Taiwan Hiking Journal: October 2022

This walk starting at Shenkeng Old Street, passes Four Dragons Waterfall (also called Paozilun Waterfall) and the Lin Family Cottage -- a rammed earth, thatch-roofed house that is over 100 years old where the owners enthusiastically welcomed us to enjoy a pot of tea. After the cottage the route climbs to Hou Shan Yue (Monkey Mountain, 551m). The mountain got it's name not because of resident monkeys but because it is meant to look like a monkey's head from below. However, we did see a large troop of monkeys on the trail. The front peak offers an excellent view but on the day that we visited it was obscured by rain and mist. After the peak we descended to Shengkeng by a different path. This is a good walk to take slow and enjoy since there are lots of inviting places to rest and enjoy the scenery.

Distance/Time: 9.3 km/ 6 hours. The trail was wet and slippery and we took our time. More details as well as a map can be found here: http://rblr.co/OfsGr

The Trail: This is a moderate, loop trail that straddles the Shenkeng District in New Taipei City and the Wenshan District in Taipei.

It starts and finishes with a road walk. The trail often passes farms but is mostly in wilderness. It is generally in good condition with lots of wide pleasant sections. There are some short, very steep, parts using fixed ropes that are slick after rain. It rained all night the night before and in the morning on the day we visited, so it was very muddy and slippery.

Near the beginning and the end, route finding is a little tricky because there are lots of different paths but in the middle its generally easy to find the way.

Four Dragons Waterfall, also called Paozhilun Waterfall, (炮子崙瀑布(四龍瀑布) is an impressive 20 meter waterfall. If just going to the waterfall it's a short walk from Shenkeng. I did a family friendly outing to this spot in June, 2022. Here is my post about that walk Four Dragons Waterfall. On warm days you will find families playing in the water and people standing under the strong flow.

The Lin Family Cottage is a rammed earth structure with a thatched roof that is over 100 years old. One blog that I read said over 130 years old. The same blog post said that a few years ago over 70 volunteers assisted in the renovation of the house. Nearby there are fields of vegetables, rice fields and terraced tea bushes. There is a more modern structure just beyond the house with tables set up outside and the owners welcome hikers to sample some tea.

Monkey Mountain (Hou Shan Yue 猴山岳) consists of 2 peaks. The main peak is 551 meters but there is no view. The front peak is shorter at 514 meters but offers an amazing view to the west.

What to bring: Nothing special is needed beyond sturdy shoes with good grip. I packed snacks and water.

It was one of the first cool days of the fall and I was glad that I had decided in the morning not to wear shorts and to take a long sleeved shirt. Most of the morning I had to wear my raincoat but shed it when the weather cleared up later.

Transportation: We took the MRT to Muzha station. Heading straight out of the station and crossing to the bus stop across the road we then took bus 666 to Shengkeng. The bus ride takes only about 15 minutes. Several buses pass Shengkeng including the 660, 795, 819, 679.

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The hike:

The bus stopped just next to a 7-11. It was raining steadily when we arrived. After putting on rain jackets and pack covers we started hiking about 8:30 am. We turned right at the corner.

Shenkeng Old Street (famous for stinky tofu) was to the left but we went straight crossing a bridge and continuing along a road till we came to a T-intersection (Wan Shan Road) with a CPC gas station across the street.

We crossed the street went right and then took the first left at a betel nut stand on the corner, turning onto a country lane. From here it's 1.4 km to Four Dragons Waterfall trail. We passed a garden center on the left and a driving range on the right.

We ignored a right turn with an arrow and a sign reading PaozilunTrail and carried on straight. This is the way we would return.

There was a porta-potty next to the trail to Four Dragons Waterfall (also called Paozilun Waterfall) and a sign with both names in Chinese. It took about 25 minutes to get here from the bus stop.

After about ten more minutes on a lush trail we reached the waterfall which was impressive after the overnight rain. There is a shelter house with chairs and tables next to the waterfall and a toilet up the hill.

Just downstream from the waterfall and looking across the stream we could see another path. We crossed the stream over slippery boulders and then joined a clear path.

