Nanzihlin Mt Hiking Trail in Taipei

Nanzihlin Mt (南子吝山)  is a small mountain in the northern Taiwan coastal area. Although it is not very high (elev 196m), its view is awesome.

View of the Nanzihlin Mt top

Although the mountain is near Jiufen/Jinguashi ,  it is not a popular place for the foreigners because of the bad public traffic accessibility. If you are in Jiufen, you can take Bus 856 to the Nanya 南雅 (South Xing Temple) stop, or just hail a taxi. If you just want to visit the north-east coastal region of Taiwan , including this trail, taking the Bus 886 from the Ruyfang rail station is more efficient. 

There is a big parking lot by the sea near the entrance of the trail. Go through the two temples, follow the road signs, and you will find the trail entrance about 100 meters away.

The trail is only 990m in length, but steep. A pavilion is located in the middle of the trail.It takes you 30 mins to go up and 20 mins to go down. It may be hot under the sun, thus wearing a hat is strongly recommended.

Go through the two temples

The trail head

The Nanya fishing village

On the trail

One of my best photo 

It's easy for girls, too.

A 360 degree view on the summit of Nanzihlin Mt.

Butterflies are everywhere in Taiwan, even in such a windy area. Many of them are not afraid of predators, because they have special strategies, that means you can take close-up photos. The monarch butterflies are common here, and they warn the predators "poisonous" by the opened brilliant wings. The butterfly (Heliophorus ila) likes to close the wings, which look like a vividly poisonous caterpillar. The moth (Amata spp) has yellow and back stripes over the body and  transparent wings; he is saying" Don't bother me, I'm a fierce wasp". The butterfly (Abraxas spp) looks having no special strategy for human beings, but its wings looks like a bird's poo. Ha ha, birds don't like to eat anything like their poo, either.

The monarch butterfly

Heliophorus ila

Amata spp

Abraxas spp

Nanya is famous for its coastal view. Since the mountainous coast has been eroded by the sea water for million years, a fantastic rocky coastal scenery was created. If you go there, be sure to visit the Nanya rocky formation (南雅奇岩) , which is about 500 meters from the parking lot. There is a restroom in the temple, and a family-owned convenience store near the road. No restaurant is available in this small fishing village. 

The photos of hiking on a misty day:

The nearby Banping Mt. in the mist

Simple info:

Nanzihlin trail head , (elev 0 m )

Trail length 990m ,  summit (elev 196m)

30 mins up, 20 mins down

Bus 856  Ruyfang rail station - Fulong tourist center ( through Jiufen, time-consuming)

Bus 886  Ruyfang rail station - Rongdongwan park 

Erzihping, Miantian, and Xiangtian Mt trails in Taipei

Erzihping (二子坪)  is the most popular place in Yangmingshan National Park (YMS NP)‧

It is easy to go to Erzihping; you can take Bus 260 from Jiantan MRT station to the Yagmingshan terminal, and then Bus 108 to Erzihping visitor center.  Both of the 2 bus lines operate frequently.  The entrance of Erzihping trail is near the visitor center.

Erzihping

Water lily

The Erzihping trail (1800m) is not steep at all, and it is OK for wheel chairs. The trail is about 800 m elevation above the sea; the trail is in the forest; it is cool in summer. That's no wonder why people like this trail so much, because it is so comfortable to hike here.

The smooth Erzihping trail

Shuyagiao

The Erzihping trail is also called the Butterfly trail. You can find a lot of butterflies and insects along the trail. Shuyagiao (水鴨腳) ,which is a kind of begonias, is apparently the most beautiful plant with pink flowers on the trail. If you stop to observe the flowers, you can see the difference between the stamen and pistol. If you are lucky, you may see  a bumblebee harvesting between the flowers busily and happily.  

The entrance of Miantian/Xiangtian trail

Erzihping is a small basin with an artificial pond inside. Water lily is the most beautiful plant in the pond. In sunny day, you may see the reflection of  the sky in the pond. Erzihping is a good place for young children, and you can go for a picnic there.

Erzihping in misty day

You can see several mountains around Erzihping. The highest mountain is Datun main peak; that is another story. Our goal is Miantian (面天山) and Xiangtian (向天山) trail.

The trail beyond Erzihping leads to Miantian and Xiangtian Mts. About 15 mins later you can find the entrance of the Miantian trail (about elev 750m). The trail is only 600m but very steep, and it may take you 30 mins to the top of Miantian Mt ( elev 977m). There is a viewpoint on the mountain top. In my view, the view here is the best in Taipei, and you can see not only the whole of the city, but also the eastern and northern part of Taiwan island. You can see  the Tamsui river emptying into the Taiwan  strait. 

Initial part of Miantian trail

Miantian trial

Miantian Mt top, you can feel the cloud is so close . 

The view of Taipei basin from Miantian Mt top

The neighboring Xiangtian Mt, and the far away Gaun-in Mt. 

Tamsui river emptying into Taiwan strait

The northern part of Taiwan island

 It takes 10 mins to go to the neighboring Xiantian Mt ( elev 947) where has no viewpoint. All that you can see is silvergrass there. You will go into a forest soon after leaving the mountain top, and will meet a small basin named Xiangtian pond, which ,per se, is a caldera.  The pond only exists transiently after heavy rain, because the soil of the caldera base is hyper-permeable to water.

