Xizhi Gongbeidian 汐止拱北殿, and Beigang Hill 北港山

 

Gongbei Temple and the path to Beigang Hill

Gongbeidian, a Taoist temple in the Xizhi District of New Taipei City first built in 1906, sits atop Sanxiu Mountain. It's agreeable to wander through the quiet temple grounds and there are good views from the front and back of the temple. You can even crawl through the Eight Fairies Cave at the back of the temple. Behind the temple there are stone pathways and plenty of stone benches and tables. For those looking for something a little less tamed, Beigang Hill (271 m) is reached by a rougher trial that lies beyond the temple grounds.  There is not much of a view but there is a flat clearing at the summit and it's a decent there-and-back walk of about an hour and 15 minutes.

Distance/duration: 2 hrs 56 mins/ 5.6 km.  At an easy pace and including time looking around the temple and eating lunch. 

More details as well as a map can be found here on my ramblr account.

Trail Overview: The paths around the temple are easy, surfaced and suitable for just about any one, including families with small children. There are really nice views of the city and surrounding green hills.  

Many people visit the temple in the fall to see the Japanese maples changing color. I visited in May and at that time the tung blossoms on the surrounding hills were in bloom. Every year in Taiwan in late April and in May the white tung blossoms open and later fall, covering the ground in what is known as "May snow." 

The paths behind the temple are reached by passing through the main temple hall. There is a renowned double-arch stone bridge on the temple grounds. According to the New Tapei Travel web site, it has gone "viral" and many people have their picture taken on it. I regret that I neglected to take a picture of the bridge but you can find many (definitely better than mine) online. When I was at the bridge two photographers were taking pictures of a young woman in traditional Chinese dress posing with a martial arts sword. 

The actual summit of Sixiushan is just off the path. Its a short scramble up a slippery slope with fixed ropes. At the back of the temple is Eight Fairies Cave. A short claustrophobic "cave" that you can pass through only by crouching. The Eight Fairies, also translated as the Eight Genies or Immortals, are a group of powerful immortals from Taoist mythology evoked in place names around Taiwan.

The path to Beigang Hill is rougher but still not too hard. It's mostly wide and pretty with a few rough, narrow parts.  It is not a popular trail but at the time I went, I could see the trail had been recently maintained. There are small side trails leading to electricity pylons and I guess it is kept in good shape for maintenance crew access. 

What to bring:  I found a hiking pole useful on the trail to Beigang Hill. I packed a picnic lunch and water. You can refill water bottles at the temple water dispenser.

Transportation:  I took a local train to Xizhi from Taipei Main Station. There are frequent trains and most take a little less than 20 minutes.  You can check the schedule here: https://tip.railway.gov.tw/tra-tip-web/tip?lang=EN_US

At Xizhi station, I exited through the main hall at the Xinyi Road exit. The buses going in the direction of Gongbeidian stop across the street. 

I took bus 587. It's 18 stops to the Gongbeidian stop and takes about 15 minutes. Bus 890 also goes there but it is less frequent and there is no service on weekends. 

Bus 587 was a mini bus. At first I had to stand but later there were empty seats.

 

On the way back, when I got to the bus stop I would have had to wait for a little over an hour so I called a taxi back to Xizhi station which cost NT$170.

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The Hike

A man and a woman dressed for hiking were on the bus who also got off at the Gongbeidian stop. I took a few minutes taking pictures and they headed up the hill first-- leaving me alone. 

The road to Gongbei Temple forks off to the left of the main road and the temple can be seen on top of the hill.  

I started walking up the road soon passing through the red temple gate. It was quiet. The only sounds were birds and the muffled noise of traffic on the road below.

I passed a trail with steps on the left but I kept going until I came to a hairpin turn. There, just to the right of the road, was set of stairs that began between Japanese stone lanterns.

It was a short walk up the stairs to the temple parking lot. There was already a decent view from the edge of the lot. 

I went up to the temple by way of covered stairs. 

It was early and there weren't many people around yet. A very welcoming, smiling man was clearing the flat area in front of the temple with a leaf blower. There was a koi pond with colorful fish.

I followed signs and went up steps to the second level and the main temple hall.

Below is a map of the temple and surrounding trails. From the temple you can go either left or right. The brown dotted line at the top is the trail to Beigang Hill.

I walked to the left first, passing an activity hall and exiting the temple by a metal door. 

I walked in a big circle, passing over the double arched bridge. When I came to a shelter house I turned right and climbed up the short trail to the summit of Sanxiushan.

 

 

There is not much to see from the summit of Sanxiushan but it's just a few meters from the main path.

After that I passed the back of the temple and walked a circular route until I came to the trail for Beigang Hill.

 

I enjoyed this trail. For me just walking around the temple is not enough of a walk but adding the trail to the summit and back made the trip just satisfying enough to be worth the trip. 

At first the trail was narrow and passed above a neighborhood, the houses of which could be seen and heard below. After that it widened and moved away from the edge. 

 There was one short section with very slippery stone steps. I was glad when it became packed earth again. It passed through attractive sections of bamboo forest. 

There were side trails that mainly led to electricity pylons (though one led down to the neighborhood below) but I stayed on the main path. 

At a T-intersection, I turned left toward the summit.

After turning left the trail climbed for a while, dipped down again and then started the final short push up to the top. 

 The final ascent was through thick, old clusters of bamboo. I was feeling very alert and sort of jumpy like I sometimes do when hiking alone. I remember that when the bamboo creaked loudly in the wind I felt startled. 

I guess it was a good thing I was so alert because just as I reached the top I saw a big, fat Chinese cobra just to the right of the summit clearing. I said aloud to myself, "That's a cobra." Of course, most snakes avoid humans but cobras have a fearsome reputation. 

 

I stood close enough for it to be aware of me but what I felt was not close enough for it to feel threatened and after a few minutes it slithered away into the undergrowth. 

As I was on the summit I noticed it was getting pretty cloudy and in fact the afternoon forecast predicted a chance of rain, so on the way back to the temple I picked up the pace. 

Even though it got windy it never did rain. Back at the temple I went through the Eight Fairies Cave. It's really more of a tunnel than a cave. I feel claustrophobic and panic a little in tight places so I can't say I enjoyed the experience.

After that I went to the back of the temple and sat at one of the stone tables to eat my lunch before heading back down to the bus stop. 

Nearby walks: 

Yuemei Cave Trail 月眉洞步道 and Xian Dong Hu Shan 仙洞湖山 Loop Hike  

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Map and GPS coordinates:

Gongbeidian: 25.094347, 121.64207, Google maps link

Sanxiushan: 25.095086, 121.64148, Google maps link

Beigangshan: 25.104532, 121.635974, Google maps link

http://rblr.co/owcs3 

 

 

Niugangleng Trail 牛港稜步道

 

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. 

 

Before walking we had lunch at the spacious Bobo Cafe which is reasonably priced considering it is the only restaurant in the area. It serves western food and tea and coffee drinks and has six resident cats. The service and the food were both good. 

After lunch we started to walk but my college-aged, oldest son, complained that he was too sore from playing basketball to hike and decided to go back home on his own. (Miraculously, he seemed to feel better later because in the afternoon he went out with his friends to play basketball again.)  So it was just three of us for the hike. 

 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.

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:

Guanyinshan Visitor Center 

Niugangleng Trail 

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