Neigoushan 內溝山 , Cuei Lake 翠湖, and Laojiujian 老鷲尖

A very enjoyable hike in the Xizhi district of New Taipei City, this popular trail has a lot going for it: Jinlong Lake, Cuei Lake, exposed rocky ridges, good views throughout, a couple of thrilling summits and four peaks. But for all of that it is a relatively mellow walk on a pretty, and generally well-maintained trail. Highly recommended despite some challenges getting to the trailhead with public transportation.  

Distance/duration: 6 hrs 7 min/ 9.9 km. 

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

This could have been a lot shorter. My is guess it could be done in about 4 hours. We really took our time. Furthermore, I don't recommend anyone follow the first part of our track. To get from the Jinlong Lake bus stop to the trailhead, we ended up trespassing through a private gated community. I will explain and give options for getting to the trailhead in the transportation section below. 

Trail Overview:  The beginning part of the route we walked is on a feeder trail and not the main trail that most hikers take to Neigoushan. It is a nice, clear trail and I recommend it for those comfortable with somewhat rougher trails that get less traffic. It was very muddy when we walked it because it had rained for the previous three days. Once we joined the main trail to Neigoushan it was wider. We walked a more-or-less U-shaped route that followed a ridge and ended at Jinlong Lake.

Cuei Lake is a small, peaceful pond in a deep valley. There is some open water but most of it is filled with aquatic plants. There is a good trail all the way around the lake and there are benches and tables and flowers. It's a peaceful, secluded-feeling spot. The lake was formed during the Japanese colonial period when mining waste was dumped in the valley blocking the stream and creating the lake. It provides habitat for fish, frogs, birds and other wildlife. 

There is an old mine site, the Beigang Erkeng Mine Site, downstream of Cuei Lake. Mining at the site began in 1901. 

None of the peaks on the route are high but there are excellent views of the surrounding hills, Taipei City and nearby communities. There were some sunny areas but most of the time there was plentiful shade and a cooling, breeze even on a hot day. The trail surface was dirt, natural stone or wood steps. Some of the wooden steps had seen better days and it was better to walk on the packed earth next to them.  Throughout the hike we saw lots of butterflies and saw and heard lots of bird life. 

Neigoushan (137 m) is a rocky point reached by an exciting but not difficult climb up aluminum ladders.  Laojiujian (193m) has a great view. It's a good place for spotting birds of prey floating on updrafts and is also called Laoyingjian or Eagle Peak. Other peaks include Laojiujian South Peak (157 m) and Xuetouposhan (120 m). 

Jinlong Lake, at the end of the hike, is a large urban lake with a walking path around it's perimeter. 

What to bring:  I packed water and food. Sun protection is important on the exposed sections. 

Transportation:  I took a train from Taipei Main Station to Xizhi and met two friends there.  

At Xizhi station, I exited through the main hall at the Xinyi Road exit. You can take bus 817 to Jinlong lake from the bus stop across the street. 

I did not prepare very well for this hike. I had read that you could take the bus to Jinlong Lake and then walk to the trail head and I was pretty confident I could just look at the map and cut across the streets to the trail. As one of my old friends said before a hike in Arizona a long time ago, "It's no fun, if you plan too much." (Though I would also add that sometimes it can be a disaster if you don't plan enough.)

As an aside, on the Arizona hike we set off on a multi-day hike through a canyon with no idea how we would get home at the other end. On the way, we met two guys going the opposite way who had left a car at either end of the trail. One of the guys gave us the keys to his Saab and we drove his car to the other end (where our car was parked) and dropped it off for him.  

The problem in this case was that in the area I planned to cut across, there was a private gated, community. We did walk through it but I definitely don't recommend going that way. We attracted the attention of security guards and it took longer than expected. I'd like to go back again and do this walk correctly and also hike Shuiwantanshan which we did not go to on this trip. 

I think there are a few options for getting to the trailhead. The easiest might be to just get a taxi or Uber from Xizhi to the main Neigoushan trailhead (not the feeder trail that we started on). Here is the Google Maps link. 

The best option by bus is probably to take the 817 to Jinlong Lake and walk around the east side of the lake toward the trail where we finished our hike. There instead of turning on the trail keep going north joining Lane 5, Hudong Street. Follow it for about 1 km next to the stream until you reach a trail just south of Cuei Lake and start the hike at the old mine site and Cuei Lake. That stream flows from Cuei Lake to Jinlong Lake.   

