Taiwan Trails and Tales

a guide to get you out of the city and into the hills

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Author: taiwantrailsandtales

DAJIAN MOUNTAIN NIGHT HIKE (大尖山夜爬)

June 28, 2025September 22, 2025 / taiwantrailsandtales / Leave a comment

This short hike in New Taipei’s ​Xizhi District combines a Xiao Bai Yue with pretty night views. It’s small, too, so it’s a perfect post-dinner or pre-supper walk for anyone planning to grab some grub at Xizhi’s Tourist Night Market.

99 PEAKS FOREST TRAIL (九九峰森林步道)

June 21, 2025June 28, 2025 / taiwantrailsandtales / 1 Comment

The Ninety-Nine Peak Trail in Nantou is a short hike that can be completed within a couple of hours. It has been voted as one of the six best trails in Nantou and takes hikers through some geographically interesting terrain.

MOUNTAINS to SEA GREENWAY DAY 7 (山海圳國家級綠道D7)

June 14, 2025December 20, 2024 / taiwantrailsandtales / Leave a comment

Day seven on the MSTW follows County Highway 169 from the remote village of Lijia to the marginally less remote village of Dabang. Along the way, there are lots of tea fields and Dabang itself makes a perfect place to take a rest day to recover and enjoy the slower pace of life.

MOUNT HONGDAN (紅淡山)

June 7, 2025December 20, 2024 / taiwantrailsandtales / 2 Comments

This trail makes for a serviceable half-day trip from Taipei with interesting temples, one of Taiwan’s 100 Minor Peaks, views, and the promise of dinner from one of Keelung’s many eateries.

ZHUKENG STREAM TRAIL (竹坑溪步道)

May 31, 2025March 13, 2025 / taiwantrailsandtales / Leave a comment

This pleasant walk in Chiayi County takes in several waterfals, including one which cascades dramatically over a rock face.

MOUNTAINS to SEA GREENWAY DAY 6 (山海圳國家級綠道D6)

May 24, 2025December 20, 2024 / taiwantrailsandtales / 1 Comment

Day six on the MSTW was a long day which mixed road walking with old indigenous trading routes. Highlights along the way are the slice of paradise that is Danaiku Nature Ecological Park, and the many rope bridges of Limei Refuge Trail.

LIGHTHOUSES, BAIMIWENG FORT and XIANDONG ZUISHENG CAVE TEMPLE (基隆走走:基隆燈塔/球子山燈塔/白米甕砲臺/仙洞巖最勝寺)

May 17, 2025May 28, 2025 / taiwantrailsandtales / Leave a comment

This trail in Keelung's Zhongshan District isn't the prettiest walk I've ever done, but it certainly packs in a lot of interesting spots into its short length. There are two lighthouses, port views, a fort, and a subterranean temple.

ZHONGLOU HISTORIC TRAIL (鐘樓古道)

May 14, 2025May 14, 2025 / taiwantrailsandtales / Leave a comment

This short wander through bamboo forest offers a pleasant way to stretch your legs as part of a visit to the small town of Xindian in Miaoli's Shitan Township.

SMANGUS GIANT TREES (司馬庫斯巨木步道)

May 10, 2025June 18, 2025 / taiwantrailsandtales / Leave a comment

This trail in Hsinchu's hilly Jianshi District has been voted one of the best trails in Taiwan by users of the popular Hiking Biji app, and for good reason. This moderately easy trail combines beautiful forest scenery with giant trees, abundant nature, and an aboriginal mountain village.

MOUNTAINS to SEA GREENWAY DAY 5 (山海圳國家級綠道D5)

May 3, 2025December 20, 2024 / taiwantrailsandtales / Leave a comment

Day five on the MSTW was a short day, but it marks a distinct change as the scenery segues from the flatter and more engineered landscape of the Canal Trail section to the wilder and steeper surroundings of the Tribal Trail section.

BAT HILL (蝙蝠山)

April 30, 2025April 26, 2025 / taiwantrailsandtales / Leave a comment

The hike to Bat Hill Lookout from Shuangxi is a short and (mostly) easy walk that can be combined with an exploration of this historic riverside town in New Taipei.

DEVIL’S CAVE and STONE BAMBOO SHOOT PEAK (魔神仔洞/石筍尖)

April 26, 2025June 18, 2025 / taiwantrailsandtales / Leave a comment

This odd little loop in New Taipei's Pingxi District is a thrilling mix of climbing, views, and old mining remains.

SHUISHAN GIANT TREE TRAIL (水山神木步道)

April 19, 2025November 25, 2025 / taiwantrailsandtales / Leave a comment

The Shuishan Giant Tree Trail is an easy walk in the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area that is suitable for hikers of all levels of experience. The trail takes you through old forests and along old railway tracks.

LOVERS’ LAKE ROUND-MOUNTAIN TRAIL (情人湖環山步道)

April 16, 2025April 12, 2025 / taiwantrailsandtales / Leave a comment

Lovers' Lake is a natural lake in the hills to the north of Keelung. It is encircled by two trails—a shorter and easier one that sticks close to the lakeshore called the Round Lake Trail, and a longer one that takes in more ocean views called the Round Mountain Trail. This post covers the second of those two options.

MOUNTAINS to SEA GREENWAY DAY 4 (山海圳國家級綠道D4)

April 12, 2025April 16, 2025 / taiwantrailsandtales / 2 Comments

Day four on the MSTW carries you from the tail of Zengwen Reservoir to if not its mouth, then at least its shoulder. The day ends in Dapu, which is the last large settlement before you enter the mountainous villages of the Tsou People.

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This is one of the weirder natural creations I’ve come across during my Taiwan trail adventures. I spotted it clinging to the underside of a screw pine leaf on Green Island’s Cross-Island Trail. It was maybe 3 centimetres in length and cotton-candy-like in texture but with a fine outer layer of pink threads. The internet seems to think it is a spider’s egg sac, specifically, some type of twig spider (weirdly wonderfully creatures). Seen in a smallish temple Chishang: a bouquet of rice in place of the usual lilies. Good evening Taipei.

Note: Taiwan Trails and Tales has been going for over eight years now, so there are a fair few dead links and bits of information that need updating on the site. If you find one, I would greatly appreciate it if you let me know either by commenting on that post or by dropping me a line in the contact form (on the "About" page) so that I can remove or update it.

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