Taiwan Hiking Journal: June 2023

Sunday, June 25, 2023

Pingxi and Shikong Historic Trail 坪溪古道, 石空古道 and Mount Taihe 太和山

Wide, mostly level, trails next to clean, clear streams, views of the ocean and Turtle Island and a peak with a fantastic view of the Lanyang Plain. This gentle medium-length walk starts on a country lane lined with evergreens in the Shuangxi District of New Taipei City and ends at Wai'Ao in Yilan -- right on the beach, next to a pizza pub. You could do a lot worse than a day of hiking that ends with a swim in the ocean, beers and pizza.

Distance/Time: 10.2 km/ 4 hours 47 minutes. A map as well as more details can be found here

What to bring: I packed the usual: food and water. Not much water is needed because it is not very strenuous and if you ran out you could filter or treat water from the stream. Sun protection (hat, sunscreen, long sleeves) is important especially for the ascent of Taiheshan because some of it is in full sun. I also packed a complete change of clothes and sandals.

The Trail: This is a moderate hike. Not hard at all but it is around 10 km. It starts on a hilly country road and then follows the wide, level Pingxi Historic Trail--mostly made of gravel or dirt. There are several stream crossings. On the day we were there the water level was low and I was able to cross without getting my feet wet.

The summit of Taiheshan (705 m) is a there-and-back detour from the main trail but well worth it because of the view. The path is wide and well-surfaced but very steep and in some places in full sun. There is a small temple at the top and on one side a view of the ocean and the Lanyang Plain and on the other rows of green mountains.

The Shikong Historic Trail descends to Wai'Ao beach. It is a bit rougher and more narrow especially in the beginning but it is also an easy trail. It follows a small stream for much of the way. The forest around the Shikong trail is denser and more tropical-like and by the time it reaches the beach there are palm trees and cultivated banana trees.

The trail ends just next to Wai'Ao Train station, across from the beach which is a popular surfing and paragliding spot.

Transportation: Three friends and I took a 7:34 am train from Taipei Main Station to Shuangxi Station which takes 1 hour and 16 minutes. It was Dragon Boat Festival weekend and the train was crowded and there were no seats.

Shuangxi is a small town but there are restaurants and shops and there were several taxis outside the station.

At Shuangxi we planned to transfer to bus F815 and take it to the Pingxitou bus stop. In the morning it comes at 6:20 and 9:40. The next bus is not until 1:00. We arrived early because the F815 is a mini-bus which can only take 19 passengers and people queue up for it.

When we got there, there were already more than 19 people in line. It was a holiday weekend so maybe there were more hikers than usual. Someone told us that six people were getting out of line because they had decided to take a taxi so it looked like we could squeeze onto the bus after all. However, in the meantime one member of our group had talked to a taxi driver who agreed to take us for a flat rate of NT$800 --only $200 per person for a 40 minute cab ride-- so we decided to take the cab.

On the return trip we rode a local train from Wai'Ao Station to Taipei Main Station which took exactly two hours. To our surprise the train was nearly empty when we got on and did not get crowded until Ruifang so we had seats all the way home. Wai'Ao is an unattended station so you can't buy a ticket.Instead, just take an Easycard and swipe it when entering the station.

I know that Parkbus Taiwan offers this hike and provides transportation at both ends. I've only seen their posts in the Facebook hiking groups and don't have any experience with them. However, it might be something to look into if you don't mind paying more and hiking with a group. https://parkbus.com.tw/C/us/home

The hike:

Our taxi driver boasted that he had 40 years of driving experience. He certainly drove with confidence and took the curves at high speed. The road was curvy and two people in the backseat, who had just bolted down a quick breakfast started to feel queasy. One person in our group sat in the front talking with the driver in Taiwanese and providing directions. The driver was animated and funny, but alarmingly, got so into conversation that he sometimes forgot to keep his eyes on the road.

