Have you ever thought that in the midst of the bustling city of Taipei, there lies a greenery treasure? In fact, Taipei itself is a city of mountains with many small mountains around to hike. One of them is Mt Qixing (Seven Star), the highest peak in Taipei, located in Yangmingshan National Park.
Yangmingshan National Park is located north of Taipei City. It is a nature escape for city dwellers on weekends. There is a bus that brings directly to the national park from Shilin Station.
My 1st destination was Xiaoyoukeng, a geological park well known for fumaroles and hot springs. There is a clear path where it leads to Mt Qixing at 1120m in about 1-2 hour with mountain scenery stops for pictures. The hiking trail is quite straight forward with some ups and downs. Mt Qixing is the highest peak in Taipei.
 |
| Fumaroles on the hill |
 |
| Steamy trek |
 |
| Looking back from Mt Qixing trail |
 |
| Misty or steamy view? |
From Mt Qixing, the path leads down to another direction to Lengshuikang, where it will lead through some forested trails to the most breathtaking grassland I have ever seen in a city, Qingtiangang. It is a big piece of grassland surrounded by mountain peaks with undulating walkway. It was misty in the late afternoon, adding to the feeling of winter. Along the way, there is Mt Zhugao to hike for another spectacular view.
 |
| Flat resting area upon coming down from Mt Qixing |
 |
| Downhill |
 |
| Milk Pond |
 |
| Green green grass of land |
 |
| View from Mt Zhugao |
 |
| Mt Zhugao |
This one day excursion was the most memorable and enjoying experience in Taipei as I was immersed in mountains and greeneries.
 |
| Qingtiangang Grasslanf |
 |
| Mesmerising Grassland |
