Bitoujiao Hiking Area

How is the cafe inside the hiking area? Food, coffee, air conditioning, restrooms, etc?

I’m looking for spots to chill out midday from heat between early morning and late afternoon activities.

It looks like an old military complex on map.

Tingtao cafe 聽濤

Bitoujiao Trail 鼻頭角步道

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I can’t help you because…I’m in shock :hushed: I’ve hiked Bitoujiao every year since 2008 (it’s kind of become a pilgrimage for me) and never knew there was a cafe there! So I’m curious as well.

I’ve passed it but it wasn’t open at the time. Nice walk anyway .

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Maybe that’s been my case? I’m still gobsmacked that I haven’t noticed it before.

I just checked out the FB page; it seems they opened in 2020. Maybe I missed my 2020 trip so that’s why I didn’t know about it? Now I have a goal to check it out.

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They painted it up , it wasn’t so obvious before. And it’s probably been closed for long periods since opening.

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I’ve never hiked it and I don’t know why. I’ve hiked most trails in north Taiwan but for some reason not that one.

If you want some excitement, take the trail behind the lighthouse back to the fishing harbor, narrow and above the cliffs. There are actually quite a few trails on the coastal mountains, above the highway, great views, but not all are easy or safe.

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I’ve done that Keelung mountain from the coast side. Not for the faint of heart that one.

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Yes. Food, coffee, tea, air-conditioning, restrooms and etc.

My wife and I hiked it back on June 22, 2020. My GPS tracker showed 4.96 km from start to finish. We walked down to the cafe to have a look, but we didn’t stay and eat or drink anything. It used to be old military barracks and has now been converted into a cafe. It looks very comfortable, but not our style. Hiking should be hiking and should be separate from noisy cafes, music and karaoke.

More pictures and self-important commentary.

Summary

Joke sign. People were yelling to their friends across the valley, some people were playing shit music on their phones while they hiked and one group actually brought a portable Karaoke machine so that they could sing in the first gazebo after the elementary school. Taiwanese “hikers” have no manners whatsoever.

Beach front elementary school just at the beginning of the trail.

Entrance to the stairs heading down to the cafe. Two of the more vocal screamers standing near the gate.

The gate and trail to the military radar station. It’s off limits. But, if you’re Taiwanese, just disregard.

You can’t access the beach or walk around the point because it’s off limits as the sign and the fencing clearly shows. However, while we were there we witnessed five “hikers” help each other climb over the barrier and begin hiking around the point. Hope they fell and died or at least got arrested and fined. Idiots. No manners.

There are no laws, rules, or standards of conduct which a Taiwanese is required to follow simply because they don’t want to. Great example of those who climbed the barrier to hike in the off limit area.

No rules, no problem.

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Great, you covered all the bases.

:heart:

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:rage: :rage: :rage:

I think you missed a few photos Malcolm :wink:.

That cafe sure looks decent.

I as snorkeling near there recently the north coast was absolutely chock a block, unbelievable crowds last weekend and probably this weekend.

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:thinking: So who should I listen to?

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Haven’t been there in a while, I think the local hiking groups are not going to be stopped by no barriers. If you are a casual hiker the main trail is great enough, though.

You should listen to your inner conscience. Are you a civilized person who follows established rules or are you a self-important entitled prick who will fuck all the rules and do as you please?

I was all alone snorkeling on Thursday near Dragon’s Cave. Eerie…

Tried to hike Bitoujiao in the afternoon but exhausted and hot so didn’t make it.

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I went there on a Thurs a week+ ago and… well, I tried to go there I should say. Couldn’t find a place to park. Said screw it and went to another place (which sucked). There’s parking along the dock/whatever, and some near the red light – what about the road up the hill from the redlight? On Maps it looks like it goes to a school, but I dunno if you can park there.

If you go east/south through the tunnel it looks like there’s normally parking there, but it was all closed off.

I can imagine how it must be on a weekend…

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There is a pay parking lot now on the other side of harbor. It used to be free parking and could drive through it and exit the other side.

Guess they want people to park over there and walk along the busy noisy hot road before they enjoy the quiet hiking area, and then walk down the busy noisy hot road again when finished.

There are a very few spots (3-5 or so) where people squeeze in up the small road to the school. But it’s mostly no parking and small lane anyway.

I just wish there was a spot to enter directly into the woods and park without walking up the steep road with no shade to the school area and entrance to hiking area.

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You mean the pay lot to the west where there’s restaurants / food stalls? Yeah it’s just so far away…

The entrance is near the school? I thought it was down in the harbor. Maybe two entrances

I couldn’t tell for sure if there was a walking path around the tunnel, but there’s the Longdong visitor center there with parking, which seems like it might be the nearest walk to the school (other than the impossible free parking near the light or in the harbor), but it was closed for some unknown reason when I was there.

Entrance.

You can use either the harbor as your entrance or the elementary school entrance. However, you can’t park on Bitou Road, the road going up to the elementary school, because it’s lined with red paint and they’ve got no parking signs and even orange cones laid out to prevent it. But, of course I’ve seen people move the cones and park anyway because, you know, fuck rules. But you’ll be risking your car getting towed.

Here’s the parking on the right side of the main North Coast Highway 2, just down the hill from the Bitou Elementary School. This is the nearest authorized parking to the entrance.
Get here by 8:00am and you can easily find a parking spot. My wife and I always arrive between 07:30am and 08:00am and have always found a parking spot.

As far as I know, there’s no walking path around the tunnel, but you can walk through the tunnel as it’s got a sidewalk with safety railing.

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