When a police car came tearing down the road at high speed and our driver had to brake and swerve he joked that he was going to report the police for speeding. At one point we went over a bridge and through a small town and he said "Lao chao" (old bridge). We weren't sure if he was talking about the bridge or if the town was called Lao Chao but he said he was talking about the bridge. We crossed another stone bridge and my friend said "There's another lao chao," but our driver replied that it was a nianching chao (young bridge) and chuckled. He didn't really seem to know where we were going but our friend sitting in the front used google maps and told him where to turn.

When we passed the Pingxitou bus stop, the road got narrower and I suggested we get out and walk. A suggestion that was approved by the two hikers feeling car sick. But we were passing a house with two barking dogs so we asked him to go a little further before letting us out.

We said goodbye to the driver and took stock of our surroundings. We were on a hilly, road with tall evergreen trees on both sides. We started hiking at 9:55.

It was nice walking on the road. We saw a baby owl, bees outside of a hive in a hollowed pole all pulsing their wings in unison and a Taiwan beauty snake in a drainage ditch.

After about 30 minutes we came to a parking lot. There was a lot more going on at the trailhead than I expected. There was lots of space for parking, some people seemed to be camping and there was even someone selling cold drinks. Lots of families and people out for a short stroll were playing in the water and walking the first part of the trail.

The trail started on the far side of a parking lot next to a stream.

We crossed the stream. The trail was wide and clear and it wasn't long before the crowd thinned.

There were two bridge less crossings. In both cases the water level was low and crossing was easy. At the first one some people were waiting to cross via a slippery log with notches cut into it but I opted to just walk across on stones which was faster and easier.

One of my friends at the first crossing-also using the stones

The second crossing was also easy.

As we were walking I kept hearing people in other groups say things like "How much further is it?" or "We are almost there." So I assumed there must be some destination that many day hikers go to before turning back and we soon learned what it was.

We came to a clearing on the left on a bluff overlooking the ocean with a great view of the ocean and Turtle Island.

We got to the viewpoint around 11:00--2 hours after we started hiking. It was almost mid-day and the light was not really right for getting a good picture.

Right after the view point we came to a fork. We went straight following a sign for Dingpixi Tudigong Temple. The left turn (which we did not take) is the Xiangliao Historic Trail.

The trail got narrower. We came to another fork where we turned right and it became wide again.

The small Tudigong (Earth God) Temple was close enough that we could see it from the fork. There was a clearing with stones to sit on near it and we took a break and had something to eat. It took about 20 minutes to get to the temple from the view point.

Going straight past the temple, we immediately came to another fork. We bore left and uphill, passing a yellow sign with red lettering in Chinese which pointed the way to Mount Taihe.

It's a stiff 20-30 minute climb to the top of Taiheshan. The trail is wide with good traction and weaves back and forth up the slope--on one side there was an exciting view into the green valley below with the stream cutting between the hills and on the other side several nice views of the ocean and Turtle Island and of the intervening ridges. Some of the trail was in full sun and right away we were sweating copiously.

At the top there was a small temple. Some work was being done to the temple and the workers were resting under an awning. There were several hikers already there occupying the little shade the temple offered. But soon some clouds moved in and it felt cooler. We stayed for a while checking out the views on all sides and taking photos.

The descent did not seem to take long and I was surprised when we arrived back at the Earth God Temple so quickly.

We went back to the fork before the temple and this time went straight.

We stayed straight here

This turned into a road/trail was easy to walk and which took us downhill to the Shikong Historical Trail in about 50 minutes.

After a curve we came to a stream and crossed a bridge. A family was having a BBQ in the stream. They had set up a full grill and a woman even invited us to have some food but we thanked her and moved on.

Just past the bridge we came to a road and again went straight--walking up hill. There was a sign pointing to Wai'Ao Station.

In just 230 meters we came to the Huangjinling Tudigong Temple and the entrance of the Shikong Historic Trail on the left.

