Taichung city's other hiking trails

Words by Niang Chen
Translated by Angel Pu

Ask almost any Taichung citizen about hiking in the city and the first thing they'll probably mention are the 10 well-known trails in the Dakeng Scenic Area, a popular top destination for picnicking, hiking and exercising. However, less known are a number of other Taichung hiking trails that also offer beautiful natural scenery and good exercise options. If this sounds interesting, be sure and head out for one of the following trails for a fresh recreational experience.

For the following trails, the red stars indicate levels of hiking difficulty/challenge. However, with the exception of the tougher Yuan Zui Mountain, the other four trails are suitable for everyone.

Nanliao Zhukeng Old Path (Longjing district)

Total length: About 5.5 km (Trail "A" is 2.4 km and Trail "C" is 2 km)
Walking time: About 40 minutes one way; round-trip about 100 minutes
Difficulty: ★★ (The ascending stairs connecting "A" and "C" sections are slightly steep.)
Getting there
From Nanliao: Take ZhongGang (Taichung Port) Road and turn left on to YouYuan South Road; turn right on to XiangJie Road (it connects with Lane 164, ZhongSha Rd.) after seeing the Qiao Sheng Xian Shi Temple at your right. Drive straight ahead and follow the Nanliao Village sign; then turn into Nanliao Lane, which will take you to Fujian Temple and Hende Park. The entrance to Nanliao Old Path is marked by a pool decorated with two golden dragons.

From Zhukeng: Take ZhongGang (Taichung Port) Road and turn left onto YouYuan South Road. Turn right on to HuaShan Road; turn right again on to ZiYou Road and stay right to ShaTian Road. When you see the Nanliao Zhukeng direction sign on your right, that is the entrance to Zhukeng's Mu-Ben Bridge.

Located in Longjing district, Nanliao Zhukeng Old Path was an important route for transporting crops and commerce in ancient times. Today, it has been reconditioned as a leisure hiking trail that allows visitors to follow in the footprints of their ancestors in a connection across time and space. "Longjing" means "dragon's well" in Chinese, so dragon totems can be seen everywhere, including trail direction markers and designs. Views along coastal stretches often include blue skies and vast oceans of grass that seem to reach out to the heavens.

Yuan Zui Mountain Hiking Trail (Dongshi district)

Total length: About 3 km
Difficulty: ★★★★★ (especially for those who have never been to Yuan Zui Mountain)
Walking time: About 3-4 hours
Getting there: Take the Central Cross-Island Highway (Provincial Highway No. 8) east toward Guguan from Dongshi, turn left at the 1.8km mark, and turn right onto DongKeng Road. Follow the direction signs toward Big Snow Mountain (DaXue Shan). Keep driving on DongKeng Road, also designated Big Snow Mountain Forest Road No. 200, go through the Heng Ling Mountain Tunnel and stop around the 27km mark. Walk up the road 50 meters and directly opposite of the restroom is the entrance to the Yuan Zui Mountain hiking trail. It is about a 40-minute drive from Dong Shi to this trail head.

This trail is said to be "tempting because it's special", as Yuan Zui Mountain is a famous and challenging mountain to climb in Central Taiwan. Although the indicated altitude is only 2,180 meters, hiking Yuan Zui Mountain is very exciting and physically challenging. The views along the trail also vary each season. In winter, there are the maple trees and in April and May you can see rhododendrons blooming. The best time to come here is during weekdays, which offer more solitude to take your time and enjoy the great views. On weekends, there are frequently so many hikers that you can only move forward slowly.

The most popular hiking route is to start from 50 meters past the 27km mark, as noted above. The distance to main peak is not far, only 1.2 kilomters, but it's quite an adventurous jaunt as you make your way around and over rocks and cliffs, using ropes, ladders and chains set into the rock. Even after you've reached the main peak, there are some rocks to navigate, after which everything becomes much easier. The trail on the crest line is covered with a thick layer of pine needles and walking on this soft brown carpet is totally different from the exciting rock climbing you just went through.

Away from Yuan Zui Mountain 0.3k and Shao Lai Mountain 1.7k markers on the trail, visitors can head right, go straight into the Misty Forest and return directly to the parking lot. Misty Forest has big trees, green moss and rocks marked by various climbing clubs. If you keep walking toward Shao Lai Mountain, when you're about two kilomters from Yuan Zui's main peak, you'll see another path at the 29km marker heading down the mountain; this is another way down. This switchbacking route takes an additional hour getting back to the parking lot but is easier to walk compared with the Misty Forest route. It's best to bring gloves and basic climbing gear, and to also ensure that you have a decent level of physical fitness, in order to enjoy this beautiful trail.

