Lishanqiaokou Hiking Trail (Nangang Mountains)

The ponds no longer supply water and are now used for fishing, sightseeing, walks around the water and cycling. The first section of the trail is the Beixinggong Trail and the later section is the Lishanqiaokou Trail proper. The trail is said to be about a hundred years old and was once a shortcut used by early settlers carrying rice and tea between Songshan (formerly Xikou) and the area of today's Section 4 of Yanjiuyuan Road. Along the woodland path there are uncommon tree ferns and yellowed leaves covering the ground, and few people come this way. Unlike the other trails of the Nangang Mountains, this one keeps a stretch of dirt path, which becomes soft and muddy after rain, so walkers need to take care not to slip. The Beixinggong section is a flat, easy stone-step path shaded by trees and bordered by field paths. Beside it stand distinctive signs reading 'Keep going for your health' and 'Houshanpi residents care about you'; some give health tips, and others, midway or near the end, offer words of encouragement. From the first section you see the high-rises of the Xinyi commercial district and residential areas; past the saddle and a small hilltop, the view changes to farmland and farmhouses. Midway along the Beixinggong Trail is Jiulong Pool, with the Xixin and Zhaoxin mirrors set in the ground, where the view is of Songshan and the City Hall area; near the saddle the view is of the densely built Taipei Basin. Houshan Pond is U-shaped, and the old ponds were used for irrigation in the farming era; there is a path around the pond and a dedicated off-road cycling track. The stretch up to the saddle is steeper. A shelter with the words Daling Shanzhuang (大嶺山莊) carved on its rock wall is a place to rest and look out, and the banyan saddle lies a short way beyond, where an information board explains the origin of the saddle trail. The later section has no flat stone steps; the old woodland path is slippery in rain and loose stones can make you slip. In the past, residents of the valleys of Nangang Mountain crossed the saddle from the back of the mountain to buy daily goods in the busy town on the front side. The Lishanqiaokou Trail is on the back of the mountain, and the route from Beixinggong to Lishan Bridge shows how different the scenery is on the two sides. In the valley there are vegetable plots, ponds, loofah trellises, rice paddies and streams. A century-old house, Yong'an Ju (永安居), stands on a side path. It has been renovated several times, but the inscription and brick wall on its front still look old; its side has been rebuilt, so from the main trail it is hard to tell it is an old house, and weeds in front of it show that nobody lives there. Stone seats beside the path and the old house bear witness to the trail's long history. At the end of the trail there are vegetable gardens, farmhouses and a few farmers.

Translated and shortened by DealTaipei from Taiwan's national tourism database. Sources are on the terms page.