The trail entrance is on the far side of the temple just past the toilets. It's only 1.7 kilometers from here to Wai'Ao. At first the Shikong Trail was paved but then became a rocky trail next to a stream. Later the rocks thinned out and it was a nice dirt path.

We stopped here for a rest and I washed off in a pool in the stream

There was another stream crossing and we passed another small temple.

As we got close to Wai'Ao we could see glimpses of the beach through the trees.

At a signpost we turned left.

We passed through a farm where there were vegetable plots and fruit trees, passed over the tracks and crossed the road. I think its safe to say we were all elated at arriving at a beautiful beach after a hike on a hot day.

After a swim we went to Drifters Pizza Pub which is right next to the train station.

They were kind enough to let us change our clothes in their bathroom. We caught the 4:18 train and were back in Taipei by 6:18.

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Map and GPS coordinates:

Pingxitou bus stop: 24.929551, 121.830659

Pingxi Historic Trail trailhead and parking lot: 24.918814, 121.838569

Mount Taihe: 24.905172, 121.82554

Huangjinling Tudigong Temple and Shikong Historic Trail: 24.894693, 121.838615

Wai'Ao Station: 24.883635, 121.84554

http://rblr.co/okM9f

Thursday, June 22, 2023

Bijiashan 筆架山 Ridge Hike

A classic northern Taiwan day hike. I have done this ridge walk many times and still love it every time. This strenuous walk starts in Shiding, climbs to a crest and then follows it for several hours. There are multiple tricky sections using fixed ropes that require hands and feet but it's not too difficult for experienced hikers. The trail is well-maintained. This is a typical ridge walk with lots of ups and downs and roots and rocks. Mostly it is in the shade but sometimes emerges onto the bare rocky spine. Even on the hottest of days, there is usually a nice breeze flowing over the ridge. This is a fun, challenging walk with amazing views of the green-blue ridges fading into the distance all along the way.

Distance/Time: 10.5 km/ 9 hours 7 minutes. More information as well as a map can be found here

This hike could probably be done in about 7 hours. My duration active was actually 6 hours 20 minutes. We took several long rests and one member of our group had not done a hike of this difficulty or length before so I had to wait after difficult sections or at crossroads. No complaints though, he kept going: slow and steady and was smiling the whole day.

What to bring: I took snacks and plenty of water. It was a hot day and there is nowhere to get water until you come down from the ridge. I took a full 3 liter Nalgene Canteen plus another regular sized Nalgene bottle and finished it all (though I did share a little). I took my hiking pole, but because I was using my hands a lot, it spent most of the day attached to my pack. The trail is wide and shorts are fine but I wore long sleeves and a hat for sun protection.

The Trail:

This is a hard hike but the trail is well-maintained (foot holds cut into rock, ropes in steep or tricky spots), and not too difficult for fit, experienced hikers. The views are amazing and I enjoyed it so much that sometimes I found myself smiling in excitement at the pure beauty of it. It's a popular hike so we saw plenty of other hikers. We saw some of the same hikers throughout the day and everyone was very friendly and relaxed.

We went after two days of heavy rain and shaded part of the trail was very slippery. One member of our group fell and I saw two other hikers who fell. On the day we went it was 33 degrees and humid so that made it feel more difficult.

The trail starts out kind of easy but after passing a farm house there is a tough 20 minute climb to the top of the ridge. From there the trail passes over Ximaozi (West Hat Rock, 480 m) and later Bijiashan North (580 m) and South (585m) Peaks. After Bijiashan it starts to head down. It is very easy to find the way. Just follow the main path all the way, ignoring side paths, all the way to the crossroad with the trail to Ergeshan.

At the crossroads for Ergeshan, we went on to Monkey Mountain (Houshanye) main (552 m) and front (510 m) peaks and then descended to the Zhinan Temple Gondola Station.

The last part going over Monkey Mountain is much easier but it felt long because we were tired. Taking the Maokong Gondola down to the Taipei Zoo MRT station is a great way to finish the hike but if that seems too long, there is a shorter option.

