Top 10 New Taipei Hiking Green Trips – Breathe in Nature with Liu Keh-siang!

Text / Compiled and reported by the editorial team of MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network

“Hiking takes us into a higher, farther, and broader home.” This is a heartfelt message specially written by Liu Keh-siang, nature observation writer and spokesperson for this year’s Hiking Tourism Festival, for the 2014 New Taipei City Hiking Tourism Festival. As hiking becomes increasingly popular, the quality of the activity and the choice of trails have become even more important to hiking enthusiasts. In addition to promoting hiking, the goal is to provide hikers with an even better environment for their outdoor adventures. Therefore, this year special maintenance and renovation work has been carried out on seven distinctive hiking trails, along with the recommendation of three additional scenic trails. We invite everyone this yearTop 10 Hiking Trails, hoping that as the cooler season approaches, you can all venture into the mountains and forests to enjoy a deep “forest breath.”

The highlight of this year’s hiking festival, the grand thousand-person hike, will take place on October 26 (Sunday) at the Sandiaoling Hiking Trail.The Ruifang Sandiaoling Trail has long been highly recommended by hiking enthusiasts. Stretching from the trailhead near Shuoren Elementary School to Fuxing Temple in Wufenliao, the trail features babbling streams and stunning scenery. Midway up, hikers must climb a small cliff ladder, which many find challenging and rewarding. Of course, the trail is also famed for its three beautiful and tranquil waterfalls: Hegu, Motian, and Pipa Cave. This year, in addition to renovating the trail, the Tourism Bureau has added a viewing platform at Motian Waterfall, allowing participants of the large event and future hikers to enjoy the trail even more.

The New Taipei City Government stated that to truly promote the concept of everyone enjoying the deep “forest breath” of hiking tourism, it has specially collaborated with the New Taipei City Mountain Association to co-host this year’s hiking festival.As part of the series of events, free guided tours will be held specifically on October 18 at the Shenkeng Daxiling Trail and on November 1 at the Shiding Old Danshui-Tamsui Trail, at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM respectively.The Daxiling Trail is a stone-paved path handcrafted by a master stonemason with 30 years of experience. Teacher Liu Keh-siang also shared that walking barefoot on the trail’s sandstone offers a unique kind of aesthetic experience. Professional guides from the New Taipei City Mountain Association will lead the hikes, providing in-depth insights into the ecology and features of the trails. The activities are free and open for on-site registration, with groups departing once 20 people sign up. Interested individuals are encouraged to seize the opportunity to breathe in the forest deeply.