There is something undeniably special about hiking up through the thinning dark to watch the sun cast its first rays over the landscape. This short trail in Taipei's Xinyi District offers a great vantage point to see the sun come up, and observe the city as it gets ready to start a new day
TAIPEI CITY EASY HIKE
TIANMU WATER PIPE TRAIL and BANLING CANAL via MOUNT SHAMAO (天母水管路/紗帽山/半嶺古圳)
The trails in Tianmu are some of the better-known trails in the foothills of Yangmingshan National Park Despite this, there are always places you've never been, and even revisiting familiar paths will show you a new side to the place.
QIXING SHAN NIGHT HIKE (七星山夜爬)
Qixing Shan attracts walkers year-round for its expansive views, bamboo-lined paths and volcanic geology. As Taipei's highest mountain, it is a must-climb for the city's population of avid hikers, but how many of them can say they have climbed it in the dark?
JIUZHUANG SHAN (舊莊山)
Jiuzhuang Shan is a small hill in Taipei’s Nangang District, immediately opposite the campus of Academia Sinica. A wander along the trails will introduce you to a number of distinguished academics who were associated with the institution during their lifetimes.
JIANTAN TRAIL NIGHT HIKE (劍潭山步道夜爬)
There are lots of trails close to the city that offer opportunities for exploring after dark. The ever popular Jiantan Hiking Trail is one such route - although if you visit at night you can expect to have the paths almost entirely to yourselves.
NANGANG TEA MOUNTAIN TRAIL (南港茶山步道 )
If you picture Nangang District in your mind what do you see? The train station? The exhibition centre? The giant software park? I bet you didn’t envision quiet hillsides cloaked with neat rows of tea. This trail offers an insight into a side of Nangang that not so many people know about.
MOUNT ZHONGZHENG TRAIL (中正山步道)
Mount Zhongzheng Hiking Trail makes for a quiet and easy wander in the westernmost reaches of Yangmingshan National Park. Starting just a couple of blocks away from Xin Beitou Station, the trail leads you up through farms and bamboo to a peak with commands wide views over the city.
NEIHU’S PATH LESS TRAVELLED
The hills around Jinmian Shan are crisscrossed with hiking trails of varying degrees of popularity and difficulty. This post details one of the quieter walks that you can do in the area.
FAIRY SHRIMP at XIANGTIAN POOL (向天池的仙女蝦)
Xiangtian Pool is an ephemeral body of water in an old volcanic crater on the northwestern edge of Yangmingshan National Park. It can be seen after periods of heavy rain, and only then for a brief time. As if this didn't make the pool intriguing enough, it is also home to a population of fairy shrimp which spawn in great numbers when the conditions are just right.
SCISSORS ROCK NIGHT HIKE (剪刀石夜爬)
Scissors Rock is up there with Elephant Mountain in terms of its popularity among the easily accessible trails of Taipei. But unlike it's Xinyi District counterpart, this trail in Neihu falls quiet as soon as night settles on the city. Travellers willing to brave the dark will be treated to peaceful city views and maybe even a flying squirrel (or two, or five)
BATTLESHIP ROCK NIGHT HIKE (軍艦岩夜景)
Close to the city, Battleship Rock Trail is an ever popular walk, and on weekends in particular you are likely to find it pretty crowded. But for those who are feeling brave it offers an easy after dark hike and a stupendous night view of Taipei.
TAMSUI-KAVALAN TRAILS: WANHUA to FUYANG ECO PARK (淡蘭古道：萬華/富陽自然生態公園)
The southern stretch of the Tamsui-Kavalan Trails starts from the historic centre of Wanhua and heads through urban parks and market streets on its way to the edge of the city.
TAMSUI-KAVALAN TRAILS: FUYANG ECO PARK to SHENKENG (淡蘭古道南路：富陽自然生態公園/深坑)
The first step on the southern span of the Tamsui-Kavalan Trails, this walk takes you from Da’an District over the hills to the popular sightseeing spot of Shenkeng Old Street. Depending on you view of the town’s famous stinky tofu this is either a perfect reward for a day of hard walking, or sore punishment.
TAMSUI-KAVALAN TRAILS: WANHUA to XIZHI (淡蘭古道：萬華/松山/南港/汐止)
Much of the original Tamsui-Kavalan Trails have been swallowed up by Taipei's urban sprawl. In this section you follow the course of the city's subterranean train tracks past some of the old factories that spurred on the development of the railway network, past grand historic temples, and on towards Keelung River.
GUIZIKENG TRAIL (貴子坑步道)
Guizikeng Trail is a short and easy walk in Beitou District. In the spring you can see cherry blossom, in summer you can come to enjoy the irrigation canal, and in winter you can round off the day with a trip to the nearby hot springs.