See the True Taiwan: an insiders guide

This blog has a few reviews of hikes to go on for a day trip if you head down to Shenkeng old street of Shiding. Both towns are great to see if you're ready to spend a day touring around the mountains south of Taipei. The two trails featured here are within easy walking distance from the river and old street in Shenkeng, and are actually part of the same set of (partially) linked hiking paths. If you're really in the mood you can walk up and over the mountains here and get to Maokong Station on the gondola which runs behind the Taipei zoo. To save 99% of readers time, the final conclusion of this entire article is you should avoid these hikes unless you've a) done all the hikes in Taipei already, or b) are doing it in winter and are a genuinely avid hiker with a good understanding of how to use your phone's GPS. These hikes are not suitable for casual walks on a date, or for people just looking to stretch their legs. I set out to do this hike on the first of tho...

Spring has finally arrived in Taiwan, which means there is about a two week window to get out and enjoy what may be the best hiking weather on earth until the temperature cranks up to unbearable levels. If you want to go somewhere that's close to Taipei, doesn't involve cramming it into a train to cat town, and is not full of other foreign faces, get down to Shiding 石碇. This is a day trip isn't far down the road from Shenkeng, the self proclaimed stinky tofu capital of Taiwan, but you'll still be getting long looks for being a foreigner here. The river view west and slightly south of the old street. A tribute to the village's mining history. Highway 5 runs overhead, Tanlan trail below. Off the beaten path? Not really, anymore, but still a great place to be for a day out of the city. It features genuine hiking, low-tempo river walks, and old street, and is based around an old school mining community. The main draw here is the hike at Huangdidian ...

Teapot mountain is a cute name for an enjoyable ocean side hike located a short ride from Jiu Fen's old street. The hike gets its name from the view of the rock outcropping at the summit of the trail which looks like a teapot without its handle. From start to finish you'll need to budget between two and three hours of your day to get it done, less if you're an avid hiker and decide not to climb your way around to higher peaks nearby. It's a more forgiving journey than the one up nearby Mt. Keelung, and while the view from the top isn't quite as epic on a beautiful day it has more character and far fewer people. From Taipei take bus 1062 from ZhongXiao FuXing MRT which is labeled Jin Gua Shi. The pick up point changes fairly often so check the station map to confirm you get to the right spot. You can also take bus 788 from Keelung, and if you're out at Rui Fang station there are two buses serving the mountain from there. The bus route to/from Taipei...

Yangming Mountain, hereafter to be called yangming shan (陽明山) is a volcanic area set in Taipei City's northern Shilin and Beitou districts. For anyone in the city the name implies a vast area of peaks and valleys which include entire communities, colleges, hot springs, farms, and basically any area shaded green on a map of Taipei. Getting up all of the lower mountains eventually leads you up to the ultimate peak at Qixing shan (七星山). View from the top on a nice day Climbing qixing shan is a rewarding experience for anyone looking to get to the top of the tallest point in northern Taiwan. The next highest peak, snow mountain, requires a permit to get into, so qixing shan becomes the defacto mountain that lay people must conquer. And conquer they do. On busy days everyone waits around to get a photo with this. Note the heavy fog. A view up towards the eastern peak. Weekends are rather busy on the trails and on the roads during the early spring flower season when th...