My wife and my son on the the Xiangtian Mt top

In the forest of Xiangtian Mt

The dry Xiangtian pond. 

In the bamboo forest of Xiangtian Mt

Although there are many side ways on the trail, it is very safe to hike in the YMS NP due to the road signs everywhere, and there are many hikers on the trails in YMS NP. If you have any question, don't hesitate to ask for help; Taiwanese are always friendly. In Taiwan, most hiking trails are steep, therefore,  the information of altitude difference is more important than the length. 

After visiting the Xiangtian pond, you can go to Miantianping (面天坪) pavilion and then go back to Erzihping. Many hikers would like to go to Qingtian Temple (清天宮) ,where you can take Bus S6 to MRT Beitou station ( every 30 mins ). Mosquitoes are bothersome in summer near Qingtian Temple (elev 477 m), so do not forget to have repellents with you. 

Miantianping pavilion

The trail system of western YMS NP

If this butterfly close her wings, it looks like a brown leaf.

If you are an ultimate hiker, from the Miantianping pavilion, you can go to the Datun south, west, and main peaks, then return to Erzihping. That will take you more 3 hours.

Be sure to have enough water and food with you. Food and water is only available at the Erzihping visitor center.

The nearby Qixing Mt trail

Simple info:

Miantian Mt, elev 977 m.

Xiantian Mt , elev 947 m, 

Erzihping trail entrance , elev 800 m 

Qingtian Temple, elev 477 m 

A journey of 3-4 hours

Bus 260 from Jiantan to YMS terminal then bus 108  to Erzihping visitor center.

Bus S6 runs between Qingtian Temple and MRT Beitou station.

Teapot Mountain Hiking Trail in Jinguashi, Taipei

Teapot Mt (茶壺山) hiking trail is also a famous trail in the Jiufen/Jinguashi area. You won't regret to hike here. The top of the mountain is a rock named the Teapot.

Before the Teapot

The Bus 1062 line is operated for foreigners. You can take the bus at Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station in the center of Taipei city. About one hour later, the bus will stop at Jiufen, Jinguashi (Gold museum) and Jinguashi ( Quanji Temple). The Teapot Mt hiking trail head is just near Quanji Temple. In Taiwan, there is no fee for any temple or toilet.

There is a small mountain named Baoshi Mt near the temple; it takes 5 mins to the viewpoint where you can see the typical northern coastal scenery of Taiwan. Then,  I recommend you to walk through the Baoshi Tunnel under the Mt. which was a Japanese military facility in World War II. 

On the trail to the Baoshi viewpoint

View of Baoshi viewpoint

The Baoshi Tunnel

Teapot Mt trail head

The landscape of the mountain is full of silvergrass because of perennial strong wind from the north. You may meet a tree which is shaped by the wind. The entrance of the trail is about 260 m elevation above the sea, and the Teapot is 600m elevation. The trail is steep with thousands of stairs,and the trail crosses The Romantic Road several times. The Romantic Road twists upon the mountain from Quanji temple to the Teapot; you can  hire a taxi to have a scenic drive if you want. There are many taxi drivers at Jiufen and Jinguashi (Gold museum) bus stops, and they are very happy to do so.

A tree shaped by the wind

The Romantic Road

Season of silvergrass blooming

Yin Yang Sea, the yellow part of the blue sea water

There is a yellow part in the coastal blue sea water due to the metal-rich river. We call it Yin-Yang sea. Yin and Yang  are important concepts in Asian culture,  representing sun and moon, male and female, brightness and darkness, Good and evil. The Mix of Yin And Yang is Taichi, which is in the center of the Korean flag.

The view on the trail is awesome, You can see the best view on sunny days, and don't forget to bring enough water and wear a hat. The Teapot is a rock and you can climb up by the rope. There's still a trail leading to the Banping and Cangualiao Mt. Do not go beyond the Teapot unless  accompanied with a guide; there are cliffs. You may think that the rock doesn't look like a teapot, because it looks like a teapot only from the direction of Jinguashi. 

View on the trail

View of Keelung Mt.

The Teapot's surface is rusting

We are going down now

It may take you 1.5 hr to go up and 1 hr to go down. There are several family-owned restaurants near the Quanji temple. I recommend you to try a bowl of hot Baiyumifen (白魚米粉) , rice noodles with fried hairtail fish.

Accommodations are available in Jiufen and Jinguashi. If you have time, stay for one night would be a wonderful experience. 

Warning: Stay on the trail is mandatory. This is a gold mountain, and there are a lot of pits. In recent years, two men died because of falling into a pit outside the trail.

Quanji Temple

Farfugium japonicum var. formosanum (Hayata) Kitam. The yellow flower is frequently seen on the northern Taiwan hiking trail in Oct and Nov. 

The Golden fall, a viewpoint near Jinguashi

Simple info:

The Teapot , elev 600m 

The trail head, elev 260m

1.5 hr to go up, 1 hr to go down

Must stay on the trail

Bus 1062 , from Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station to Jinguashi ( Quanji Temple)

The nearby Keelung Mt hiking trail