Taiwan Trails and Tales

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

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PINGXI DISTRICT

SAVAGE VALLEY (野人谷)

March 21, 2026March 26, 2026 / taiwantrailsandtales / Leave a comment

This loop walk in New Taipei's pretty Pingxi District takes you through an abandoned pleasure park, past a couple of waterfalls, and past the odd landscape of Dahua's potholes.

FIREFLIES at JINTONG COAL MEMORIAL PARK (菁桐煤礦紀念公園螢火蟲)

April 15, 2023February 22, 2026 / taiwantrailsandtales / 5 Comments

The ruins of the old Jingtong Coal Mine make for a unique backdrop to Taiwan's April firefly viewing season.

LINGJIAO and WANGGU WATERFALLS (嶺腳瀑布/望古瀑布)

July 30, 2021November 16, 2024 / taiwantrailsandtales / 4 Comments

The Lingjiao to Wanggu Trail packs an awful lot into its short length. You get not one, but two waterfalls, a dash of history and a trail that’s both pretty and gentle. It’s also short enough that you can combine it with a visit to some of the other sights and trails along the Pingxi Line.

PINGXI CRAGS (平溪小三尖)

May 28, 2020November 16, 2024 / taiwantrailsandtales

This is one of the all-time classic Taiwan hikes, and for good reason. Pingxi’s crags rise dramatically from the forest and are the perfect adventure playground for visitors from Taipei.

25.025642 121.737088

ZHONGYANG PITON and CHOU TOU SHAN (中央尖/臭頭山)

March 23, 2020November 16, 2024 / taiwantrailsandtales / Leave a comment

This moderately challenging walk has exciting climbs, some neat geological features, the odd dramatic view, pretty stream-side walking, and even a touch of Taiwan’s industrial history. What’s more, it can accessed by train from Taipei.

25.025642 121.737088

Taiwan Trails and Tales Facebook

Taiwan Trails and Tales Facebook
Yesterday's night hike turned out to be rather fruitful. We spotted two greater green snakes, two mock vipers, a bamboo pit viper, and a red-banded snake — six snakes in total. A tip for aspiring snake spotters: look up. Five of the six were in trees, two of them much higher than I'd have expected. Big thanks to Kristel from Rewild Taiwan for showing us where to look. It took me nearby a decade, but I’ve finally gotten around to walking and writing up my final Guguan Hero, Mount Baimao. I guess it’s time to go back and revisit some of the earlier ones now… We had no bananas to hand, so went with the tried and tested finger-for-scale approach.

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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