Another option would be to take a bus to the Zhongshan Street Entrance bus stop which is near the trail we took. You could also walk along a footpath next to a stream for a little over 1 km to the main Neigoushan trailhead. 

Bus 53 goes there from Donghu MRT Station. 

Bus 630 and 646 and 903 go there from Huzhou MRT Station. 

Subscribe: To get new posts by email you can subscribe here Subscribe or follow Taiwan Hiking Journal on Facebook

The Hike

 We got to Jinlong Lake and started walking a little after 8 am. 

We walked around the western side of the lake and up a hill.  

At the top, we were confused and asked a man if he knew the way to Neigoushan. He said we could get there through the community and asked if we had a key. He said it was lucky we had asked him (Hai hao ni you wen wo) and he opened a side door for us with his key card. It was a very clean, very nice community of private condominiums. 

I felt conspicuous strolling through the community and it wasn't long before we attracted the attention of a security guard. I could see on the map that there was a trail to Neigoushan that started within the complex but when we checked it out we found that someone had cut grass clippings and brush and piled it all up in a huge mound to block the trail. It was clear they did not want people going that way.  As we were checking out the trail, a security guard on a scooter told us we couldn't go that way and asked us where we wanted to go. He didn't really challenge us but his demeanor seemed to communicate that he would rather not have to deal with us. He told us the way to the da men (the main gate) and drove away. 

At the main gate, another security guard, came out of the guard station and asked us more sharply Ni yao qu nali (Where do you want to go?). I guessed that the other guard had radioed him and told him to watch out for us. 

Just outside the main gate of the community we passed the Zhongshan Street Entrance bus stop. I recommend starting here and taking the trail that we walked or alternatively walking along the stream-side path all the way to the main Neigoushan trailhead--which is a little over 1 km away. 

We crossed the stream and turned north walking on the path next to the stream. 

 After 250 meters we turned right and crossed the stream again. 

 At the next corner we turned left into an alley and came to the trailhead which was at the end of a messy path going between a fence and a building. 

At the end of the alley the trail became clear. We started up leaf strewn steps and we were finally on the way!

 The trail meandered and went up and down a bit. It passed close to the community which we could see below through the trees. At the next junction, we turned right. 

 

After just 1.2 km we came to a crossroads. The path on the left came up from the main Neigoushan trailhead, the path straight ahead went to Neigoushan and the path on the right led down to Cuei Lake. We decided to go right and see Cuei Lake first. 

 The path here was slippery and a bit steep and we had to take care. I could see on the map that we would need to make a bridge less stream crossing. As we got closer I could hear the water and was worried it might be high after the heavy rain. But actually it just took a couple of steps to cross. 

We followed the trail to the left, going upstream next to the water. We came to a stone table and benches and a T-intersection where we stopped for a rest and a snack. (If we had first gone right after crossing the stream we could have visited the Beigang Erkeng mine site which is just a little bit downstream but I did not realize it until later. )

 Turning left at the T-intersection we came to the lake after just a couple of minutes. We took the trail going around the right side. The lake is not very big and it did not take long to walk all the way around to the end and the other side where there was a rectangular clearing of packed earth. 

We turned left at the clearing and just at the end of it came to a trail heading uphill (on the other side of a short wooden footbridge). 

This trail took us back up to the top of the ridge in just a few minutes. 

 Now we were on the far side of Neigoushan so we had to backtrack (to the left) first to summit the peak. This was one of the most fun parts of the hike. The peak is reached by way of two aluminum ladders and a rocky path with fixed ropes. 

The peak was smooth, dry stone. There were two benches. We stopped for another rest and some food. 

We went back down the aluminum ladders and along the ridge. The trail from here was wide and easy. We followed signs for Laojiujian (老鷲尖). On the way we passed a nice view point. Looking toward Taipei we could see the Grand Hotel, the Shinkong Mitsukoshi department store building at Taipei Main Station and parts of Yangminshan National Park. 

 We climbed up a long, set of wooden steps--probably the most strenuous part of the whole hike. 

 At the top there was a side trail going up more steps to Laojiujian. 

