2023年11月23日 雪山山脈尾稜北段 萊萊山 A route of gorgeous mountain and ocean vistas

山海景の尾根道、Mountain and ocean view

台湾の雪山山脈の北端は、三貂角(岬)の海から立ち上がる。この地から淡蘭古道が越す埡口(峠)までの間の山脈を、雪山山脈尾稜と呼んでいる。稜線の海側が切れ落ち、反対側はなだらかな斜面の典型的な單面山の形状で、その海側の崖の上からは大海原が望める。特に秋には、ススキが風になびき、気温もハイキングに最適で、とてもよいルートを提供している。

ススキは、成長が早い。したがって、この近在の山道は草にふさがれやすい。筆者は数年前から、何度かこの地を訪れている。この秋に、藍天隊のボランティアグループが、雪山尾稜風華再現のキーワードのもと、この地の道整理を行い、とてもよい状態ができている。我々は、その整備された山道を歩き、山と海の素晴らしい風景を満喫した。道整備から約半年、長くて1年はまだ問題なく歩けると思うので、英語を解する多くの人に歩いてもらうことを意識し、英語で記述します。

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Hike from west to east

One of the major mountain ranges that shape the backbone of Taiwan island is Xue-shan mountain range (雪山山脈). It rises from the very edge of island's far north east coast line, Sandiaojiao cape (三貂角). The section of the range between this point and the Yakou pass (埡口) of Danlan historic trail (淡蘭古道) is called the tail ridge (尾稜). This section goes very close to the coast line and offers many points for nice vistas of both mountains and the ocean at the same time. Particularly in late Autumn when silver grasses cover the mountains and the weather is very nice,  it is the best time for hiking this section. 

Silver grasses grow very fast and quickly cover tracks that go through grasselands when they are little traveled. There are many areas that are only covered with grasses without trees and the tracks through them need frequent clearing. Luckily enough Lantiantui (藍天隊) and other volunteer groups jointly came in and did clearing job for many trails of this section lately. I assume that the trails would be passable for a half year to one year at most. If you are interested in hiking this section, I suggest that you do it within a year or less, otherwise you would better bring your own grass-cutting shackles with you just for in case.

At the summit of Mt. Shicheng-shan

We made a hike for the northern half of the tail ridge under a very nice weather. The view from our trails was just gorgeous. Though we had a little perspiring for climbing up to the ridge, nice Autumn breeze blew through over the ridge, which stirred gentle waves of silver grasses and their reflection of sunlight. Our hike commenced at Shicheng train station (石城站) by the ocean. We walked along the #2 busy coastal highway (台2線濱海公路) to the trail head by the portal of former Caoling railway tunnel (草嶺隧道)  and went up to the ridge, which is the halfway point of the entire tail ridge. We continued along the ridge trail, passing over Mt. Shicheng-shan (石城山, elevation 348 meteres), Mt. Dajuao-shan (大堀澳山, 311m) and Mt. Yinggeshi-shan (鶯歌石山, 399m) to a point near Mt. Longlong-shan (隆隆山, 432m), and then followed Mt. Lailai-shan (萊萊山, 205m) sub-ridge down to Lailai bus station (萊萊公車站) on the coastal highway.

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Shicheng station platform

There are not many trains that stop at the little unmanned Shicheng station. We took a #4148 local train, which departed at 7:34 Taipei station and arrived at Shicheng 9:13. This train was practically the first train for Shicheng from Taipei, because the one earlier train leaves shortly after 6:00, which would be a bit too early for most people. Our train stopped at Fulong (福隆) and went through a tunnel. It was a nice surprise when the train came out from the tunnel as the shinny ocean spread out beyond our train windows.

Shicheng station by the ocean

Coastal cycling road

Mt. Shicheng-shan, new tunnel portal visible

Seven of us meet on the platform, come out of the station and step onto the #2 highway besides the station. Because no trucks are allowed to pass through Xueshan tunnel (雪山隧道), many large trucks speed along the highway. We walk eastward along the busy highway, seeing the ocean on our right. A ten-minute walk brings us to a coastal cycling road, which we follow to a rest area near the Caoling tunnel. The entire rest area looks renovated lately and our first peak, Mt. Shicheng-shan stands high over a new white toilet hut.

Old tunnel

The old railway tunnel has been modified to be a cycling and pedestrian tunnel. This two-kilometer-long tunnel was one of the longest railway tunnels in Taiwan when built in 1924. A new doble-track tunnel was completed in 1986 parallel to the old one, which made the old tunnel disused for two decades until the modification.

trail head is across the highway

Longling historical trail (隆嶺古道) that would lead us up to the mountain ridge opens its mouth by the highway. At 9:54 we go up to the highway and take onto the trail. The shape of our mountain range is classified as single-sided mountain (單面山), which has a very steep cliff-like slope on one side and a gentle slope on the other. The side facing ocean is precipitous and naturally our trail goes up very steeply.  

Steep ascente

Tudigong shrine 土地公石祠

As we go up about 15 minutes or so, the grade gets a little moderate and we see a little Tudigong stone shrine (土地公). Tudigong is one of Taoist deities, who is supposed to take care of local people where he resides. It is in fact pretty common to come across Tudigong shrines by historical trails along which ancient people traveled and prayed for safety of their passage.

Keep on going up

Volunteers

We continue our ascent for a few more minutes to hear machine noises, which we soon find volunteers are working on weed clearing. They have come over from the other end of the trail and run into us here. They are a group of dozen or so people and some of them are very familiar to me, like Mr. Jiang (江啟祥先生), the leader of Lantiantui group. Some are using machines and others, long shackles to clear the trail. At the end of their troop two members are attaching ropes. We express our sincere gratitude to their ceaseless work of trail clearing. It is their contribution that makes our hiking so easy and enjoyable.