Shorter option:

At the crossroads for Ergeshan and Houshanye turn right toward the Houshanyue trail and then take the next trail on the left. This should lead to Zhinan road. Walk on Zhinan road for about 800 meters to the Caonan Banyan Tree bus stop. Here you can take the S10 to Wanfang Community MRT station. This bus runs about every 40 minutes. This would shorten the walk by roughly 3k and cut out the final two peaks of Houshanye.

Transportation: I took the MRT to Jingmei Station exit 2, crossed the street and walked straight down Jingzhong street to the bus stop in front of Jingxing Park. It was a good place to wait for my friends because the park was shady and there were convenience stores nearby.

We took bus 666 at 7:48 to Shiding. There are three different 666 routes but they all stop at Shiding. Check the bus times on the BusTrackerTaiwan app. The ride to Shiding took about 50 minutes. Lots of people got off there and the driver announced the stop. There is a Hi-Life in Shiding near the bus stop.

On the way back we planned to take the gondola from Zhinan Temple Station down the Taipei Zoo MRT. It would have been the perfect way to finish the hike. Unfortunately, I did not know the gondola was closed for maintenance for two weeks. It is scheduled to open again on June 21, 2023.

So that was a big disappointment. We tried to call an Uber but it never showed up. So after waiting fruitlessly my friend made some inquiries and we found out we could walk down to Zhinan temple and catch a bus from there to Wanfang Community MRT station.

The hike:

We got off the bus next to a stream. After a visit to Hi-Life we started walking at 8:50. We crossed the stream over a red bridge and turned right into an alley on the other side of the stream. When looking downstream you can see a tall highway. The trailhead is under the highway.

We passed an elementary school. My hiking partners had not had breakfast yet but since Dragon Boat Festival was coming they had brought zhongzi. We went into the elementary school grounds. They sat and had breakfast and I played on the swings.

Then we continued down the alley. It was already 30 degrees and the water in the stream looked clean and inviting.

Soon we came to a trail on the left clearly marked with a wooden signpost and lots of flags. We started up the trail with a small stream on our right. After the recent rain the stream has some nice deep pools and frothy, rushing water.

Bijiashan trailhead

We crossed a short footbridge and continued on the other side of the stream. At a crossroads, after a steep incline, we turned left and started passing through a farm.

We came to a stone farmhouse. In the past, every time I had been here the farmer offered a cup of tea but this time no one seemed to be home. The trail continued to the right of the farm house and climbed beside its roof.

After the farm house there was a very steep twenty minute climb to the ridge.

During the climb I was passed by a solo hiker. I would not see her again all day. But I passed a couple and then at the top met another group of four. Throughout the day I would meet the couple and the group of four at rest stops. Everyone was very friendly and we chatted in a companionable way all day.

At the top of the ridge we stopped for a well-earned rest. There was a white sign with a red "1" on it. There are ten of these on the hike and its a handy way to keep track of your progress. The path went right. We had 9 more signs to go plus the final part to Monkey Mountain so we set off.

The trail went around and over rocks. The first landmark we came to was a section of exposed rock with a satisfying view back down the ridge.

We came to some narrow steep parts where we caught up to the group ahead of us.

The group of four ahead of us climbing a steep section

We passed a long level section where there was exposed mossy rock. A group was coming from the opposite direction and one of them fell. I avoided the rock and mostly stuck to the soil around it. One of my companions would later tell me that he fell here too.

Next we ran into a bottle-neck. There was a short but very steep and slippery descent down a rock face. The couple I had met earlier and the group of four were all here and one woman was having a hard time with it and everyone was offering advice. I decided it was a good time to stop for a snack. Then after they had gone we went on.

The next landmark we came to was Ximaozi (West Hat Rock). I don't why it is called this. Ximaozi was unremarkable and I would not have noticed it, if it weren't for the sign. We reached it at 11:23--two hours and 30 minutes into the hike.

