TRAILS with TEMPLES

One feature of Taiwan’s trails that is pretty unique is the preponderance of temples that you can see along the way. Big ones, small ones, grand and humble, Taoist, Buddhist, Confucian, temples of all persuasions can be found along the trails here. In fact, it might be harder to find a trail that doesn’t feature a temple of some kind. With that in mind, I’ve only included walks that have a temple that’s particularly noteworthy in one way or another – perhaps it is the starting point of the walk, maybe it has some particular story to it, or perhaps I just think it looks pretty.

YUANTONG TEMPLE TRAIL (圓通寺步道)

Yuantong Temple is an (almost) century-old religious establishment built into the hillside of New Taipei’s Zhonghe District. The ridgeline behind it is crisscrossed with a network of trails where you can find all kinds of small shrines, statues and other interesting sights.

MOUNT DULI (獨立山)

Mount Duli National Trail takes hikers up from Zhangnaoliao Station to Dulishan Station, crossing paths with Alishan Forestry Railway at several points, with a possible detour to a huge hikers’ kitchen in a temple.

獨立山國家步道

獨立山國家步道從樟腦寮車站一路攀升至獨立山車站，途中多次與阿里山林業鐵路交會，還可以繞道前往一座寺廟裡的大型登山客廚房。

MOUNT HONGDAN (紅淡山)

This trail makes for a serviceable half-day trip from Taipei with interesting temples, one of Taiwan’s 100 Minor Peaks, views, and the promise of dinner from one of Keelung’s many eateries.

DENGMIAO TRAIL (登廟步道)

The majority of Dengmiao Trail is in Changhua County, but for a brief moment it will take you over the border into Nantou County. It’s a casual, Sunday afternoon type wander with a good chance of spotting some Formosan rock macaques.

XINPU WANDER (新埔走走)

This leisurely stroll around the rural Hakka town of Xinpu takes in a hillside park, a series of temples, historic houses, a market, and some temple unusual artwork.

LINGBO TEMPLE WALK (靈菩寺/四股埤步道)

Lingbo Temple Trail is a tiny little walk in Xizhi that’s probably only visited by a handful of locals. It takes you up to a temple with a view over the area, then heads back down along a fishing pond and past a cute little temple in a cave.

SOUTH GUANYIN MOUNTAIN (南觀音山)

This enjoyable loop trail in Taichung will take you to number 42 of Taiwan’s list of 100 Minor Peaks. It is well-known in Taiwan’s hiking circles for the odd sight of a giant golden hand at the summit.

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 7B

This section of the TSLT picks up in Wugu and makes its way through some pleasant edge-of-the-city type trails as it skirts the northwestern edge of Taipei.

ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN to LION MOUNTAIN LOOP (象山/獅山O型)

Lurking in the hills below Mount Nangang and 95 Peak are wild animals. An elephant, a lion, a tiger and a leopard which are collectively known as the Four Beasts. (Ok, so technically they’re hills rather than real beasts.) This loop takes in two of the four, and explores some of the lesser known trails in the area.

XIANDONGHU SHAN and YUEMEI CAVE (仙洞湖山/月眉洞)

You can find all sorts of oddities tucked into the hills of Taiwan, and Keelung’s unique brand of oddity seems to be caves with temples in them. This walk includes one such cave temple, as well as a scrappy climb to a peak with distant views of Taipei 101.

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.