A Fine Forest Wander in Taoyuan’s Fuxing District
At 6km (including the walk to and from the trailhead), this is the longest walk within the bounds of Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area, but don’t let that put you off. This easy trail takes you through some lovely forest scenery, and the location is perfect for indulging in a spot of bird or wildlife watching.
Distance: About 6km.
Time: 2½-3 hours. I think it took me about two hours and forty minutes at a gentle pace.
Difficulty (regular Taiwan hiker): 2/10 – There is some climbing, but getting here will be more of a hassle than the physical exertion.
Difficulty (new Taiwan hiker): 3-4/10 – There are quite a lot of steps involved, and on a weekday the park might feel quite empty and wild if you’re unfamiliar with Taiwan’s landscape. It’s well-paved and easy to follow though, so most people with average fitness should find this totally doable.
Total ascent: A little over 300 metres.
Water: A 0.5L bottle was fine for me on a cool day.
Shade: The forest trail section of the walk is very shady, but the forestry track that takes you back to the start is quite exposed. If it had been sunnier, I would have needed an umbrella.
Mobile network: A little patchy where the trail reaches its furthest point from the park entrance, but otherwise not bad.
Enjoyment: For me, the highlight of this walk was undoubtedly seeing a striped squirrel, but the quiet forests are home to all sorts of interesting birds and animals, so tread quietly and keep your ears open.
Other: It’s worth noting that due to its elevation, the weather in the park is generally quite a bit cooler than the weather in the cities. Check the local forecast before you go and plan accordingly.
Route type: Lollipop loop. You can easily combine this with the Dongyanshan Forest Trail. Just follow that route from the restaurant until it joins up with this one.
Permit: None needed, but you have to pay to enter the park.
Jump to the bottom of this post for a trail map, GPX file and ticket information.
This walk, like the Forest Trail, starts from the restaurant. If you want to combine the two, you can follow the forest trail to the start of Qinzi Trail, but if you’ve got limited time, you would be better off walking along the forestry road to the start of Qinzi Trail so that you can get a good pace going. Take the road heading downhill from the restaurant, then instead of heading back towards the park entrance, take a 180º turn and walk through a little pedestrian entrance beside the gate that marks the start of the forestry road. I forgot to take a picture of this, but if you check the map below, it should be pretty clear.
There are several side trails on the left which dive into the trees and eventually connect up with the Forest Trail. And if you keep your eyes open, there are plenty of information boards (and an artifact or two), to keep you educated as well as exercised.
Keep on the forestry track until just beyond the first toilet block, then take this turning on your left.
Once you step under the shade of the trees, there are two paths you can take, both rejoin before too long, but the left-hand one takes you past a couple of shelters that have been constructed as part of an annual collaboration between the park, the Forestry Bureau and students from Tamkang University’s Architectural department.
The structures each have a name like “Floating Loop In Forest” or “Forest Trinity Poise” and are built using lumber from thinning projects. Maybe because their materials originated in the forest, maybe because the young architects spend two weeks living in the park, but each one of them sits in the landscape as if it was meant to exist in that particular spot. By the two installations, take a right turn and start climbing.
Almost straight away, you’ll meet the alternative trail you could have taken from the forestry track. Turn left here and keep walking upwards.
Before long, there’s one more junction (the last for a while). Continue to head straight up following the sign directing you along Qinzi Peak Trail. (As a side note, I found it a bit weird that the signs were directing me towards the trail that I was already on.)
As with a lot of the rest of the park, the paths here are lined with straight and tall Japanese cedars and the steps are well-kept and climb gently.
The steps climb to a clearing at high point somewhere below the summit of the two peaks that this trail is named for. There are a couple of benches here, but the only view is trees.
I wasn’t hungry or tired, so I kept on going and started the descent from the far side of the clearing. The slope on this face of the hill is steeper, so a wooden walkway has been constructed to make walking easier.
A glimpse of far-off mountains through a gap in the trees, and a mighty tree perched on top of a dramatic rock face. It honestly looks like if you turn your back on it, it could dip down to pluck you off the steps.
As well as being steeper, this side of the hill is evidently pretty unstable compared to the earlier part of the walk. The fence has been smashed in numerous places by fallen rocks and trees. It’s probable that they only fall during or just after periods of heavy rain, but even so, I wouldn’t want to linger here unnecessarily.
The afternoon light played exquisitely on the trees and ferns. Enjoying this ochre-hued tree trunk, I looked up to see a neat little example of crown shyness. And just look at those layers of differently shaded leaves in the photo on the right. It really is a beautiful forest to spend some time with.
One very unexpected highlight of my time in the park was seeing this very small, very cute striped squirrel.