The path went on through more rocky sections. We were mainly under the trees but once in a while we would come out at a high point and marvel at the view. There were some side trails and at one point the path seemed to divide into a high road and a low road, but we stuck to the main path along the ridge.

About 40 minutes after Ximaozi, we came to a rest area with benches at a sort of crossroad. We stopped for a while, talking to the other hikers and another hiker, coming from the opposite way, stopped to chat. This was number 5 on the sign count. There seemed to be a path going right but it was not very clear. The path to Bijiashan was along the ridge to the left.

We hiked along the ridge, through dirt and rock sections, up and over a memorable rocky outcrop with a drop on the side using ropes and past another view point.

Finally, we took an eroded rocky section of trail around a point next to a ravine and came up a slope to the rest area at the base of Bijiashan.


Looking up at the rest area at the base of Bijiashan--number 8 on the sign count

There is a must-see, 360 degree view from Bijiashan North Peak which is reached by a short-rocky climb on the right. We got to Bijiashan 5 hours after starting the hike.


Bijiashan North Peak

As we were on the peak some dark scary clouds were moving in. We decided to eat something in case we got drenched later and so we would not have to eat in the rain. But luckily after about ten minutes the clouds moved on and the sun came back out.

Another side trail (only 10 meters in length) goes to the south peak. It is not as exciting as the north peak but worth seeing if you came all this way.

After our rest we kept going along the ridge. Just past the summit there were some slippery stone steps (one of my least favorite things) but they were not as bad as they looked.

After the summit the walking definitely got easier. There was still some climbing but nothing too hard. There was one very muddy section. We came to one last rocky viewpoint.

Not long after, we came to the crossroads for the trails to Ergeshan and Monkey Mountain (Houshanye). There were lots of people there because Ergeshan is popular. We took a right.

At first, we were walking behind two ladies and eventually passed them. When we came to a trail on the left we kept going straight. The left fork goes to Zhinan road and also curves around to rejoin the main trail later. There were some steep sections but it was easier than the Bijiashan trail.

We went straight at this fork

The side trail rejoined the main path and we turn right following the signs for Houshanyue Main Peak

We crossed the road and came to a fork and turned left. There were several intersections on the trail but we followed the signs for Houshanyue Main Peak.

The trail went over a rocky knoll and then passed three intersections.

At the first intersection we stayed straight.

At the next, Y-shaped, intersection we took the left fork.

The third intersection was the last before reaching Houshanyue. We went straight. The right fork leads down to the Lin Family Cottage and Shenkeng. I had hiked this trail in October of the previous year.

Here it's straight to Houshanyue (Monkey Mountain), right to the Lin Family Cottage and Shenkeng

From here it was less than 1 km to Houshanyue Main Peak. This is a nice, wide, level trail. We saw two troops of monkeys but the mountain is actually called Monkey Mountain because it is thought to look like a monkey's head from below.

Houshanyue Main Peak is not very exciting and we wanted to finish the hike so we passed right by it.

Houshanyue (Monkey Mountain) Main Peak

The front peak is a little further on and offers a great view of the city. I had taken the short walk from Zhinan Temple Station to here a few months before to see the sunset and the lights of the city at night.

We were all tired and took a short rest but it was getting late, so we pushed on after a while. It's just 1.2 km from here to Zhinan Temple Station. The descent is very steep but it is short and there are lots of hand and footholds.

At the bottom we turned left, came out to a road, joined a larger road and went left again and uphill around a curve.

We came to a restaurant with a metal roof, a row of red lanterns hanging above the entrance and a statue of Guanyin in front. There are always lots of cats around this restaurant and there are two small dogs at the house across the street that bark but which won't bother you. Next to the restaurant there was trail and we turned right.

Then it was just a matter of following this trail (ignoring a turn on the right) down steps and to a road. At the road we turned right, went through a red archway and came to Zhinan Temple Station.