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Five-Finger Mountain Range - Baishuilinshan, Kangleshan, Mingjushan Scenic Mountain Trails
White Heron Mountain, Happy Mountain, and Mingju Mountain are three mountains surrounded by the large lake park and ancient trees, forming three interconnected mountain trails accessible to the public. These trails are also popular among residents of Neihu District for exercise, fitness, and gatherings.
White Heron Mountain Trail
The White Heron Mountain Trail is located near the large lake park in Neihu. This winding path, which twists left and right as it ascends, is also known as the Fifty Bends Trail. Hikers often easily lose their sense of direction halfway due to the twists, making a compass extremely useful here. The White Heron Mountain Trail is rich in ancient fern species in the ravine, including the Bamboo Pole Tree and Buddha's Seat Fern. Other flora such as Acacia and the mysterious Jiang Mo Tree grow robustly along the trail, exuding refreshing phytoncide that delights the spirit.
Happy Mountain Trail
The Happy Mountain Trail starts near the Huangshi Temple on the fifth section of Chenggong Road in Neihu. Lush tree shade blocks out the sun, making the path consistently cool—a favorite mountain path for morning exercisers. The trail's highest point offers the best vantage of the large lake park.
The olive tree and banyan tree along the way serve as prominent landmarks, especially the latter—a banyan tree with a trunk width of four meters. Local people call it the "Sage Banyan Tree" due to its abundant branches, vitality, and verdant appearance.
Mingju Mountain Trail
The Mingju Mountain Trail preserves more of the original forest landscape. Three mature Banyan Silk Cotton Trees along the trail have trunk widths similar to the Sage Banyan Tree at Happy Mountain. These are called the "Three Titans," making the trail a narrow, country-style path full of rustic charm. Hill hikers who hike the Mingju Mountain Trail often combine it with the previously mentioned Bai Luju Mountain and Happy Mountain Trails. The trail ends directly at the Nei Gou Ecology Exhibition Center, making a spontaneous visit there the perfect weekend activity.
Forest Explorations
How about embarking on an adventurous weekend trail journey? Beginning at White Heron Mountain, the trail starts as a quiet path. Perhaps due to its proximity to the city, the trail winds past a disused soil area and vegetable plots, the air mingling with mixed residual odors. Still, a growing curiosity for phytoncide arises naturally. Known as the "Fifty Bends Trail," the path ascends slowly with ease, but the frequent twists often leave hikers confused about the directions by the mid-trail.
However, you will definitely notice the peculiar sight of uniquely shaped deadwood arranged along the trail. Most of these deadwoods are Capparis chinensis, which are uncommonly abundant in the remaining natural forests of the Taipei suburbs.
Ancient ferns in the valley basin, such as the Bamboo Pole Tree and Buddha's Seat Fern, grow to first or second floor heights. This lush forest landscape is uncommon in the Neihu area. Turning southward, one can find growing robustly Acacia and Jiang Mo Trees with trunk widths about as wide as an adult’s arms. The towering trees emit a refreshing phytoncide, bringing a sense of tranquility while seemingly infusing hikers with vitality from the forest.
Visiting Senior Trees
Happy Mountain and Mingju Mountain also showcase their own ancient trees, as numerous as those on White Heron Mountain. On the Happy Mountain Trail, there is even the largest olive tree in Taipei. This hundred-year-old tree, with a trunk circumference of nearly 300 cm, stands firmly on an uphill cement road passing near the remnants of a Shanhai Temple. Supposedly, the temple was dismantled due to being an illegal construction. However, the olive tree has maintained its vigorous vitality despite enduring countless storms over the centuries.
After bidding farewell to the olive tree and proceeding uphill, the trail leaves the cement path behind, giving way to humble tree roots and earthen paths. In the quiet forest, hikers pass a large banyan tree with vigorous growth. Naturally, this "respected elder" is a prominent landmark for the Happy Mountain Trail. Locals call it the "Sacred Tree," implying the banyan tree with a 4-meter trunk is naturally among the long-lived family of trees.
Further into the Mingju Mountain Trail, another Banyan Silk Cotton Tree with trunk width comparable to the Happy Mountain Sacred Tree emerges. This narrow path, heavy with rustic charm, presents two more large banyan trees a short distance beyond the entrance and at the halfway point. Although undocumented in age, these trees serve as important scenic landmarks on this view-limited section, joining their larger counterpart to form the "Three Titans."
Nature’s Beauty in Mountain and Water
The Wushan Range is located northeast of the Taipei Basin. Whether in terrain or climate, the area is transitional, a gateway for monsoons flowing through the Keelung River valley to the plains, and a frontline for the surrounding mountains to meet the lowlands. Due to the coexistence of two ecological characteristics, the area is especially rich in species. This helps to explain why, despite their modest heights, the three hills offer serene environments and lush forests.
Happy Mountain's height is only half that of White Heron Mountain, but perhaps beauty thrives with distance. While the large lake park is situated at the foot of White Heron Mountain, the highest point on the Happy Mountain Trail becomes a prime vantage spot to admire the park. The flat summit of White Heron Mountain offers views that encompass not only the nearby lake park and Wushan range but also distant Xizhi and Keelung. Near the summit, a humble shed sits beside pebbled footpaths and unrefined yellow clay ground, contrasting sharply with the well-maintained stone steps of the adjacent trails.
White Heron Mountain already presents a rest pavilion at the first bend of the Fifty Bends Trail. In contrast, Happy Mountain's only rest pavilion, named "Shanshuo Pavilion," appears at the trail's end. Since the distances of the two trail sections are not vastly different and both summits have places to rest, available rest stops are sufficient. For the narrower Mingju Mountain Trail, hikers reach the Nei Gou Creek at the trail's exit, listening to the gentle babbling of streams to wash away fatigue, offering a truly soothing experience.