Wufeng Qing Tong Lin Hiking Trail (Wufeng district)

Total length: Beikeng Creek branch trail is 800 meters long. Tong Lin Hua Lang Hiking Trail is 1.6 kilometers long. Ao Shan Hiking Trail is 255 meters long. Camphor Tree Forest Hiking Trail is 1.5 kilometers long.
Difficulty: ★★ (The rope-climbing section of the Beikeng Creek branch trail offers a level of difficulty.)
Walking time: Completing the Tong Lin Hua Lang Hiking Trail + Ao Shan Hiking Trail + Beikeng Creek branch line takes about two hours.
Getting there: Take Provincial Highway No. 3 toward Wufeng, turn left onto JiFeng Road (next to a police station), turn left onto MinSheng Road, pass by Tong-Lin Public Elementary School, turn left in front of Beikeng Bridge No. 2 and follow the direction signs toward Ling Yin Temple. Pass by Ling Yin Temple, keep going for 3-4 kilometers, and you will reach Beikeng Industrial Road. The first pavilion you will see is Wu Rao Pavilion; you can park there and walk up about 250 meters to the entrance of Tong Lin Hua Lang Hiking Trail. Or you can keep driving to the Chan Ye Second Bridge parking lot, where you will see the entrance of Beikeng Creek branch line hiking trail.

Wufeng Qing Tong Lin Hiking Trail is a very quiet route and not as easy to find because its remote mountain location, which contributes to its tranquility. The Common Tree Fern, Alocasia macrorrhizos (giant taro) and mushrooms grow profusely with other plants in this largely untrodden area. Although the trail doesn't see as many visitors as the Dakeng hiking trails do, trail maintenance is very complete, with carefully-made signs and markers informing walkers where they are and how many meters are left. The name "Qing Tong Lin" signifies that there will be many Tong Blossoms in the summer. The Ao Shan Triangulation Station, on the front side of Jiu Jiu Peak, is also a landmark on the Qing Tong Lin Hiking Trail. After exiting the trail, you'll encounter another trail surrounded by many rocks alongside Beikeng Industrial Road where, on summer nights, the air is full of fireflies.

Tian Ti Hiking Trail (Dongshi district)

Total length: About 2.6 kilometers
Difficulty: ★
Walking time: About 1.5 hours
Getting there: Take Provincial Highway No. 8 (Central Cross-Island Highway) toward Guguan, turn left at the 8km mark onto "Zhong 46" Road (Dongshi District Qingfu St.) and enter the Ruan Bi Keng Tourism Agricultural Area. Drive forward for another kilometer to Tian Gong Temple, located is the entrance of the Tian Ti Hiking Trail.

Tian Ti Hiking Trail, located in Dongshi district's Ruan Bi Keng village, completely consists of wooden footpaths and little rocks. The trail was built according to the mountain's gradient, so some sections of stairs are so steep that they seem to head straight toward the sky, giving this trail its name ("Tian Ti" meaning "stairway to heaven"). This trail runs through several orchards and you can see bananas, mandarin oranges, plums and persimmons in different seasons. Besides fruit, there are osmanthus shrubs and camphor trees along the way, both exuding fresh, delightful fragrances as you hike here. At the end of the trail is a hundred-year-old "qie dong" tree (toog tree). If you don't feel like walking, the Ruan Bi Keng Tourism Agricultural Area here is also a very good family hang-out.

Xin Tian Hiking Trail (Tanzi district)

Total length: About 2.5 kilometers
Walking time: About 1.5 hours
Difficulty: ★★★
Getting there: Take JunGong Road toward Tanzi, past Tzu Chi Buddhist General Hospital. After passing two Family Marts, turn right onto LongXin Lane, follow the direction signs toward Xin Tian Hiking Trail, head right when you encounter a Y-shaped fork in the road, and keep driving until you get to the Xin Tian Hiking Trail parking lot.

This trail offers a bit of difficulty. You can choose to either walk half-way around (30 minutes) or complete the whole circuit. Xin Tian is located between Tanzi and Beitun. When you reach the crest route, you overlook the Zhong Xin Ridge plateau on the right side of the trail, and look down onto the Taichung basin on the left side. In summer, the wind blowing over the crest is cool and refreshing; in fall and winter the mountain is covered with miscanthus (Chinese silver grass); in spring the rhododendrons are in full blossom. Trail No. 3, from the observatory to Liu Jiou Pavilion on the left half of Xin Tian trail, is very steep and some sections have collapsed, meaning you should be very careful when hiking on this part.