Xiaocukeng Historic Trail 小粗坑古道: Houtong to Jiufen

 

This relatively short walk in the Ruifang District starts in the village of Houtong and leads to Jiufen. It passes through the abandoned mining village of Xiaocukeng where there are numerous ruins of old houses. A short side trail leads to the mouth of an abandoned mine and Yinsi Waterfall. There should be nice views but on both times that I have visited it was so misty that I saw nothing at all. The trail is a sort of back door to Jiufen emerging at Songde Park. If you start early you can avoid the worst of the crowds at Jiufen and be back on a bus to Taipei by or before lunch time. 

Distance/Time: 5.3 km/ 2 h 52 min. It rained a lot and the trail was slippery so I took my time. On a fine day, I probably would have finished sooner.

More details as well as a map can be found here

What to bring:  Nothing special is needed. It is a short walk and there are stores in Jiufen so no need to carry much water or food.

The Trail: This is a moderate hike. It climbs up to a ridge and then down the other side. There are a lot of stone steps but they were not too slippery even in the rain.  Nevertheless, I was careful, especially since I was by myself.  There are also gravel and dirt sections and some wooden steps. The path is mostly wide and easy to follow and there are wooden finger posts. The side trail to the waterfall is more narrow and crosses a steep gully. 

The trail passes through the village of Xiaocukeng. The village is abandoned and most of the old stone houses are crumbling but at least two structures still seem to be occupied. There is even the remnant of an old elementary school. I imagined what it would have been like for the miners and their families living here, with the only way out a hike along the trail.

Yinsi Waterfall was a trickle the last time I was here but in heavy rain it was frothy and swift.

Jiufen is a scenic town with, narrow twisting streets, houses that cling to the hillsides, plenty of eateries and pleasant views but I have no tolerance for the crowds that descend every weekend and I'm not that interested in shopping, so I passed through quickly. I once spent a night here in a home stay with my family and it is an experience I highly recommend. Jiufen is a wonderful place at night once the crowds have gone home.

Transportation:  I took a train from Taipei Main Station to Houtong Station which took just over an hour. The trains run about every half an hour. I only had to wait ten minutes once I got to the station.

I like to take a book for a train journey. On the train I was reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half a Yellow Sun, a novel set around the time of the 1967-70 Nigerian Civil War.

On the way back I took bus 965 from Jiufen to Beimen Station in Taipei. Bus 1062 also goes to to Taipei or you can take bus to Ruifang Station and then a train back to Taipei. 

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The hike: I had expected some light rain but as the train got closer to Houtong I could see that it was raining steadily. At the station I walked down to the ground level and exited the station. I started hiking at 9:00.

I turned left and walked between the river and the tracks until I came to a bridge. At the bridge I crossed and then turned left again following a smaller lane. 

I reflected on how different it was from the the last time I had been here. On that day, it had been a warm, sunny day and the local residents had been drying blankets and laundry outside. 

When the road split I stayed to the right, still following the lane. 

I soon passed the turn for the Jinzibei Historic Trail which I had hiked the last time I came here but I continued straight. 

It took me 25 minutes to reach the turn for the Xiaocukeng Historic Trail. There was a lane heading uphill on the right and the trail was clearly indicated by a finger post. 

 

As I walked up the road, I entered the tree cover. The black road was scattered with yellow leaves. The road curved to the left and came to the trail head.
 

There was a sign warning hikers to be vigilant for Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia) or as they are called in Chinese, tiger head hornets. Tiger head hornets are territorial and aggressive and are most active in the fall. Some hikers have been injured from falling while trying to get away or had an allergic reaction. In 2023 there were several attacks including at least two in Ruifang District in September. In one of the attacks two hikers died. Here is a link to the article about one of the incidents in Ruifang.

It is advised that if you encounter them you should cover your head, crouch low and leave the area. I've also heard that you should not swat at them. 

I started up stone steps and soon came to a Tudigong (Earth god) shrine. 

I met a woman coming down the steps. She was the only other hiker who I would see all day. I asked if she had come from Jiufen but she was just out for a short stroll. 

The trail descended for a while and I came to this beautiful stream crossing. 

Crossing a small, swift stream on the Xiaocukeng Historic Trail

For a while I climbed ancient looking stone steps, between stone walls covered in moss and vines and ferns. My rain coat kept the rain out but I got so warm that I was sweating inside and my shirt was getting wet anyway.
 

 I came to a crossroads at 10:00, an hour after I had started walking. The left turn is supposed to lead to a viewpoint, but since it was rainy and overcast I didn't even bothering going to see it. On the right was a well-maintained house but it was closed up and there was no sign of any occupants. 

Just past the crossroads I came to the first ruins. 

stone ruins in the abandoned village of Xiaocukeng

Then I came to steps leading up to a locked gate and another well maintained residence. The trail continued up more steps to the right --just before the gate-- and climbed up above the house. 

Along this section there were several other ruins next to the path. The side trail to Yinsi waterfall was a little tricky to find. I walked right by it the first time because I was trying to peak down into the courtyard of the house and not paying attention. Then I consulted the map and backtracked. 

There are two or three false trails that just lead to old stone ruins but once I found the real trail and stepped up onto it from the lower main path it was clear. 

The waterfall was less than 10 minutes away. The path leading to the waterfall was much more narrow and I had to watch out for a drop on the right occasionally. I passed through a steep, wet gully, then passed the mouth of an old mine (for some reason there was trash strewn around the entrance) and then came to the waterfall. 

Yinsi waterfall is small but pretty after rain. It slid down a rock face, tumbled over rocks and disappeared below. The pool at the base was deep enough that I would have had to wade in water over the top of my boots to cross. I probably could have got a better angle for a photo if I crossed over but I decided I was already wet enough--which was ironic because by the end of the day my pants and boots would be completely soaked anyway. 

I went back to the main path and climbed up more steps. 

I came to another shrine after which the path leveled off a bit. It passed around a hill and came to a view point but all I could see was mist. 

I walked for maybe ten more minutes and then came out to the top of the ridge. 

It was raining harder now and on this side I was very exposed to a cold wind and blowing rain. I moved on quickly because I wanted to get out of the wind. I came to a T-intersection and went left toward Jiufen. I started down wooden steps with gravel between them. 

the left fork leads to Jiufen

Twenty minutes after starting down, I came to a pavilion. The path split two ways. Both ways lead down to Songde Park but I took the left path because it was shorter. 

In a few minutes I emerged from the trail at a very wet Songde Park.

I went down to the road and turned right. 

I passed the public restrooms and then when I came to wooden steps climbing a hillside, I walked up them and at the top turned left. 

I soon entered Jiufen old street. Despite the rain, it was crowded with day trippers most of them carrying umbrellas in the narrow street. I passed through the old street as quickly as the crowd and politeness would allow.  

I had also planned to hike Jilong Shan, on the other side of Jiufen, but I was thoroughly soaked and ready to go home.  When I came out of the old street, I turned right on the main road and went straight to the bus stop. I enjoyed this hike but I plan to go back again when the weather is nicer and do some more exploring. 

Nearby hikes: 

Jinzibei Historical Trail 金字碑古道 and Xiaojingua Outcrop 小金瓜露頭  

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Map and GPS coordinates:

Xiaocukeng Historic Trail entrance: 25.096985, 121.836147

 Google maps link

http://rblr.co/onEp7