At just 3.7 kilometres for a round trip, this short and steep but thoroughly rewarding hike in Nantou's Zhongliao Townships has great birdlife and views over the railway town of Jiji and beyond on a clear day.
MODERATE HIKES IN TAIWAN
MOUNT JINMIAN HIKING TRAIL (金面山親山步道)
The Mount Jinmian Hiking Trail is a popular hiking trail in Taipei, which offers fun walking and great views of the city, all within a short walk of the MRT network.
SILVERGRASS on MOUNT SANJIAOPU (三角埔頂山芒草)
This New Taipei walk climbs a punishing set of steps from New Taipei City Martyrs' Shrine before settling into a far more pleasant ridge trail above Shulin. The main draw is the silvergras, which — every October to December — frames the city views.
GOLDEN CAVE (黃金洞)
Two dramatic cave entrances and remnants of the area's mining past await on this moderate walk in New Taipei's Ruifang District.
GREEN ISLAND COASTAL TRAIL (綠島觀海步道)
This short trail on the southern tip of Green Island boasts coastal scenery and the possibility of a hot spring dip.
QIXING MOUNTAIN THREE-WAY (七星山三進三出）
For those who live in Taiwan's capital, Taipei's tallest peak deserves more than a single visit, and this challenge is just the ticket. The Qixing Mountain Three-Way links the mountain's three separate approach trails into a single punishing route, sending you up and over the summit again and again. Superb scenery, sulphuric fumaroles, and the very real possibility of a bamboo partridge stealing your snacks await.
SHUANGLIU BANYAN TRAIL & MOUNTAINSIDE TRAIL (雙流國家森林遊樂區：白榕步道/沿山步道)
Shuangliu National Forest Recreation Area is a quiet forested park in the southern County of Pingtung. This post takes you on a moderate loop walk that takes in two of the park's four trails.
YOULUO MOUNTAIN (油羅山O型)
Located in Hsinchu’s mountainous Wufeng District, Youluo Mountain Trail is a wonderfully compact day hike. With its mist-cloaked paths and tall, quiet trees, it’s a complete escape from the city.
GOLDEN WATERFALL and LIUKENG SLOPE ROPEWAY (黃金瀑布/六坑斜坡索道)
This particular mini adventure in New Taipei’s Ruifang District is a brief but enjoyable walk connecting two of the area’s popular sight-seeing spots: the Golden Waterfall and Shibaoshan Lookout. If you’re feeling energetic, you could use it as a warm-up for climbing Teapot Mountain, or if — like me — your in more of a leisurely mood, you can end the walk with a pleasant sit down in one of Jinguashi’s coffee shops.
XIAOWULAI (小烏來)
Towering waterfalls, precarious suspension bridges, hot spring baths, bamboo forests, plentiful bird life, and an Indigenous village — this varied trail in Taoyuan’s Fuxing District has a lot to offer.
SAVAGE VALLEY (野人谷)
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.
MOUNT HUOYAN RIDGE HISTORIC TRAIL (火炎山越嶺古道)
A short trail in New Taipei's coastal Gongliao District that greatly benefits from having a beach and a coffee shop at the end.
DAKENG TRAIL 4 & MOUNT TOUKE (大坑四號登山步道)
This picturesque trail in Taichung's Beitun District is a unique Taiwan hiking experience — an undulating log path leads up to some great views.
FENRUI HISTORIC TRAIL (奮瑞古道)
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 the above.
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.