Teapot
Mountain, a four-hour hike, is by far one of my favorite hikes in Taiwan. Only 1.5 hours from Taipei, it can easily be
done as a day trip. Being located so
close to Taipei, many Taiwanese get up early to make the trek up and around the
mountain range. You will often come
across older Taiwanese people that will put you in their dust as they walk past
as if the trail is no trouble at all.
Teapot Mountain is named after a
rock formation that is (you guessed it) shaped like a teapot, but with its
handle broken off. The hike though,
takes you to much more than just this rock formation itself.
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| Viewpoint from the Teapot Mountain trailhead |
The
hike starts at a viewpoint overlooking the old goldmine shafts and port
below. It then takes you up countless
stone steps that wind up the mountain and ending at the Teapot rock
formation. Don’t worry about getting to
tired though. There are many viewpoints
and gazebos along the way that you can rest your legs at and take in the
amazing view.
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| Cave through Teapot Mountain |
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| Cliff to get to the otherside of Teapot Mountain |
Once
at the rock formation the hike becomes a lot more adventurous and fun. Getting to the other side of the rock
formation requires you to climb over some large rocks, through a small cave,
and down and across some more large rocks and cliff edges. The trail at this point becomes dirt as you
make your way up a ridge and start you assent to the mountain top above. The last bit of the trail just before the
mountain top takes some light rock climbing to finish. You must make a short assent up a crevice in
the rock face with the assist of foot holes and ropes (it’s not as hard as it
sounds).
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| A little rock climbing to get to the top of the ridge |
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| Cliff face while walking along the ridge |
Having
made it to the top, you deserve a rest and a chance to take in the amazing 360°
views that your hike as awarded you. From
this point you can see the mountain range to one side, the Pacific Ocean to the
other, and, on a clear day, you can even see Taipei 101 reaching into the sky
in the distance. After taking in the
sights you will climb along the rock faced cliffs, with the aid of ropes, as
you make your way down the ridge of the mountain. This will soon turn into a dirt path and it
is easy hiking from then on.
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| Edge of the world walkway on the way down from hike |
One
note here is that the dirt trail will end at a road, but you should not follow
the road all the way down. You will take
the road down for a bit and then see a rock path jut off to the right. Take this trail and it will lead you, first
to the Japanese Jinguashi Shrine and then to the Gold Mine Museum, where you
will end your hike.
Getting There and Away
To get
there take the train to the Songshan Station (end of the Green Line) and catch
the 1062 bus outside exit 4 of the station.
Ride the bus to the last stop (Quan Ji Tang), then walk up the
road. From here you will see the ocean
and the trail head will be down the road to your left.
The
same bus will take you back to Taipei and can found outside the exit of the
Gold Mine Museum.
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