

There are toilets, benches and water here. I filled up my (now empty) bottle of sports drink with water for cooking.

I did not expect this hike to be very hard but I was feeling much more tired than I expected so the ascent up the steps with a heavy pack was tough. It may have been the heat, the weight of the pack or because of beers the night before. Probably all three. 

It took an hour and a half of climbing to reach the hut. The trail is mostly steps with very few level sections. It starts near the stream but later moves away from it.
 

About half way up there is another shelter--this one with just a roof and benches--and not at the shelter but further on, there is another water source. 

 

Near the top the trees thinned out and gave way to wind dwarfed forest and grassy areas that reminded me of some parts of Yangmingshan. Excitement overcame fatigue as I got closer and started seeing excellent views looking back down the trail.

Just before I arrived I was rewarded with the sight of this little guy which I think is a Siberian Weasel. It did not seem scared of me at all and did not run away even when I got close.

I arrived at the hut at 4:42. The pond below the peak looked bone dry and when I tested the faucets outside the hut there was not a drop of water. 

Inside the Sacred Mother Peak hut

The last day hikers went back down. I dropped my bag in the hut and had a look around. I had the place to myself. The light and the view changed every few minutes as the sun was going down. 

 

I set up my bed and starting cooking dinner. 

As the sun went down the fog moved in and the view was gone. I was feeling like a survivor in an apocalypse film but just as I was starting to eat, another hiker arrived.  I have to admit I was a little disappointed not to have the place to myself. But 71 year old Mr. Huang was a good companion. 

He was friendly but that night we didn't talk too much. I was probably standoffish because I was eating dinner and later reading a book. I would get to know him much better the next day.  He said he had climbed all of Taiwan's 100 peaks (bai yue). He had kids who lived in America. He mentioned several American national parks that he had visited but I could not understand the names of all of them in Chinese.

Another person came later but he only came to take photos and then hiked back down in the dark. 

I thought our views for the night were finished but Mr. Huang said that as it got cooler the fog would drop and he was right. Later all three of us went up to the platform to see the moon over the ocean and the lights on the plain below. 

I went to sleep about 9:45. Early in the morning I could not sleep and I knew day hikers would start arriving early, so I got up around 4:30, made coffee and later breakfast.

I was planning to hike to Sanjiaolunshan in the morning and return by the Batang trail but Mr. Huang invited me to go with him (Ni gen wo zou) on another trail that would connect to the Sheng Mu Feng trail further down.

My impulse was to do my own thing but we were going the same way initially anyway so I decided to accept. 

I thought that I could learn about a new trail and he knew where he was going. Wrong!

And my wife is always telling me I shouldn't hike alone so I thought it would be safer to walk with someone else. Wrong again!

I think he had walked both ends of the trail but he had not done the middle part that connects them. (You yi tiao duan lu wo meiyou zou). I asked him if it was a good trail and he said it was. (Hen hao zou) and that we would be there in three hours. (Sange xiaoshi jiu daole). That sounded good but both of those statements were definitely wrong.

While I was still packing my stuff he went up to the top to take pictures and said he would wait for me. 

I set out at five minutes till 6. It only took about 20 minutes to get to Sanjiaolunshan. The trail starts just next to the hut. I climbed up behind the hut and in about 5 minutes came to a fork. Mr. Huang had left some of this things here and I left my bag because we would come back later. There was a nice flat clearing at the fork and it looked to me like a nice spot to camp if you did not want to stay at the hut. 

This photo was actually taken when we came back to the fork but it shows the sign more clearly.

There were two paths going up to Sanjiaolushan South East Peak (1000m). I took the right path up and the left one on the way down. Both are very steep. There are ropes and its a fun, short climb. 

The path to the main peak is more level. I reached Sanjiaolunshan main peak (1029 m), with stunning views in every direction, about ten minutes later. 

Mr. Huang and I on top of  Sanjiaolunshan

 After admiring the view and taking pictures we went back down to the fork and took the Batang Trail. So far so good.

This was a narrower but clear trail. It had it's ups and downs but it was not strenuous. There were some decent views. 

In just over 1 km. We reached a fork. The Batang trail started to descend on the right. But Mr. Huang's plan was to continue straight. 

 

At first the trail was overgrown but clear. It went up a slope and came down between two hills. It was hard to find the way forward but after some searching we found a rope and a faint path. 

We followed some flags but later it became clear that we were totally off the path. There were thorns that dug into fabric and flesh and would not let go easily. By the time we got back out I was scratched and bleeding. My clothes were worse for wear as well.

The map did show a trail and by looking at GPS I could see where we were supposed to be. We climbed up a slope and pushed through the brush and came out to a trail on top of a ridge. At the end of this section we came to a junction marked with a sign on a tree but beyond this point there was just no sign of a trail.

We tried to carry on and spent some time looking for the trail. I told him that we needed to go back.  I was low on water and if we continued there was a real chance of getting lost.

Once we turned around the return path was hard to follow. We took a couple of rests but the ridge was very exposed to the sun and hot, so not for long. We had a nice view of Turtle Island. 

It's clear that there used to be a trail here but it has been reclaimed by the wilderness.

Suffice to say I was glad when we emerged and found the sign for the Batang trail again. 

 This path was steep but compared to the "trail" we had just been on it was wonderful. It was wide and clear! There were clear flags! I was thinking "I love this trail." 

It took an hour to walk back to the Sacred Mother Peak trail. We crossed a stream where we stopped to rest, wash off and get water. 

We crossed again over a metal foot bridge and then entered a very pretty section where the path went beside the stream.  

We came out to the main Sacred Mother Peak trail, went down hill and arrived at the shelter at the bottom of the stairs.

It was about 2:00 and I had not eaten anything except some oatmeal at breakfast so I stopped to cook lunch.

It took about two more hours to finish. At the last waterfall I took a dip to wash off some sweat and dirt and then changed into clean clothes in the toilet. 

We called a taxi and Mr. Huang said he would pay for it, which I think was by way of apology for getting us lost. 

All in all, it was a tough day and definitely harder than I expected, but not a bad experience.

I got a LINE message from Mr. Huang the next morning saying, "Good morning! Very glad to have met you." Zao An. Hen gaoxing renxi dao nin.

Other hikes near Jiaoxi:

Huiyinggu Waterfall 迴音谷瀑布 and Houdongkeng Waterfall 猴洞坑瀑布

 

White Dragon Pool (Bailong Tan) and the Dezikou Stream

GPS Coordinates and maps:

 Wufengqi Scenic Area parking lot:  24.829742, 121.752495

Sheng Mu Feng hut: 24.855638, 121.730863

Sanjiaolunshan: 24.859216, 121.729704

Batang Trail (top): 24.856477, 121.732258

Batang Trail (bottom--at intersection with Sacred Mother Peak Trail): 24.849772, 121.734851

Day 1: http://rblr.co/Oet5m

 Day 2: http://rblr.co/Oet5j