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.
NEW TAIPEI CITY MODERATE HIKES
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.
KEELUNG MOUNTAIN EAST PEAK (基隆山東峰)
Climbing Mount Keelung is part and parcel of the Jiufen experience. Most visitors take a break from sampling the town’s many and varied treats to climb the thigh-testing, lung-burning steps. Far fewer people know that there is a secret back-route that reaches the summit via a series of thrilling scrambles.
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: 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.
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 woven together into a single loop, allowing you to see all that the park has to offer.
DEVIL’S CAVE and STONE BAMBOO SHOOT PEAK (魔神仔洞/石筍尖)
This odd little loop in New Taipei's Pingxi District is a thrilling mix of climbing, views, and old mining remains.
NANYA MOUNTAIN and FRONT TEETH ROCKS (南雅山/門牙岩)
This exciting trail on Taiwan's northeastern coast offers hikers sea views, fun climbs, and some interesting rock formations.
YINGZAI PEAK and CHAOYIN CAVE TEMPLE (鷹仔尖/觀音山潮音洞)
This short but strenuous walk in New Taipei's Wugu District offers steep ascents, lots of temples, and (in the right season) cherry blossom and black kites.
YEHLIU PORT HILL and the CAMEL’S HUMP (野柳山/駱駝岩)
This wonderful pocket-sized adventure on Taiwan's northern coast is almost a perfect half-day hike.
FENGZILIN SHAN and NIAOYUE SHAN (楓子林山/鳥月山)
This slightly rough-around-the-edges walk is probably not going to be everybody's cup of tea. But if you've done lots of the popular hikes around Taipei and are looking for something a little quieter then this might just be the walk for you.
STEGOSAURUS RIDGE (劍龍稜)
Stegosaurus Ridge has to be one of the most superlative day hikes that you can do in northern Taiwan. It offers spectacular views of grassy slopes and dramatic rocky ridges set against bright blue coastal waters, and is very much a full-body workout kind of hike.
TAIPEI SKYLINE TRAIL: SECTION 10B
This section of the Taipei Skyline Trail packs a lot of interesting spots into its not-quite-14km length. There are not one, but two Xiao Bai Yue, and one of Taipei's most impressive land god temples.
TAIPEI SKYLINE TRAIL: SECTION 10A
Leading from Sanxia District and on towards Tucheng, this section of the Taipei Skyline Trail was an unexpected pleasure. Gently taxing and quiet ridge line trails offer a wonderful escape from the city.