Taiwan Hiking Journal: 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.