One of my all time favorite hikes/photography locations in Taiwan is The Four Beast Mountains (四獸山) area. Located within Taipei City limits, these trails are an easy escape from busy city life and have amazing panoramic views of Taipei City and Taipei 101.
The trail system includes Tiger (虎山), Elephant (象山), Leopard (豹山) and Lion (獅山) Mountains and is very easily reached from the Taipei MRT system. In fact, the base of Taipei 101 is only a 15 minute walk from the Elephant Mountain trail head.
If that’s not enough, many of the trails are lighted, 24 hours a day!
The view of Taipei from 9-5 Peak is unrivaled.
The 9-5 Peak (Jiuwufeng – 九五峯) is the pinnacle of the Four Beasts Mountain trail system. It’s a mountain that dominates eastern Taipei and rivals even the mighty Taipei 101 in height.
The Fours Beasts Mountains have many fantastic views of Taipei 101 and Taipei City.
My favorite time to visit the Four Beasts is at night. You almost have the trails to yourself.
The trails are well lit, but a taking a flashlight is recommended.
There are many old, interesting buildings along the trails.
There are lots of insects, toads, bats, and other creatures all over the Four Beasts Mountains.
Hiking during the day can get a bit crowded, but offers endless interesting sites. There are many rest areas, work-out areas, and home-made meditation areas.
Along one trail going to 9-5 Peak is a strange, artistic village. It's well kept and a nice place to relax and soak up some peace.
Along one trail going to 9-5 Peak is a strange, artistic village. It's well kept and a nice place to relax and soak up some peace.
If you venture down some of the dirt paths that shoot off of the main ones, you’re sure to find some ropes to climb. These trails crisscross the whole mountain and could keep you busy for an entire weekend.
Following some of the dirt trails that shoot off the main trails may lead to some fun ropes to climb.
Note that the main entrance to the 9-5 Peak trail is a bit difficult to get to. I have some directions at the bottom, but it’s really easier if you have your own transportation. Although you can also access it from Elephant Mountain (I’ll have that blog up in a few days!)
Taipei is lucky to have these lush forest escapes so close to the city.
Here is a big photo of a map of the trails.
Below is a Google Map of the area with the trails roughly marked off. Feel free to add photos or information to it. Be sure to click “VIEW LARGER MAP” for a larger image and much, much more specific information:
View Larger Map
Check out Hiking Taiwan’s recent post on this area too.
This is part one of a three part series on hiking the Four Beasts Mountain trails. Part two is on Tiger Mountain and part three is on Elephant Mountain.
Cheers,
-neil
How to get there:
You can take bus Blue 10, 257, 263, or 286 to the Fude Elementary School , then take Lane 251 of Fude Street; or take the MRT Bannan (Blue) Line to Houshanpi Station and then take bus 207 or 263 to Fengtian (Fongtian) Temple. Then follow Lane 221 or 251 of Fude Street.
Great shots especially the night ones. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been up there – I’ll have to make a trek up sometime soon.
Wow. Those are terrific shots. I’ve always wanted to do this, but my husband isn’t so keen on hiking. He far prefers to see Taiwan from the back of his motorcycle. I’m thinking I might have to go solo OR I could just live vicariously through your amazing photos. :-)
Thanks guys.
It’s really is a great area. I’ve been up there many times and every time I go I think, “Wow, I should come here more often!”
Check back in a few days and I’ll have part 2 up!
Great series Neil! I’ve been up these trails during the day, but it looks like the real fun starts after dark! Are these trails busy during the late evenings on weekends?
A lot of people go up for sunset, then come down just after dark. Elephant mountain is the most busy but the other ones are alright. If you’re looking for solitude though, the weekday evenings can’t be beat!
Exactly! Taipei is lucky to have all of these!
I like the last foto. It looks like there are 2 different worlds in it!
Interesting!
Thanks Liz!
[...] Mountain (豹山) and Lion Mountain (獅山). The highest point you can go in the range is called 9-5 Peak (Jiuwufeng – 九五峯). They also have a fantastic trail system that’s the subject of this three part [...]
Amazing photos! I’ve definitely got to do one of these hikes next time I’m in Taiwan. The photo opportunities are too good to miss :)
[...] the third and last article in my series about hiking the Four Beasts Mountains. Part one is on 9-5 Peak (Jiuwufeng – 九五峯), and part two is on Tiger Mountain [...]
[...] Another account of this and the other nearby peaks plus far better photographs here at Neil Wade’s Blog [...]
[...] I love the outdoors but I also love living in a vibrant, busy city. In Taipei I get the best of both worlds because I have amazing mountains right on my doorstep. The Four Beasts are situated in Taipei’s Xinyi District, just a short walk from Taipei 1010. The beasts are mountains named after four animals – lion, tiger, panther and elephant. For more information check out these brilliant blogs by two long-term Taipei-ers, Stu and Neil. [...]
[...] Have a look at my other posts on the Four Beast Mountains. There’s the famous Elephant Mountain, the quieter Tiger Mountain, and the highest of the bunch, 9-5 Peak. [...]
[...] January hiking around the four beast mountains in the rain. I like 拇指山 (Mt. Thumb) so far the most, since it brought back memories of hiking [...]