Hi fellow Hivers and and Pinmapple peeps! How is it going? Yesterday I went to an impromptu short hike to the （象山） Elephant Mountain in Taipei. And I'd like to share you my experience and some of the pictures I took.
I live in Taipei and have hiked this mountain many times, exploring it in various ways such as traversing from one end to another, reaching the highest peak, and even visiting some old temples on the mountain.
This time, however, I didn't plan to hike; it just happened that I ran my weekend errands nearby and thought, 'Why not go for a quick hike before going home?'
象山 - Xiang Shan - Elephant Mountain
Arriving in the trailhead, you will be welcomed by this post telling Xiangshan is a 700m tall and can be finished in just 10 mins. Yes, 10 minutes. That is one reason why this is famous among tourists.
The entire trail is paved with stairs and is fairly wide, providing ample space for people going up and down. While I was hiking, I remembered my first visit here about 5 years ago when the trail was only wide and paved in some parts.
Here's a tip for when you're visiting Xiang Shan: bring mosquito repellent, bottled water, and wear a thin shirt. The trail is surrounded by trees, and since it rains quite often in Taipei, mosquitoes love to reproduce here. It's also very humid, so expect to sweat a lot.
Well this mountain is a real walk in the park. Even kids would enjoy visiting here.
In just 5 minutes I arrived at the first viewing platform. The view is already good! You can see the Taipei 101 and some buildings around it.
A 100 meters higher, I arrived at the second viewing platform. And I just realized, not most tourists comes this far. It is a pitty because the view from here gets better.
At this point I am sweating so hard and the rain started to pour. So I decides to end my hike here and just chill, enjoy the view and take some cool photos of Taipei 101. Which is the main reason why tourists love to visit this mountain, a perfect spot to get a clear view of the Taipei 101 and the landscape of Taipei itself.
