5 Easy Hikes To Do Around Taipei

My friends call me an outdoor maniac. When they ask me what are my plans for the weekend, my response would most likely be “I’m going hiking!” I got into hiking two years ago when I first got back from the gloomy UK. Whenever the sun is out there shining, you’ll find me in the wild! Having to hike for 2 years, I now do trails that take at least 2 hours. However, I do get lazy sometimes. And the following 5 hikes around Taipei and New Taipei are my cheatsheet when I want to enjoy a quick getaway from all the hustle and bustle.

1. Elephant Mountain

• Difficulty: 💪
• Duration: 30~40 minutes
• Direction: Get off at MRT Xiang Shan Station (Red Line), walk 10 minutes to the entrance.

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Elephant Mountain is by far one of the most visited trails among the five paths introduced here. It is also a must-go spot for both locals and travelers. This hiking trails is one of the easiest one though you do have to be prepared for some steep stairs. This is perhaps the closest spot where you can get a great view of Taipei 101 and the rest of the city’s landscape. I personally like to go there during the night because I like to sit at the pavilion and watch the whole city lit up by those colorful neon lights.

**Friendly reminder: Don’t stop at the second viewpoint where group of people queuing for their instagram shot on a big rock. Go 10 minutes further up where you will reach what I call “the third level” of pavilion. There’re less people and with a much better view. I usually bring snacks and just sit at the bench chatting with my friends while Taipei 101 glittering silently right in front of me.

2. Lion Head Mountain

• Difficulty: 💪💪
• Duration: 1.5 hr
• Direction: Get off at MRT Xindian Station (Green Line), walk towards Nengren Rd. and you’ll see a sign points you to the entrance of the trail. Alternatively, you can paste 231新北市新店區文中路57巷6號 into your Google Maps.

This is a rather less known trail but comes with a pretty great view of New Taipei City. Located in Xindian District, there are 3 hilltop viewpoints and 11 pavilions in total throughout this hike. You could complete all of them within 2 hours. However, the trail is filled with endless stairs, so it’s gonna be a great workout for your butt! Below is the route me and my friends did last time. If you continue all the way towards Changchun Rd, you’ll reach Silver Stream Cave Waterfall. And that takes us to the third hiking trail I’ll be introducing in this blogpost.

3. Silver Stream Cave Waterfall

• Difficulty: 💪
• Duration: 30 minutes
• Direction: From Xindian Station (Green Line), take the bus G12 and get off at Yinhe Cave Stop. It’s a 30-minute walk from the bus stop to the entrance.

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Silver Stream Cave (Yinhe Cave) Waterfall is said to be one of the mystical places in New Taipei. The cave was first discovered in 1912 and due to its peculiar location, people decided to build a temple inside the cave. The waterfall, which is only 200meters above the temple falls right in front of the cave. When you stood inside the temple and peak through the window , it looks exactly like a veil made of water! Another mystical view is when a rainbow crosses over the waterfall after some rain. Though I think you’ll have to be real lucky to catch that! If you think you still got a lot of strength left after this hike, you can continue the 2-kilometer trail that leads all the way to Maokong and have a cuppa tea there. BUT, let’s be a bit lazy and check off the rest of the easy hikes first!

4. Battleship Rock

• Difficulty: 💪
• Duration: 25 minutes
• Direction: From MRT Shipai Station (Red Line), head towards National Yang Ming University, the entrance is inside the uni.

Battleship Rock is another easy 20-minute hike located at Beitou. This one is perhaps the easiest one among all five trails. The stairs are mild and you don’t get out of breathe easily. Once you arrive at the top, you’ll be able to take in the panoramic city view along with Keelong River. I personally recommend you to come for sunset when the sky is clear. The view is just spectacular! 

5. Jinmian Shan

• Difficulty: 💪💪💪
• Duration: 1hr
• Direction: 2 ways to get there
• MRT: From Xihu Station (Brown Line), take Exit 1 and follow the direction for a 10-minute walk.
• Bus: Take B20, B27, 214, 247, 256, 267. Get off at Huanshan Station (環山站), follow 136 Aly. all the way towards the entrance.

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There’s a reason why I rated the difficulty of Jinmian Shan a three. Instead of plain, tedious stairs like the other 4 trails, this one comes with some rope-grappling challenge! When you arrive at the entrance, take the right trail because it’s faster and saves you more strength for the upcoming “scrambling climb”. As you go further up, you’ll gradually have the panoramic view of both nature and city views in sight. As the wise said “No pain no gain.” you’ll be rewarded with the final grand view when you reach the famous cliff. The most instagrammable spot is that outstanding cliff overlooking the northeastern Taipei. Totally worth the sweat!

Last but not least, here’s my day hike must-bring list for you to have a look.

• 1 bottle of 800ml Water
• 1 extra shirt for change
• 1 towel
• 1~2 energy drink from 7-11
• 1 cap
• sun screen
• credit card or some money just in case
• mobile phone (Google map is my best friend)
• loads of hyper energy!

If you ever wanted to get away from the city for some fresh air, check out these 5 easy hikes. It takes only half a day to finish, including time for transportation.

For longer hikes such as Caoling Historic Trail, Yang Ming Shan, or He Huan Shan, I’ll be writing individual posts in the future.

What are the other easy day hikes you’ve done around Taipei? Feel free to share!