MODERATE TAIWAN HIKES

Chiayi is truly a magical place for foreign hikers hoping to experience something distinctly different from Europe or the Americas. Mountain villages accessed by historic railways, forests made of towering bamboo and slopes clad in precision-clipped rows of tea. On Fenrui Historic Trail, it’s tick, tick, tick to all of…

JINGUASHI to BENSHAN GEOLOGICAL PARK LOOP (金瓜石/本山地質公園O型)

The area around Jiufen and Jinguashi is absolutely riddled with hiking trails — many of which can be found on this site. This latest addition to the collection details an easy-to-moderate walk that takes in some sites of historical and geological interest.

FISHERMAN’S TRAIL: SOUTHERN SECTION (魚路古道南段)

The Fisherman’s Trail is a historic 30-kilometre trading route connecting Jinshan on Taiwan’s northeastern coast with Shilin. This post covers the southern section connecting Qingtiangang with Shilin.

FISHERMAN’S TRAIL: NORTHERN SECTION (魚路古道北段)

The Fisherman’s Trail is a historic 30-kilometre trading route connecting Jinshan on Taiwan’s northeastern coast with Shilin. This post covers the northern section connecting Qingtiangang with Jinshan.

TAIWAN BEECH NATIONAL TRAIL (台灣山毛櫸國家步道)

Tucked snuggly into the innermost reaches of Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area, Taiwan Beech National Trail is a pretty forested walk which takes hikers through an ancient stand of beech trees that is thought to date back to the last Ice Age.

DAGUI WATERFALL RIVER TRACE (大鬼瀑布溯溪)

With Taiwan’s summers dragging on for a seemingly infinite length of time, there’s nothing more appealing than immersing yourself in the nearest body of water and this easy river trace in New Taipei’s Ruifang District is a top spot to stop off on a hot day.

SHUANGQI AMBUPING TRAIL (雙崎埋伏坪步道)

Ambuping Hiking Trail is a short loop in the lower elevation part of Taichung’s Heping District. The trail encircles the Tayal tribal village of Shuangqi and takes in one peak, a section of ridgeline, and the remains of an old irrigation canal.

LALASHAN SACRED TREE TRAIL (拉拉山神木群歩道)

Lalashan — R’ra in the local Tayal language — is one of 19 such designated national forest recreation areas in Taiwan. It occupies an area of land that sits 1,500 to 2,130 metres above sea level in Taoyuan’s Fuxing District up a winding road dotted with Tayal villages. The forest…

NEIDONG FOREST RECREATION AREA TRAILS (內洞森林遊樂區步道)

Situated on the banks of Nanshi Creek and far away from the busy city, Neidong National Forest Recreation Area is a peaceful and pretty natural haven. The park has a total of three trails — the Scenic Trail, the Forest Bathing Trail and the Waterfall Trail — which can be…