A Great afternoon hike just 10 minutes off
Xihu Station
walking to the trailhead
The amount of easy to access hiking trails right in Taipei is another reason to love this city. But you have to know to look for them! Of course you probably already know about Elephant Mountain. And it’s certainly worth doing at least once (it’s sunset view of Taipei 101 is pretty impressive). But there are so many other great hikes just barely off Taipei’s city cement streets…if you know where to look for them!
Take Jianmianshan Trail. Just a ten minute walk from the Brown Line’s Xihu station this is one of my favorite hikes! Most of the “trails” in Taiwan are more like well manicured walking paths connected to concrete stairs. But this is a real trail made of dirt, rocks and boulders! Its a bit of a scramble. A very well marked and popular scramble but a scramble, non the less! And to me that’s a big part of the fun. The hike also rewards you with many fantastic views of the city and culminates with one final grand view… plus a big bolder jutting out over a precipice which makes for some Instagram worthy pics (although you’ll have to wait your turn if you want the shot!) Don’t forget to bring water with you on this hike – or buy some at 7-eleven along the road before the trailhead. And wear some good shoes.
Directions to the trail head: Take Exit 1, follow google maps directions from there 🙂
