White Horse General Cave 白馬將軍洞, White Horse General Cave Giant Rock, and Black Moon Mountain 烏月山

 

Views of big rock walls amidst riotous green forest, two caves, a path that climbs to the top of a giant boulder-like rock and a small summit. This walk in the green hills above Shenkeng starts out with a kind of ugly road walk but soon follows country roads, steps and then later a wide path. The caves are rock shelters formed by erosion. They were once used by soldiers resisting the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. 

Entrance to the first cave

 

 Distance/Time: My distance and time were 12.8 km/ 5 hours 37 minutes but I took my time because of the slippery conditions and I did some exploring. 

To walk to the summit and back would only be about 10 km and take about 4 to 4.5 hours. Of course, it would be much shorter if driving and parking near the trail instead of walking from the bus stop like I did. 

Here is my track as well as more details: http://rblr.co/Ogq0h 

The Trail:  

This is a moderate hike and not strenuous at all but on the day I visited it was wet and very slippery.  This walk and other points of interests around Shenkeng are covered in Richard Saunders' book Taipei Escapes 1 https://taipeiescapes.wordpress.com/walk-1-20/

The caves are technically rock shelters--a type of cave that is formed when a lower, softer stratum is worn away by erosion and weathering while a harder upper stratum remains. These caves were used by resistance fighters during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. There are rumours of other caves and maybe much larger caves in the area but maybe they are just rumours. Taipei Escapes 1 offers more detailed information.

The walk from Shenkeng to Wuyue is on a road which has a good amount of traffic but there is a wide shoulder.  After that the walk follows country roads through and above the village. Just before the trail starts there is a steep, paved section that was very slick.

After that there are steps almost all the way to the top of a ridge. There is an overgrown and narrow path to an overlook on top of the White Horse General Giant Rock but the path to the summit of Wuyueshan (Black Moon Mountain) is wide and easy. 

The path seemed to be in disrepair and was littered with leaves and debris. The steps are covered in green moss and can be slippery.  The whole area had a sort of spooky, abandoned, aura. It was a gloomy, grey, wet day which probably contributed to the feeling. I saw only one other person on the trail. Maybe on a warm sunny day it would feel completely different. 

What to bring: Shoes with good tread for slippery surfaces and a hiking pole to help with balance (and maybe to threaten dogs) are highly recommended. 

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

The hike:

I had wanted to visit this trail for a long time but this was my first time. Earlier in the year, I had actually set off on a Sunday morning and got as far as Muzha MRT station but while waiting for the bus to Shenkeng it was raining so hard that I decided try it another day.

On this day it was also raining but the forecast said there would be less rain in the afternoon. It turned out that it rained all day but it was just a light mist. Most of the time I could not tell if it was raining or if water was just dripping off the trees. But it still turned out to be a very wet day. 

I got off the bus at the Shenkeng stop next to a 7-11. At the corner I turned right. 

Shenkeng Old Street (famous for stinky tofu) was to the left. I went straight crossing Shenkeng Bridge over the Jingmei River. The water was blue and there were schools of large fish visible in the river.

I continued straight along a road for a few minutes until I came to Wan Shan Road. There was a CPC gas station and a cafe across the street. 

I turned left on Wan Shan Road, passed a bus depot and went over a long bridge, again crossing the Jingmei River. Later I walked along the wall of an electrical substation. 

Nearing Wu Yue village there was a fire station on the right. The second intersection after the fire station was Wu Yue Road.  It took me thirty five minutes to walk to this point. 

I turned right on Wu Yue Road. 

Intersection with Wu Yue Road

Wu Yue Village

The road curved left and passed through the village. I took note of an interesting traditional house made of mud that was crumbling. It seemed to be used as a warehouse now and was protected by a metal roof. 

At the second right (lane 41), I turned steeply uphill.

There was a dog lying in the road. It stood up and barked at me but not until I had already passed. I soon passed a temple on the right. 

After turning onto Lane 41 it was quiet and bucolic. There was thick green vegetation and tall trees on both sides and later a high, mossy, green retaining wall on the left. 