Laojiujian 

 You can go on to Shuiweitanshan from here but we went back down and continued following the ridge. (Turning left at the bottom of the steps leading to the peak.)

We went over Laojiujian South Peak and then the wide trail led us along a cliff looking over a valley. 

Laojiujian South Peak

 

We came to an amazing view point which was reached by a thrilling climb up another ladder and along a narrow rocky spine. It was possible to take a trail around it instead but we couldn't resist and the view was incredible. 

 

 From here we just had to follow the ridge all the way down to Jinlong Lake but we still had a ways to go and some ups and downs, with views along the way. 

We came to one rocky point where I crawled out onto a smooth stone promontory and lay there feeling the wind and watching it blowing the trees in the forest far below. 

Getting closer to the city we passed along the top of a stone wall and looked down into the streets below and then went through a bamboo grove. 

 

Xuetouposhan is reached near the end of the trail. There is no clearing and I would not have noticed it if it weren't for the summit sign. There is a big electricity pylon next to it. The trail went down wooden steps for the final stretch before finally reaching a road. 

 

 There was a map board and a sign pointing to Jinlong Lake. We turned left and followed the road to Jinlong Lake. 

 We followed Lane 5 Hudong Street to Mingfeng Street and turned left and walked to the 817 Jinlonghu bus stop. 

 

Buses going back to Xizhi stop next to number 19 Mingfeng Street. But we decided to take the bus in the other direction from the stop across the road from a 7-11 which goes to Nangang Exhibition Hall MRT Station because it was coming sooner. 

 

Nearby hikes:

 

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

  

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

 

Subscribe: To get new posts by email you can subscribe here Subscribe or follow Taiwan Hiking Journal on Facebook

Map and GPS coordinates:

Trailhead where we started: 25.080091, 121.624983

Beigang Erkeng Mine Site: 25.087155, 121.630607

Cuei Lake: 25.089177, 121.628973

Neigoushan: 25.08906, 121.627381

Laojiujian Peak: 25.095899, 121.626152

Laojiujian South Peak: 25.094475, 121.627193

Xuetouposhan: 25.077372, 121.636513

Jinlong Lake: 25.074139, 121.632385 

 http://rblr.co/oxF3k

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Yueshanhu Shan月扇湖山 Trail and the Danlan Historic Trail 淡蘭古道

 

This tunnel-like trail passes under white cliffs on the way to the summit.

A less well-known route in the Shenkeng District of New Taipei City, this loop trail has a lot going for it. It starts in the village of Wutuku, passes an old coal mine and then embarks on a fun, stiff climb. On the way up it passes under a white rock wall by way of a very cool, tunnel-like trail. The summit of Yueshanhu Shan (583 m) is grassy and flat. After the summit the trail pops out onto a road before heading back into the forest: passing several, pretty streams and more vestiges of the coal mining industry. After completing the loop, I also walked the easy, level Danlan Historic Trail --which follows a wide stream for its entire length-- all the way to the Danlan Suspension Bridge at Shuangxikou.

Distance/duration: The Yueshanhu Shan loop is 4 hours/6.3 km. 

Including the Danlan Historic Trail, I walked 5h 24min/11.4km.

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

What to bring: Nothing special is needed, though shoes with good traction are necessary.

The Trail:  The Yueshanhu Shan loop is a moderate walk of moderate length and not too hard but after rain is very slippery and wet. The climb to the summit is fun and steep. It follows a ridge covered with exposed roots and rocks. There are plenty of hand holds and fixed ropes. Sometimes the trail is very narrow. 

On this visit the trail was messy because a typhoon had hit at the end of the previous month. I was surprised at the amount of downed trees and debris and there were some rocks that looked like they had fallen recently. 

It is a well-established route with a clear trail but there are a couple of important turns to look out for. (I took one wrong turn that led to a house with three aggressive dogs.) There were a couple of dogs on the correct trail and one of them barked at me but neither bothered me. The loop trail is all dirt except for near the end where it passes through a village and by some farms on a road and a stone path--sometimes with slippery stone steps. 

The summit of Yueshanhushan is flat and wide and there is a view but it is partially obscured by trees. There are some nice views from the ridge before the summit. Both times that I have been there I have thought it would be a good place to pitch a tent and spend the night.

