Huang Di Dian

皇帝殿 "Huangdidian"

Day Hike at the "Emperor's Hall"

by Peter

We set out for a day hike on Saturday to the hills surrounding Taipei.  The trail named, for reasons unbeknownst to me, as the Emperor's Hall climbs from a village 30 minutes from Taipei and affords great views considering how close it is to the city.  The several hour hike is a study in contrasts.  The beginning and ending portions of the trail consists of endless stone steps:

Carly surveying the steps while ascending Huangdidian

Once the steps segment of the trail is completed the trail quickly gets wilder and more interesting.  Most of the hike is along a ridge.  The hills and mountains in Taiwan are very steep making the hiking quite exhilarating.

Some of the hiking was a bit "Sketchy"

One of the nice aspects of this hike is that it is accessible by public transportation.  Several subway stops and a public bus ride to Shitou village brings one to within one kilometer of the trailhead.  Apparently there a many good day hikes around Taipei and our sore legs the day after the hike are a good reminder that we need to get out more!

The East peak of Huangdidian