At the next intersection in 650 meters I turned right onto a smaller road. There was a brown sign on the corner that read "Wu Yue Trail."

The road was wet and black and there were glimpses of the green hills above and massive, pale rock faces standing out from the greenery. 

This road ended in a T-intersection. Signs pointing both ways read "parking lot" in Chinese. There was a house on the left somewhat elevated above the road way. A black dog on the porch barked at me but did not come down. 

I turned left and in just a few minutes came to the end of the road. There was a sign and a map board which had "rock fall" scrawled across it in English in green spray paint. I thought this was ominous and thought the trail might be blocked which would explain why I had seen no other hikers. But it turned out to be fine. 

Turning right I walked up a very slippery paved path with a metal railing. 

At the top the path leveled off next to 5 large metal water tanks. Just before the tanks there was a narrow path through high grass dropping down on the right. I followed it thinking it might be a path to one of the caves but it just came to a stream and some irrigation piping.

 I went back up and then walked straight past the tanks and started up steps. It took me about an hour and ten minutes to walk from the bus stop to the steps. 

The steps were green with moss and littered with debris and there were some areas with loose stones and piles of flood wrack.  In one place a stream spilled over the steps and ran down a few of them before flowing away on the other side. 

I was wondering if I had missed the caves when I came to a narrow but clear path on the left and just down the trail I could see a cave entrance. 

Inside there were stone slabs fashioned into benches and a place for a shrine. It was sheltered on three sides. It was little more than a place to huddle out of the rain and wind, but on a cold, wet day I imagine it would be a welcome haven. It made me remember a trip where three friends and I shivered under a bridge out of the rain and cooked our dinner on a narrow muddy strip and were grateful for the shelter.

I went back to the main path and started up the steps again. Soon I passed the second rock shelter. 

 I kept going up. I met the only other hiker I would see all day coming down. Just before the top the stone stops became rougher and gave way to a dirt path. 

I emerged at the foot of the a huge, pale stone wall covered with vines at the top. 

A path went around the left side and came to a T-junction. I first turned right and pushed through wet vegetation along a narrow trail that went to the top of the rock. There was an aluminum ladder in one steep gap. 

 There wasn't much of a view on this misty day. 

I went back down and now took the other path to Wu Yue Shan which was wide and clear.  I heard and glimpsed a group of monkeys on the way. The summit was flat and muddy and there was no view. But the trail to it is nice and it's definitely worth seeing if you have already come all of this way.  On Maps.me it is called Sangongling Shan but the sign at the summit says Wu Yue Shan.

On the way to the summit I had passed a side trail marked with flags. 

 Now I went back and took this trail. My idea was to find an alternative descent instead of walking back the way I had come. Maps.me showed this trail descending to the road that ran roughly parallel to the one I had taken on the way up.  

The trail was narrow and steep for a short distance but after I passed under an electrical tower, I was surprised to find a wide, well maintained trail. 

I passed under or by several more electrical towers. I lost count after the sixth or seventh. It was clear that the trail was made so that maintenance crews could access them. It had been recently cleared of brush. At one point I heard a big commotion in the trees and spotted another troop of monkeys.

At a fork, I turned right heading in the direction of the road. I really enjoyed walking this path and felt like I had found a sort of backdoor to the peak.  The problem was that in the end, it just ended. 

After the last pylon that I came to, there was only a very faint trail with no markings. I went a little way down it but it was the sort of "trail" that you aren't sure is a trail or not. Also I could tell there was still a significant slope between my position and the road below. So I decided it was better to go back. 

I picked up the pace and now, being sure of the way, it only took me about twenty minutes to get back to the main path. 

Then I went back past the big rock, down the steps and to the road. When I passed the house at the bottom, the black dog came out, barking and snarling but I stood my ground and yelled at it and it backed off. 

I stopped at a small temple beside the road with a bench for a rest and snack and then walked back along the road to the Shenkeng Old Street. 

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Map and GPS Coordinates: 

 Wu Yue Shan (Black Moon Mountain): 24.994972, 121.639663

http://rblr.co/Ogq0h