#013: Nangang Mountain / 南港山

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.

Nangang Mountain (or Nangangshan) (南港山) is listed at #013 of the Xiao Bai Yue (小百岳). Located in Nangang District (南港區) in Taipei City (台北市), Nangang Mountain is very accessible from public transportation and is only a 5 minute walk from an Xiangshan MRT Station.

About Nangangshan (南港山)

Nangangshan is located in the eastern outskirts of the Taipei, tucked in a small, popular corner of the city. It is a popular hiking route because it is connected to the Four Beasts Mountain Scenic Area (四獸山風景區) and other frequented trail networks in the area. The forests along this trail are dense and dominated by acacia trees. There are plenty of small gazebos, pavilions and seating facilities along the trail. This trail can be connected to Xiangshan Mountain, Hushan Mountain and Lishan Bridge Crossing Mountain Trail.

Hiking Nangangshan (南港山)

After getting off the MRT and walking south through Xiangshan Park 象山公園, guests will enter the Xiangshan Qinshan Trail through the arches of Daitiandian Lingyun Temple (代天殿靈雲宮).

This area is very popular and the scenery along the way really showcases the outdoor recreational opportunities for people living and visiting Taipei. Stunning views of Taipei 101 and Xinyi District of Taipei, as well as dense jungle hiking are reasons that this trail has become so popular.

This trails here are mostly well-maintained and well-signed. They also nearly immediately begins with stone steps climbing up the mountain. While there are many outdoor kiosks with trail guide maps, there are several connecting trails that can make these networks of trails confusing. For the first section follow signage and maps to Muzhishan (拇指山). The trail is mostly shaded with sections that have sporadic sunlight (on a sunny day). You begin hiking north again towards Nangangshan South Peak (南港山南峰). Enjoy some more great views and keep trekking towards 長壽亭 or the “Longevity Pavillon”. How halfway along this stretch, you’ll come up to an area known as Nine Five Peak.

The larger bolder that has the Chinese inscription “Nine Five Peaks” (九五峰) in it is actually the highest point among the several peaks that make up the Nangang Mountains. At this location, there is not triangulation point or signage. Take in the stunning views of Taipei 101 and of Nangang District. From here, continue up another 50 meters until you see the signage and small stone acknowledging the 375m peak of Nangang Mountain. This is on the left side of trail and is surrounded by fences.

This is approximately 3km from the trailhead and where you can turn around if you don’t wish to continue the hike. We continued on for another few kilometers and the GPS File reflects this. A total journey to bag this Xiao Bai Yue is 3km one-way. The views along this hike and the surrounding trails offer up the entire Greater Taipei area including Guanyinshan, Datunshan and Qixingshan. This trail is actually quite popular to hike in the evenings as when night falls, hikers can get great night views of Taipei and the surrounding area.

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:

• Water – About 2L of fresh drinking water if you’re hiking further routes
• Food/Lunch – There are no services directly along this trail as described, so get supplies prior to hiking
• Sunscreen – The trail is mostly covered and shaded almost the entire time
• Camera/Phone – While reception is pretty great on this trail

How to Get to Nangangshan (南港山)

Driving a Car to Nangangshan (南港山): If you are driving, you can set this as your location – HERE. There is likely to be a cost associated with parking in the area, whether it is a parking lot or on the street.

Public transport: Take the MRT to Xiangshan MRT Station (象山站) on the redline. You will need to give yourself about a 10-15 minute walk through Xiangshan Park to Daitiandian Lingyun Temple.