#011 – Jiangziliaoshan (姜子寮山)

Hiking in Taiwan is a remarkable experience and Taiwan’s Xiao Bai Yue (小百岳) is a great place to start. Taiwan’s Xiao Bai Yue is a perfect list of 100 suburban mountain peaks suitable for hikers of all skill levels.

The Xiao Bai Yue is 100 mountain climbs oriented towards sub-urban destinations and routes suitable for novice hikers. These include beginner routes like Dawulun Mountain, novice routes like Dongyanshan National Forest and some that are more challenging, like Jialishan.

Jiangziliao Mountain (or Jiangziliaoshan) (姜子寮山) is listed at #011 of the Xiao Bai Yue (小百岳). Located in Qide District (七堵區) in Keelung City, (基隆市), Jiangziliaoshan is less than 1 hour from Taipei Main Station. This is Xiao Bai Yue 小百岳 is located along the north coast of Taiwan.

About Jiangziliaoshan (姜子寮山)

Jiangziliaoshan is a mountain peak that reaches 729m above sea level and straddles a Qidu (七堵區) and Nuannuan (暖暖區) districts in south Keelung and Xizhi (汐止區) and Pingxi (平溪區) districts in northeast New Taipei City. This peak was actually included in the new version of Taiwan’s Xiao Bai Yue. For those hikers looking for fantastic views (yes, some mountain peaks are underwhelming in that regard), the peak of Jiangziliaoshan has stunning 360 degree views.

Hiking Jiangziliaoshan (姜子寮山)

Known as Tripod Mountain, Jiangziliaoshan (姜子寮山) used to have several routes to climb to the peak, some longer and some more direct. However, the Keelung City Government completed a hiking trail development project and has developed a primary route that permits (for better or worse) hikers to reach the peak in only 50 minutes from a designated parking lot.

If you wish for a longer hike, you can park or start your trail hiking from Taian Waterfalls. This adds an additional 20-40 minutes hike depending on your capabilities. This section also primarily features compact soil trails with some steeper sections that have ropes for support.

Starting from the parking, this trail is approximately 1.6km in length and takes about 40-50 minutes up and 30 minutes down. The trail itself features well-maintained wooden steps and some sections of compact soil. This trail is really in good shape and if you can handle moderate elevation gains and some steps the peak is well worth it.

There is no shelter on the top of the mountain and for the last hundred meters or so. But don’t fret, it opens up and there are enviable 360-degree view across the entire region, including views of Keelung City, the north coast and Keelung Islet. Some of the other landmarks you can see are Wufenshan in the east (#010 on the Xiao Bai Yue) and Keelung Mountain (#006 on the Xiao Bai Yue) and even Taipei 101 can be seen on a clear day. Take the time to enjoy the different views from the three observation decks in each direction.

Start your climb late enjoy a sunset or start early and catch lots of songbirds, while ending your trip with a visit the nearby Tai’an Waterfalls.

What to Bring

When hiking in Taiwan consider your capabilities before heading out. We hope this helps provide insight into the level of difficulty. When it comes to the kinds of equipment or resources one should bring when hiking this trail in Taiwan, we’ve provided a list below:

• Gloves – Unless you are climbing from Taian Waterfall parking lot there are no ropes.
• Water – About 1.5L of fresh drinking water
• Food/Lunch – There are no services along this trail, so get supplies before hand.
• Sunscreen – The trail is mostly covered and shaded the entire time, the last few hundred meters or so are not covered and you may wish to spend time at the peak.
• Camera/Phone – Reception is good on most sections of this trail!

How to Get to Jiangziliaoshan (姜子寮山)

Driving to Jiangziliaoshan (姜子寮山): If you are driving, you can set this as your location – HERE. The last 20 minutes of this road is a single lane, paved mountain road. It is in good shape through and surprisingly there is a rather large parking lot at the trailhead with space for about 20 cars to park. Jiangziliaoshan (姜子寮山) is approximately 1 hour from Taipei depending on traffic.

Public transportation to Jiangziliaoshan (姜子寮山): There is no public transportation to the Jiangziliaoshan Trailhead. In fact, the trailhead is at least a 1 hour hike from the last bus stop. If you do feel up to it, you can take the train from Taipei Main Station to Qidu Train Station (七堵車站). From here you connect to the 706 Bus from the bus stop on ZiZhi St. here. The bus continues along Taian Road. Disemark at the final stop and begin walking towards Taian Waterfall (泰安瀑布). After about 1 hour, you will reach the trailhead for Jiangziliaoshan.