This fantastic hike is detailed in Richard Saunders’s wonderful Taipei Day Trips 2. Here are few updated notes.
Getting There
We took a local bus from Xindian Station. Buses leave for Sanxia at 10 past the hour Mon.-Sat. and 20 past the hour on Sundays and holidays. It takes about 50 minutes to get to the Sanxia bus station via Ankeng Rd. Tickets were NT$50. I’d recommend getting off the junction with Route 3 rather than going all the way into Sanxia. We went to the bus station because we needed supplies. The taxi from there to the trail head near the Hezuo bridge cost NT$200 unmetered.
I saw references on the web to freeway bus service on =http://www.kingbus.com.tw/Kuo Kuang from the ‘Kuo Kuang Main Station in Xindian’ 台汽新店總站, but I had no luck finding that station on the Kuo Kuang web site, nor did anyone at the West Taipei Station or South Taipei Station have any idea what I was talking about. Maybe one of the Xindian tribe members can enlighten us?
A much more comfortable/fast option especially if you have three or four people would be to take the MRT to the new Yongning Station in Tucheng at the end of the line. You can take a taxi from here to the Hezuo Bridge for about NT$450. It will take 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. I highly recommend this option–it’s the way I will go in the future. This way also opens up much of the Sanxia area to Taipei people without cars. Do go early though on Sundays. The roads out of the mountains near Sanxia become very congested as all our friends from Taoyuan drive back home in the late afternoon/early evening.
The Trail
Richard’s directions are very clear. I suggest bringing gloves to avoid rope burn on the many rope-assisted scrambles you will be doing up rock faces. The first 80 minutes is straight up and a good work out. People with low fitness levels can make it but give them plenty of time and rest frequently. It gets a lot easier.
Richard mentions a red sign at the first junction where you should stay right. That sign is largely rusted away and you can barely see that it was once red. Instead there is detailed trail map on a white sign. This is location 4. It’s 30 minutes from here until just after Phoenix Plume Ridge (Location 5.) From here, it is another 30 minutes to Location 6 where you can turn right and go down to the road to finish the short route (another 30 minutes). We did the short route in a very leisurely 3.5 hours.
Between 5 and 6 there is another (even more) exciting ridge walk. Stay to the left to do this. If Phoenix Plume Ride was enough excitement for you, stay to the right and there is a pleasant path that skirts the base of the ridge safely.
This an amazing hike–hard to believe you can have an adventure like this just an hour outside Taipei. This is for anyone who thinks that all hikes in Taiwan are a ride to a parking lot and ramble along concrete pathways and steps.
You don’t want to be out on these slippery, steep trails in the dark even with a light. Make sure you have one if you leave in the afternoon. Some mosquitoes–bring repellent.
Richard says the trails are not suitable for kids or dogs. I saw both on the trail and everyone seemed to be having a good time . The Taiwanese do have a greater tolerance for risk though… I’d say kids 10 and up are probably OK.