The section of trail that passes under the cliff  is the highlight of the walk. At 300 meters, it's the longest rock wall trail in northern Taiwan. Other highlights include the old Taisong coal mine entrance, a stream burbling under a shadowy cave-like overhang and remains of charcoal kilns.  

The Danlan Historic Trail is surfaced and level. It's a good path for a leisurely hike. There are even a few cafes next to the trail. I walked it in 2023 but at that time the suspension bridge was damaged and the section between Shuangxikou and Waian Bridge was closed. Since I was in the area, I wanted to go back and pick up the section I had missed. It is one of four extant sections of the Danlan Trail which used to lead from Tamsui to Yilan in the 1860's. Here is my post about it from September 2023.

Route landmarks: Wukutu bus stop -- trailhead -- Taisong coal mine entrance -- Yueshanhu rock wall -- Yueshanhu Shan -- "cave" with a stream -- old charcoal kilns -- Sifenzi village -- Wukutu bus stop -- Danlan Historic Trail trailhead -- Shiding Elementary School -- Waian Bridge -- Danlan Suspension Bridge/Shuangxikou

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.

I took bus 666 (Wutuku) at 8:20 to Shuangxikou which took about 40 minutes. There are three different 666 routes. Not all of them go to Wukutu so be sure to take the right one. You can also catch the bus at Muzha Station. 

On the way back, I took the same bus from Shaungxikou to Muzha Station.

Subscribe: To get new posts by email you can subscribe here Subscribe or follow Taiwan Hiking Journal on Facebook

The walk: Only one other guy got off the bus a the same time as me. He looked like he was kitted up for hiking too but after I went to the toilets near the bus stop he was gone and I never saw him again. It was a dreary, gray day but there was very little chance of rain. I started hiking at 9:15.

I walked straight on 北 47-1 passing between houses. 

At the next junction I kept left. On a utility pole there is the symbol for the Damsui-Kavalan Trail and an arrow.

In just 8 minutes I came to the turnoff for the trail on the right --a road next to a farmhouse that led to a concrete bridge.

There was a T-junction on the other side of the bridge. Even though I had been here before I took the right fork by mistake. It led to a house where three fierce, barking dogs made it clear I was not welcome. They ran toward me with a black dog in the lead. I made a slow, backward retreat and they relented. 

The left fork -- a narrow, cracked road-- is the correct way, which soon led to the trailhead next to a building with the Chinese characters for roofing tiles on the side. 

In just a few minutes I came to an open area. Two short paths on the right led to the old Taisong coal mine entrance. It was flooded with water that seeped slowly out of the mouth of the mine. 

 Fifteen minutes from the trailhead I came to a junction and turned right, uphill.

Turn right and uphill here

The trail went steeply uphill for a while. There were lots of fixed ropes. It descended at one one point but overall trended upward on a rugged, rocky ridge.

Just before reaching the rock wall there is another trail heading down on the left. The correct trail is straight ahead, staying on the ridge. I'm not sure where the lower trail goes but I took one look at it and decided it wasn't safe to walk on. It seemed to have been damaged in the typhoon. One part of it was completely washed out and beyond it I could see that there was a gap between the mud path and the stone it was clinging to. 

I stayed on the ridge here and avoided the trail going down on the left.

Next I came to the cliff wall.  Five other hikers were there but they were just leaving and I soon had it to myself. 

The soil under the cliffs was dry and dusty.

After the cliff I kept climbing on a nice trail with more roots and rocks. I caught up to the group of five hikers who were struggling with a difficult section where the trail went up to a more exposed part of the ridge. 

 

A tree had fallen and its root system had taken a part of the trail with it. I had to put one foot down into the pit made when the roots ripped out to get by but it was stable. 

There was a viewpoint from the ridge.

The group let me pass and I went on. From here it was not far to the flat summit of Yueshanhu Shan.
 

A few bees buzzed around. I could see raptors floating in the valley between my position and Bijiashan 筆架山. I ate some bread and cheese and took a rest. The group of five arrived as I was getting ready to leave and offered to take a picture of me with the summit sign. A couple of them had large, 45-50 liter backpacks that looked pretty full. I wondered why they had such big packs and thought maybe they were planning to cook lunch at the summit but they said they weren't.

