Niugangleng Hiking Trail is a popular well-maintained trail in the Guanyinshan Scenic Area in the Wugu District of New Taipei City. Though the beginning is steep, it is easy and suitable for families. The entire walk only takes about 45 minutes at a leisurely pace. There are lots of rest areas and several shelters. There are two viewpoints that reward hikers with panoramic views for relatively little effort. Combined with a picnic lunch or lunch at the cafe near the Visitor Center it is a really pleasant, easy outing.
Distance/duration: 1.2 km/ 45 minutes
More details as well as a map can be found here on my ramblr account.
Trail Overview: The Niugangleng Trail is an easy out-and-back trail that goes over a small peak (670 meters). There is a viewing tower at the mid-point with that looks over the Tamsui River and Taipei. Another viewing platform at the end of the trail gives a view of the shoreline, Taipei Port and Tamsui. The trail is a mixture of wood and stone steps and packed earth. It is steep in the beginning but levels off at roughly the halfway point.
The trail begins near the Guanyinshan Visitor Center. Guanyinshan, a dormant volcano in the Wugu District of New Taipei City, gets it's name because it is thought to resemble the profile of Guanyin, the goddess of mercy, lying on her back. There are considered to be up to 18 peaks in the Guanyinshan scenic area.
Officially it is part of the North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic area which includes Yeliu, Jinshan and Cape Fugui but the Guanyinshan area is distinct both geographically and in terms of it's landscape.
Guanyinshan provides habitat for countless insects, lizards, snakes, mammals and birds. It is especially known as a good place to spot raptors. Migratory raptors pass through from March to May and there are raptors that make their home here all year round. It is also a popular outdoor playground for hikers, cyclists, recreational drivers and families.
Other attractions in the area include: Lingyun Temple, Yinghanlin (Tough Guy Peak), the Big Rock Wall and Chaoyin Cave. Below are links to two more challenging walks in Guanyinshan:
Guanyinshan: Lingyun Temple 開山凌雲寺, Big Rock Wall 大岩壁 and Tough Guy Peak 硬漢嶺步道
Guanyinshan Bike and Hike: Guandu Bridge, Jianshan, Guanyinshan, Yingzai Peak and Chaoyin Cave
What to bring: Nothing special is needed. However, it's best to buy any snacks before leaving the city. There is a cafe and there are some vending machines at the visitors center but nothing else.
Transportation: We took the MRT
to Luzhou Station. From there we took bus O20 and to the
Guanyinshan Visitors Center stop which took about 20 minutes.
On
the way back we took the same bus at 15:00. People started to line up about 15 minutes before the bus came. The return schedule is posted at the bus stop.
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The Hike
In the past year I re- "discovered" the Guanyinshan area after not visiting for many years and developed a real affection for it. The last time I went, I had filed the Niugangleng Trail away mentally as a good one to do with family. So when my wife and our two kids were looking for something to do on the 2-28 holiday, I had a suggestion ready. We went on warm sunny day which was the first warm day after weeks of chilly weather.
When we got off the bus we followed signs to the Visitor Center. There is a nice exhibit about raptors on the top floor but we had arrived at 12:00 and they were closed during the lunch hour until 1:30. So our first stop was the Air Disaster Monument which commemorates the crash of a military plane in a training exercise in the 1950's.
The beginning of the trail is just to the right in front of the Visitors Center and cafe.
We began climbing stone and then wooden steps.
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| Looking down at the visitors center from the trail |
At about the half way point the trail became level. There is a shelter house and a viewing platform. This is the site of the torch signal. Here a torch was lit during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan as a signal of an impending attack on Taipei.
The hardest part of the walk was over and it didn't take much longer to get to the viewing platform at the end of the trail.
We retraced our steps back to the beginning and of course the walk down went much faster. We still had some time to wait for the bus so we went to the visitors center and also walked some of the Treetop Walkway, an elevated wooden path, before going to the bus stop.
Nearby walks:
Guanyinshan: Lingyun Temple 開山凌雲寺, Big Rock Wall 大岩壁 and Tough Guy Peak 硬漢嶺步道
Guanyinshan Bike and Hike: Guandu Bridge, Jianshan, Guanyinshan, Yingzai Peak and Chaoyin Cave
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Map and Google Maps links:
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