Mr. Jiang and our members

Summit of the trail

At 10:37 we reach the top of the trail (elev. 270m) which crosses the ridge and have a rest there. It is rather warm for this time of a year today and no wind, so we have perspired a lot as we come up. Here on the ridge we feel breeze, which is very welcome. A Tudigong shrine stands by the trail here too. Like the one that we passed by on our way up, it is empty inside, though.  After a short rest we head for east. The trail is wide and good. Through a gap of vegetation, we can look down the coast line where we were a while ago and Guishandao island (龜山島) far in the open ocean. 

Tudigong shrine

The ocean view

Going out of woods into grassland

Following the trail for about 25 minutes, we come out of woods and onto a grass field. As we go up, a wide open scenery comes into our view. One of our members cannot help but shout out "how beautiful it is!" Soon we reach the summit of Mt. Shicheng-shan, which proves a very good vantage point. We can see the coast line going down towards Dali (大里), further to Yilan (宜蘭) and mountains above the coast like Mt. Fulong-shan (福隆山) and further down Mt. Wankengtou-shan (灣坑頭山).  We can even make out the coast line of Fulong on the other side and mountains further away like Mt. Cao-shan (草山) and Mt. Canguanliao-shan (燦光寮山).

View from the summit of Mt. Shicheng-shan

Grasses trimmed wide and clean

The trail goes down along a grassland for a while to gets into woods. The grasses here have been cut out wide and clean, which was done by the very volunteer group that we just met. They have done very good job indeed!! The trail soon comes out of woods again into a grassland.  We reach our second peak, Mt. Dajuao-shan at 11:42 and then go down to a bottom between the two peaks (elev. 290m), which we reach at 11:54. This is a junction and a trail diverges to our left. It offers a wide flat space and we have a lunch break here.

Still a long way to go

Summit of Mt.Dajuao-shan

Lunch break

Climbing in woods

The climb to our third peak, Mt. Yinggeshi-shan is a long and steep one. The trail passes over a small peak and down. It passes through woods and grasslands, and at some points by very edge of a cliff. The final ascent to Mt. Yinggeshi-shan is pretty tough. It is good that ropes have been fixed on the both sides of the precipitous trail. We reach the summit at 12:54. A wide area of the summit is cleared of grasses, which allows us to go over to the very edge and to have a nice view.

Our trail is pretty clear on the ridge

Going through grassland

Going by the edge of a cliff

Climbing to Mt. Yinggeshi-shan

Summit of Yinggeshi-shan

Panorama from the summit

Passing a section of many rocks

The path to Mt. Longlong-shan also passes over a few small humps through woods as well as grasslands, which challenges us also with a very steep final long climb with ropes. We struggle to the top at 13:35. This is a three-way junction where to left leads to the summit of Mt. Longlong-shan and to right to Mt. Lailai-shan. When all of us come up to the junction, four of us head for the summit of Mt. Longlong-shan while the rest members have a break at the junction.

A couple of small humps ahead

Passing a marker point called Longling-shan

Final long and steep ascent

A panorama from Longlong-shan summit

Going down a steep slope

By 13:54 all of us join again at the junction and go down towards Mt. Lailai. This is a long sub-ridge leading down to Sandiaojiao light house. We soon come across a steep descent with ropes. The trail here has also been cleared of grasses recently. It then gets into woods for the rest of the trail. We go down for about 50 minutes with a few small humps along the way and up again steeply to the summit of Mt. Lailai-shan ,which we reach at 15:05. Mt. Longlong-shan summit is now pretty high up across the valley.

Going through woods

Ascent to Mt. Lailai-shan

Mt.Longlong-shan is now pretty high across the valley

Final break at the summit

Just below on our right is the coastal highway. We go down the final section of the ridge trail and come to a four-way junction at the bottom. The straight way goes up again for the Sandiaojiao light tower through a large public cemetery. We take a right track and down along a steep and a little untidy trail to the coastal highway. We come out onto the highway at 15:48. 

Sandiaojiao cape comes in sight

Silver grasses are reflecting late afternoon light

Direction signs at the four-way junction

Down at the coastal highway

#Green 19 bus

Lailai bus stop is just down the road and we walk over to it. Our bus #Green 19 (綠19台灣好行) is supposed to come not until 16:30 so we wait for it while enjoying beer that one of our members have carried and is generous to share among members. Our bus comes on time at 16:32. We take it to Dali station, where we take a 17:23 local trail back to Taipei. Today we walked for 6 hours and a half, covering about 10 kilometers. The total ascent was 600 meters, which amounts to the route physical index only 21.

Aboard #4197 train back to Taipei

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The route we walked this time is mostly identical to the hike we made four years ago in the reversed direction. The trail was very good at that time. The nature has since taken over the tracks little by little and they have been choked by thick grasses. Under their slogan "Bring back glory to the Xueshan range tail ridge (雪山尾稜風華再現)", the volunteers have been working on all trail system of the place. Their work should complete in the near future. As a matter of fact a large part of hiking trail systems in Taiwan is maintained by private sectors like them.

Turtle Island (龜山島)

The tail ridge is just of a few hundred meters in elevation, but its close location to the ocean is unique and affords very nice view all along. I recommend all hikers to go there and enjoy while the trail is in good shape. Hiking there and following the cleared tracks is a good way to show our appreciation to those generous volunteers who made this nice trail network very accessible and enjoyable.