They’re not uncommon in high elevation forests, but I’d never seen one before. It was exceedingly twitchy. When I first saw it, it was holding its tail erect and staring at me, even though I was far too far away to be of any threat. It scrabbled away to hide out of sight, and I had to wait several minutes before it relaxed enough to continue its foraging activities.
Take a left turn at this junction. It’s not yet time to rejoin the forest track. I passed a couple here. They were only the second pair of walkers I’d seen along the whole trail, the husband trying to cajole his wife into continuing the climb by telling her “Look! Someone is coming down from there.” As with literally everyone I passed in the park on this day, they confirmed with each other that I was, in fact, a foreigner before smiling curiously at me as if they felt as delighted to see me as I had been to see the squirrel.
As the trail starts to bend around the side of the slope, there’s one spot where you can almost make out the Qinzi Peaks through the trees. Then quite suddenly, this window opens up and you are looking across the valley towards Nan Chatian Shan (南插天山, the highest on the right) and Hewei Shan (赫威山 closer and on the left).
A cluster of acorns, possibly from a Taiwan rock oak.
The steps lead down to rejoin the forestry track. If you are interested in heading to see the Afforestation Monument, take a left turn and follow the track slightly downhill. (Later you’ll return to this point and follow the forestry track all the way back to the start.)
Coming this way also gives you the best view of the Qinzi Peaks that you’ll get throughout the whole walk. From this angle, the pair are said to resemble a loving parent with an adoring child. In fact, the Chinese name for the peaks (親子峰), means “Parent and Child Peaks”.
Close to the end of the track, there’s a short trail heading into the trees on the right. This takes you to the hidden-away location of Dongyanshan’s Afforestation Monument. (The trail continuing straight on from here is Dongman Trail–a route which connects this park with Manyueyuan National Forest Recreation Area.)
The park went through some extensive afforestation efforts in the post-war period (much of the old-growth having been felled during Taiwan’s years under Japanese rule). Its location–tucked away in the most remote corner of the park–is interesting to me. Was this spot more significant in the past? Was the monument intended to be consumed into the growing trees?
After that brief detour to visit the monument, I retraced my steps back along the forestry track and towards the park entrance. Just like the nearby Forest Trail, this one has lots of information boards along the way. But unlike the signs on the former, which focus mostly on forestry and logging techniques, this trail’s signs will tell you everything you need to know about the geology of the region.
Under this shelter beside a toilet block you can find several rocks excavated from the park that bear trace fossils.
The track is about 2.5km long, so get settled in for a reasonably long stroll. It’s perhaps not the most interesting path in the park, but it’s gentle and there are plenty of places to stop and have a rest.
Before long, I was back at the toilet block where I’d turned off the track to start my climb.
Then in another twenty minutes or so, I’d arrived back at the start of the walk (the restaurant is just up the road on the right here). From here, I followed the road back to the park’s main entrance to find my scooter and begin the long journey home.
Getting to Donyanshan National Forest Recreation Area
Google maps address: If you’re driving, you can navigate to Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area. There are a few parking spaces outside the park entrance, but if you choose to drive into the park, you’ll want to head to the carpark beside the restaurant for this trail.
GPS location:
- Restaurant Carpark – N24 49.700 E121 24.590
- Forestry Track entrance – N24 49.720 E121 24.530
Public transport: It is possible to visit Dongyanshan using public transport with just a little foreplanning (and a couple of transfers and a lot of time).
The 506 Taiwan Tourist Shuttle service departs Taoyuan Daxi Bus Terminal three times a day on weekdays (8:00, 11:00 and 15:00), and five times a day on weekends (8:00, 9:00, 11:00, 14:30, and 15:00). Similarly, there are three return services on weekdays and five on weekends with the last bus departing the part at 17:00. I wouldn’t advise catching any of the services after 11:00, because they won’t give you enough time to explore.
If you’re coming from Taipei, it is possible to arrive at Daxi in time to get the earliest bus by using a combination of buses or a train and a bus journey depending on where you’re starting from. The easiest way would probably be to catch a local train from any of the Taipei stations to Yingge. Then alight at Yingge and catch the 5101 bus from the stop in front of the station and ride it to its final stop at Taoyuan Daxi Bus Terminal.
Dongyanshan Tickets
Tickets can be bought from the front gate and as of 2023, the highest full-price ticket is NT$100. (Several groups including kids and full-time students are eligible for a discount.) If you plan to drive to the park, you can expect to pay an extra $100 for a car or $30 for a scooter.
Nearby trails:
- Dongmao Trail
- Dongyanshan Forest Trail
- Mount Dongyan
Qinzi Peak Trail Map
GPX file available here on Outdoor Active. (Account needed, but the free one works just fine.)
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