 I descended on the other side of the summit. The trail goes down to a road. It is steep and does not take very long.

I turned left on the road, walked 160 meters and took the second trail on the left back into the forest. It starts between a gap in the guard rail. 

 

The forest here was very pretty. I passed small, rushing streams. Thirty minutes after leaving the summit I came to a shadowy "cave" --really an overhang-- with a stream flowing under it.

 After the cave I ran into quite a bit of typhoon damage. There was a jumble of banana trees across the path and other places with fallen trees and limbs. 

I passed two old charcoal kilns on a raised area to the right of the trail. 

After this the trail was less messy and was really enjoyable. I crossed a footbridge over a beautiful rocky stream.

I came to a road and passed through Sifenzi village.

The road ended at T-intersection where there was a gravel lot. I remembered that the last time I did this hike there had been a greenhouse in this spot but now the greenhouse had been torn down. I kept to the right side of the lot and went straight on a trail passing stone steps. A sign that said in Chinese "No Entry. Private Land" --the Chinese version of a "No trespassing" sign gave me pause. But then I figured out that it referred to the fenced off area to the left of the trail. 

 I passed an Earth God shrine on a raised stone platform. I stopped for a moment to silently pay respect and to ask for safety on the trail as I often do. 

Just after passing the temple I slipped on the stone steps 4 times and the last time I almost fell. I am not superstitious or religious but it made me wonder mildly if I had not paid proper respect to the Earth God. 

The stone path passed some farmhouses and the view opened up. I passed an old man outside of one of the houses who nodded at my greeting.

The trail went back into forest. I passed more fallen trees, another temple and came out to the road. 

I turned left, walked by beginning of the hike and back to the bus stop. Normally I would have stopped here but I wanted to hike the Danlan trail so at the bus stop I kept walking along the road with the stream on my left. In just a couple of minutes I came to the southern entrance of the Danlan Historic Trail. I crossed over the stream and turned right now following a level, surfaced path with the stream now on the right.

I didn't take many photos since I had been here before. I also will keep my description brief since I wrote about this trail before. It's an easy and lovely trail.

The water level was higher than the last time I had been here and I saw lots of fish in the stream. Sometimes the trail splits into a higher trail and a lower one. I usually chose the one closer to the water.  It started to rain but it was just a light mist that was hardly noticeable.

When the trail arrives in the small town of Shiding it cuts left through a narrow alley moving away from Wutu Stream. I passed between Shiding Elementary school and Shiding Jishu Temple. 

I kept to the left and went through an alley. Soon the road was next to the Beng Shan Stream. There is a highway that passes high overhead.
 

 

Looking back the way I came: the road next to the Beng Shan Stream.

I passed the entrance for the Bijia Shan trail. On the right was the beginning of one of the nicest parts of the Danlan Historic Trail but it was blocked with fencing and yellow tape--more typhoon damage. I was disappointed but I thought I could stay on the road --which runs above and sort of parallel to the trail-- and rejoin it later which turned out to be the case. 

I walked on the road to the top of a hill and down the other side.  

Eventually I rejoined the trail just past Waian Bridge. This was the section I had missed the last time I had been here. 

It seemed only a few minutes until I reached the Danlan Suspension Bridge and the end of the trail. 

 

There is a bus stop at Shangxikou, toilets and a Seven Eleven and a Family Mart. I had about 40 minutes to wait for the bus so I bought a snack and sat outside the 7-11 until it was time for the bus to come. 

 Nearby hikes: 

Danlan Historic Trail 淡蘭古道, Shiding Section 

Bijiashan 筆架山 Ridge Hike 

Tukuyue 土庫岳 

Dakengshan 大坑山, Wild Boar Tears Pond 山豬淚湖, Tukuyue 土庫岳 and Tukuyue East Peak 土庫岳東峰 

Subscribe: To get new posts by email you can subscribe here Subscribe or follow Taiwan Hiking Journal on Facebook

 Map and coordinates:

Wukutu Bus Stop: 24.975512, 121.657413, Google Maps link

Yueshanhushan: 24.959344, 121.65869, Google Maps link

Shuangxikou/Danlan Suspension Bridge: 25.005701, 121.651575, Google Maps link

 http://rblr.co/otcbV