Summer Hiking Etude: Melodies and Cool Breezes for a Refreshing Season

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team
 

If you don’t want to travel far during the holidays but still enjoy a nature walk, the conveniently accessible Xiangshan Hiking Trail offers rich surrounding ecology and diverse species. You can also admire Taipei’s steep rocky cliffs, with ever-changing scenery along the way — making it one of the easiest and most beginner-friendly choices!

Xiangshan Trail is a loop trail that starts from Xiangshan MRT Station. Along the way, it passes through Zhongqiang Park, the Six Huge Rocks, the Photography Platform, One Line Sky, the Giant Rock Park, the Limestone Garden, and the Elephant Imagery Wall on the Municipal Therapy Trail, before returning to Xiangshan MRT Station. The area boasts rich surrounding ecology and diverse species, especially the variety of ferns on the mountainside, earning it the title of Taipei’s “Fern Diversity Ecological Classroom.” Additionally, you’ll find massive exposed rock formations — thick-layered sandstone from the bottom of the Taipei old stratum’s Zhongshi Layer — forming nearly vertical cliffs. You can observe the rocks up close, offering quite a remarkable geological experience.

To enrich the hiking experience, the Taipei City Department of Urban Development hosted an ecological guided tour activity on Xiangshan Hiking Trail on June 13. Starting at 8 AM, participants gathered at Xiangshan MRT Station and were divided into groups to follow trail guides, learning about the area’s ecology and geographical landscapes along the route. This event also continued last year’s popular Trail Concert, where at the tour’s endpoint, Huilin Park, amateur music groups played welcome tunes, blending nature’s sounds with melodies to refresh tired hikers, offering visitors to the hiking activity a more diverse experience.