Nangangshan Ridge Hiking Trail (Nangang Mountains)

Nangangshan lies on the eastern edge of the Taipei Basin. Because it connects with side ridges such as the Four Beasts Mountains (Sishoushan), it has become a hiking route. The route starts at the Lingyun Temple archway at the entrance to the Xiangshan Hiking Trail. The stone steps along the way are complete and even, there are trail maps, and the scenery is mainly Taiwan acacia woodland. Beside the trail, early-morning exercise clubs have built several pavilions and seats for hikers to rest. The route can be combined with the Xiangshan, Hushan and Lishanqiaokou hiking trails. Nangangshan stands on the ridge along the south-eastern boundary of Xinyi and Nangang districts and is the highest peak of the Nangang Mountains. At the top are night-time flashing lights and third-class triangulation point No. 695. Many paths have been built along the Nangangshan ridge, about 196 metres high, between Changshou Garden and Muzhishan, which makes it convenient for hikers. Looking north from the summit, the lower Xiangshan (Elephant), Shishan (Lion), Baoshan (Leopard) and Hushan (Tiger) lie to the north-west; together they are called the Four Beasts Mountains. To the east and south are continuous ranges of densely green hills. Television relay antennas stand on the highest point of Nangangshan. The terrain here rises and falls steeply. One of the peaks is named Jiuwu Peak ('Ninety-Five Peak') in memory of General Yang Sen, who climbed it at the age of 95. Muzhishan ('Thumb Mountain') lies south-south-west of Nangangshan and has no survey point. Seen from Taipei, its peak looks like a thumb raised to the sky, which gave it its name. Seen from around Nangangshan, it forms a monoclinal ridge: the east slope is fairly gentle, while the west slope is at an angle of about 90 degrees. On the ridge that runs from Nangangshan and Muzhishan down to Xiangshan, hikers must climb a steep rock face, a difficult section rarely found among the hills of northern Taiwan. The summit of Muzhishan has a 360-degree view: in clear weather the whole of Greater Taipei, Guanyinshan, Datunshan, Xizhi, Wulai and Sanxia can be seen. Muzhishan has been protection forest since the Japanese colonial period, and after long conservation its forest is intact and dense. Typical trees include tree ferns (筆筒樹) and figs (水同木), and even the wild giant elephant's ear (姑婆芋) grows especially large. The Eighteen Arhats Caves are eighteen huge boulders in the hills at 中華技術學院. From a distance they look like eighteen arhats sitting in different postures on the hilltop, and each boulder happens to have a cave in the middle, so local people named them the Eighteen Arhats Caves. The ridge route is not complicated: follow the marble markers in the ground carved with 'Sishoushan Trail' (四獸山步道) and you will not get lost. From the highest peak of the Nangang Mountains in good weather, the view takes in the nearby Four Beasts Mountains (Xiangshan, Shishan, Baoshan and Hushan) in a row, and further off Guandu and the Keelung River, the ridges of Wuzhishan and the Qixingshan range, and the hills of New Taipei City. People climb Jiuwu Peak for the sunset and the night view. From Muzhishan the view also takes in Qixingshan and, further away, the hills of Muzha, and after dark you can look over Greater Taipei and the Taoyuan area. Along the way there are several viewing platforms at different heights. The stone steps are wide, and there are pavilions at intervals for resting or taking in the view. The forest canopy is dense on the western half of the trail, and the eastern half is similar. On the way from the Rongshu (Banyan) Saddle towards 中華技術學院 there is a dense wood where mist often rises. Because this forest lies in the south-eastern corner and is less exposed to the north-east monsoon, it is denser and damper than the forests of Xiangshan and Hushan. Towards the end of the trail, the forest is more varied and quieter than on the Hushan Trail. Further on, a clear stream runs beside the path, and where it ends there is an old stone bridge. After the bridge comes a farmhouse by the path, then a row of palm trees. To the right, not far away, stand peaks of bare giant rock: these are the Eighteen Arhats Caves.

Translated and shortened by DealTaipei from Taiwan's national tourism database. Sources are on the terms page.