David on Formosa

Yesterday I went hiking at Chengtian Chan Temple (承天禪寺) in Tucheng. After the windy weather on Monday the air had cleared and there were some great views over Taipei County and City.

view of Chengtian Temple from the mountains above it

The temple is very close to Tucheng and now that the MRT has extended all the way out to Tucheng it is very easy to get there. I started by hiking up to Chengtian Temple. I stopped there to enjoy the view of Tucheng, Banqiao and beyond. Many days it is so hazy that you can barely see Banqiao from there.

View of Tucheng and Banqiao from Chengtian Temple

From Chengtian Temple I walked all the way up to Tianshang Shan (天上山). There is a magnificent sweeping panaromic view of Taipei County and City from the summit. It looked possible to hike all the way to the trail I hiked in Zhonghe a few weeks ago. Next time I will see if I can find the trail that goes this way, taking the MRT to Tucheng and then taking a bus or the MRT home from Zhonghe.

View of Taipei from Tianshangshan

David on Tianshang Shan

Taipei is such a great city to live in with so many hiking trails that are easily accessible from the city. The MRT publish a booklet in English with the title Taipei Metro's Guide to Hiking & Cycling. Ask the information desk at any MRT Station for a copy. It suggests a number of different hikes in different locations around Taipei. It doesn't include any information about the trails in Tucheng so I will post a brief description of the trail I hiked yesterday.

Take the MRT to Yongning Station. This is the last station on the blue line. Go to exit number 2. From the exit you can walk for about fifteen minutes straight along Chengtian Road (乘天路). This will take you to the beginning of the trail that initially leads to Chengtian Temple. If you don't like walking on the road you can take bus blue 44 to the Deng Shan Kou stop (登山口). Or you could take a taxi for about NT$70-80. There is a wide, paved walking trail that takes you up to Chengtian Temple. The hike from the beginning of the trail to the temple only takes about 15 minutes, but the temple is a good point to take a break, refill your water bottle and enjoy the view before you head up further. Walk around the temple and go through the car park and out the gate at the back. Walk along the road past the small restaurants. Only a couple of restaurants are open during the week, but there are more open on the weekend. You can buy something to drink here.

A little way along the road you will come to a sign in Chinese and English that says, "Chengtian Tung Flower & Firefly Trail (B)" (承天寺賞桐賞螢步道B線). This trail will take you up some steps alongside a small stream. There is some quite beautiful forest and many butterflies in this area. When you reach the top of this trail you will get to a road. Go to the left and follow the road. Around the corner there is a boardwalk beside the road. When you get to the end of the boardwalk follow the steps leading up on the right. You will reach a small platform with chairs where you can take a break. From there it is only about 400 metres to the summit of Tianshang Shan. Take some time to appreciate the view.

If you have time also visit Riyue Dong (日月洞). It is a small Buddhist Temple built in a cave. The cave is really not much more than an overhanging rock, but it is a nice place. From the resting platform noted above follow the steps down the opposite side of the mountain. It takes about ten minutes to reach the temple. There are many other trails in this area. If you have time you can also visit Shanxi Temple (善息寺) and De'an Temple (得安宮). Most of the signs are only in Chinese.