White Heron Mountain Trail
The White Heron Mountain Trail is located near the large lake park in Neihu. This winding path, which twists left and right as it ascends, is also known as the Fifty Bends Trail. Hikers often easily lose their sense of direction halfway due to the twists, making a compass extremely useful here. The White Heron Mountain Trail is rich in ancient fern species in the ravine, including the Bamboo Pole Tree and Buddha's Seat Fern. Other flora such as Acacia and the mysterious Jiang Mo Tree grow robustly along the trail, exuding refreshing phytoncide that delights the spirit.
Happy Mountain Trail
The Happy Mountain Trail starts near the Huangshi Temple on the fifth section of Chenggong Road in Neihu. Lush tree shade blocks out the sun, making the path consistently cool—a favorite mountain path for morning exercisers. The trail's highest point offers the best vantage of the large lake park.
The olive tree and banyan tree along the way serve as prominent landmarks, especially the latter—a banyan tree with a trunk width of four meters. Local people call it the "Sage Banyan Tree" due to its abundant branches, vitality, and verdant appearance.
Mingju Mountain Trail
The Mingju Mountain Trail preserves more of the original forest landscape. Three mature Banyan Silk Cotton Trees along the trail have trunk widths similar to the Sage Banyan Tree at Happy Mountain. These are called the "Three Titans," making the trail a narrow, country-style path full of rustic charm. Hill hikers who hike the Mingju Mountain Trail often combine it with the previously mentioned Bai Luju Mountain and Happy Mountain Trails. The trail ends directly at the Nei Gou Ecology Exhibition Center, making a spontaneous visit there the perfect weekend activity.
Forest Explorations
How about embarking on an adventurous weekend trail journey? Beginning at White Heron Mountain, the trail starts as a quiet path. Perhaps due to its proximity to the city, the trail winds past a disused soil area and vegetable plots, the air mingling with mixed residual odors. Still, a growing curiosity for phytoncide arises naturally. Known as the "Fifty Bends Trail," the path ascends slowly with ease, but the frequent twists often leave hikers confused about the directions by the mid-trail.
However, you will definitely notice the peculiar sight of uniquely shaped deadwood arranged along the trail. Most of these deadwoods are Capparis chinensis, which are uncommonly abundant in the remaining natural forests of the Taipei suburbs.
Ancient ferns in the valley basin, such as the Bamboo Pole Tree and Buddha's Seat Fern, grow to first or second floor heights. This lush forest landscape is uncommon in the Neihu area. Turning southward, one can find growing robustly Acacia and Jiang Mo Trees with trunk widths about as wide as an adult’s arms. The towering trees emit a refreshing phytoncide, bringing a sense of tranquility while seemingly infusing hikers with vitality from the forest.
Visiting Senior Trees
Happy Mountain and Mingju Mountain also showcase their own ancient trees, as numerous as those on White Heron Mountain. On the Happy Mountain Trail, there is even the largest olive tree in Taipei. This hundred-year-old tree, with a trunk circumference of nearly 300 cm, stands firmly on an uphill cement road passing near the remnants of a Shanhai Temple. Supposedly, the temple was dismantled due to being an illegal construction. However, the olive tree has maintained its vigorous vitality despite enduring countless storms over the centuries.
After bidding farewell to the olive tree and proceeding uphill, the trail leaves the cement path behind, giving way to humble tree roots and earthen paths. In the quiet forest, hikers pass a large banyan tree with vigorous growth. Naturally, this "respected elder" is a prominent landmark for the Happy Mountain Trail. Locals call it the "Sacred Tree," implying the banyan tree with a 4-meter trunk is naturally among the long-lived family of trees.
Further into the Mingju Mountain Trail, another Banyan Silk Cotton Tree with trunk width comparable to the Happy Mountain Sacred Tree emerges. This narrow path, heavy with rustic charm, presents two more large banyan trees a short distance beyond the entrance and at the halfway point. Although undocumented in age, these trees serve as important scenic landmarks on this view-limited section, joining their larger counterpart to form the "Three Titans."
Nature’s Beauty in Mountain and Water
The Wushan Range is located northeast of the Taipei Basin. Whether in terrain or climate, the area is transitional, a gateway for monsoons flowing through the Keelung River valley to the plains, and a frontline for the surrounding mountains to meet the lowlands. Due to the coexistence of two ecological characteristics, the area is especially rich in species. This helps to explain why, despite their modest heights, the three hills offer serene environments and lush forests.
Happy Mountain's height is only half that of White Heron Mountain, but perhaps beauty thrives with distance. While the large lake park is situated at the foot of White Heron Mountain, the highest point on the Happy Mountain Trail becomes a prime vantage spot to admire the park. The flat summit of White Heron Mountain offers views that encompass not only the nearby lake park and Wushan range but also distant Xizhi and Keelung. Near the summit, a humble shed sits beside pebbled footpaths and unrefined yellow clay ground, contrasting sharply with the well-maintained stone steps of the adjacent trails.
White Heron Mountain already presents a rest pavilion at the first bend of the Fifty Bends Trail. In contrast, Happy Mountain's only rest pavilion, named "Shanshuo Pavilion," appears at the trail's end. Since the distances of the two trail sections are not vastly different and both summits have places to rest, available rest stops are sufficient. For the narrower Mingju Mountain Trail, hikers reach the Nei Gou Creek at the trail's exit, listening to the gentle babbling of streams to wash away fatigue, offering a truly soothing experience.
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