Other than my time in the Taipei Taiwan Temple and Taipei 101, hiking in the Maokang area was my favorite experience in Taipei. To get there I rode the subway all the way to the end of the brown line at the Taipei Zoo. From there, a cable car climbs up and over the hills. A ride to the terminus, Maokang Station, is roughly 20 minutes. The views are great!
In Maokang, most people find a teahouse with a great view. Many wander down the street to an old temple. Just down the road sits the Taipei Tea Promotion Center. With that, you can guess what the area is known for. Along the hills you can find terraced tea plantations, but most of it is still lush forest.
Hiking in Maokang
I didn’t know exactly what I would do when I got to the end. I figured I would walk down to a temple then take the gondola back a stop to the Zhinan Temple, which looked interesting from the cable car. I did walk down the road to a temple. Then I saw signs for an interpretive trail through the forest. It didn’t look long, so I thought why not do it before heading back to the station. I was entranced by the forest, by the wildlife.
I made my way down the hill to the “potholes,” a rock formation in the streambed of the valley. They are interesting to look at, but not necessarily a final destination. Instead of hiking back up the way I came, I thought it would be just as much effort to climb up the other side and go straight to the temple I was headed for.
This actually meant going down a bit further, which was worth it. I found this idyllic waterfall. I then followed the road for a bit until I found a trail headed up the hill. There was a sign and everything saying that way to the next cable car station. I should have realized the unkemptness was a sign that the trail was closed. After climbing a couple of hundreds stairs up this trail, I realized it would not take me to my destination, so I went back to the road. I past under the cable car and by a mountain pull cart that takes locals up and down the hill to the temple. The lady told me I couldn’t use it.
A little further down the road I found a lovely trail and started climbing.
Zhinan Temple Complex
The trail came out at a Taoist temple. I asked the woman there for some water, which she gladly gave. I paused for the view that included Taipei 101 and continued to the road. I continued up the hill along some steps toward a beautiful looking temple. Sculptures lined the trail.
At the top, I found an amazing temple with rounded steps leading to a hall. This was one of the famed halls of the Zhinan Temple complex. The first of the temples built here is nearly 130 years old and built to a Taoist deity. Today, there are three temples in the complex, one for Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism.
The main temple is an ornate structure that looks like it grows out of the hillside. My visit coincided with scaffolding, but that’s ok. It was still beautiful. The detail and craftsmanship is still visible inside and out. The Buddhist temple, which is around the corner and down a little bit, looks very impressive on the side of the hill. However, when you get a little closer you see it isn’t complete. The inside is still lovely.
From the temples, I rode the cable car back to the zoo stop and went back into town. I was a little wet from the rain that started falling, but I was highly satisfied, worn out, and happy from my little hiking adventure in Maokang.