It was very steep with ropes to help with the ascent but leveled off once it reached the top of the falls.

At the top there was junction and we went right. We went through forest for a short distance and then emerged onto a farm.

At the next junction (in less than 100 meters) we turned left. We went up some steps and passed some houses. There are several paths crossing each other in this section but after this junction the path becomes clearer and there are signs pointing the way to the "Lin Family Ancient House'."

We kept to the main route ignoring side paths. If in doubt just follow the signs.

Forty five minutes after we left the waterfall, we came to a clearing near fields and a huge tree with large rocks arranged around it. We stopped for a few minutes here.

We walked along a trail between the fields, up some steps and came to the cottage.

An old man wearing a dark sweater and trousers came to the door and invited us to have tea above (San mian he cha). I felt bad to snap a picture while he was standing in the doorway without permission. So I asked and he said keyi ah.

A little further on there was a more modern building with some tables and a canopy outside. A very friendly middle aged woman came out and invited us to have some tea and so we took a seat. There was an older woman in a lawn chair watching TV who remain seated inside but who was also very welcoming.

Rows of tea bushes near the Lin Family Cottage

It was a chilly, damp day and the hot tea was delicious and warming. My fingers were numb from the cold and when I took my second drink I managed to spill tea on the table, my friend's phone and his pants. Luckily he rescued the phone quickly.

The cold was a surprise because just a few day before it had been shorts and t-shirt weather. Our hostess remarked on the cold and when I asked her what the temperature was she checked a thermometer near the door and said it was a cool 13 degrees!

Later she also brought a glass mug of coffee which she said was grown in Taiwan. She showed us the bag and said a friend had given it to her.

We ended up staying about 40 minutes. The trail continued just to the left of the house. We soon saw a sign for the Hou Shan Yue Trail.

Looking back across tea plants to the modern house near the Lin Family Cottage

From here its less than 400 meters to a crossroads.

We turned right toward Hou Shan Yue along a ridge. The left turn goes to Erge Shan.

Here it was very misty and made for a very picturesque walk along the ridge. It took us about 40 minutes to walk from the cottage to the main peak of Hou Shan Yue.

Monkey Mountain (Hou Shan Yue) Main Peak

There is no view at the main peak so we walked on to the front peak which is only about 5 minutes further.

There was a clearing and benches and great view even though it was obscured by the rain and mist. We stopped for lunch. We could see the Maokong Gondola and once in a while Taipei 101 would come out of the mist.

Monkey Mountain (Hou Shan Yue) Front Peak

After lunch, we retraced our steps a few meters back toward the main peak and took a narrow trail on the left.

Just around the corner it went almost vertically down a steep rocky section with the aid of ropes. The rocks were wet and slippery but it was easier than it looked because there were footholds with good traction in the rock.

At the bottom the trail was very narrow. There was a junction here that was not on my map. The path continued straight and another on the left went down hill. The path downhill is the correct one.

In less than 200 meters we came to another junction and turned right.

This was a nice section of narrow forested trail. We passed under a large, buzzing electricity pylon and then came to another junction in just under 300 meters. This time we went left. The right fork heads back in the direction of the cottage and waterfall.

We passed some more farms and came to a road.

At the road we took a left and then a quick right. In 180 meters the road ended next to a shelter house with a good view but a trail continued on. We stopped at the shelter house for about 15 minutes. It took us an hour to reach this point from the peak.

The trail went back into forest. We walked for 15 to 20 minutes and were looking out for the turn that would take us back to the road to Shenkeng.

Route finding was a little confusing here. Just after passing a chain link fence there was a narrow path on the right. At first I mistakenly thought this was the path we were looking for and starting walking down it but my GPS showed me heading in the wrong direction.

The path we wanted was downhill at a three way fork, next to a shelter house and some derelict looking buildings. It was the middle one, passing just to the right of a mossy stone wall.

We passed through another farm and in just a few minutes there was another turn to the right along a path that ran below but parallel to the path we had been on before veering away from it. There was a sign here indicating a parking lot in 560 meters.