One of the first things I did once I was out of quarantine was to go out on a couple of hikes in Taipei. Just picture beautiful trails that wind all around Taipei and offer amazing views of the city from above! While I am glad that I went on some hikes, I quickly realized that it is absolutely hot and humid hiking in July and August here. I was actually quite surprised at how many others were also venturing out in the heat. My biggest suggestions are to use mosquito spray and sunblock before heading out and also to bring an ample supply of water.
The name of the first place I hiked is Jinmianshan Trail, 金面山步道. It is located in the Neihu District of Taipei. I opted for one of the shorter routes and passed by a temple called Zhuyue Temple, 竹月寺. There are different trails throughout the area and this one was a nice and easy first hike, especially considering the heat. It also didn’t require as much effort as some of the steeper trails require. The trails are lush green with beautiful flowers, butterflies and occasionally a lizard or frog.
The next hike my family took is at a spot in the Tianmu area of Taipei. The destination was Junjianyan, 軍艦岩. This means Warship Rock in Mandarin. (I’ve also heard it called Battleship Rock.) It is a beautiful lookout point where you can see sweeping views of Taipei. The large rock at the top of the climb resembles a warship, giving it this name.
There are different trails to get to Junjianyan, 軍艦岩. On the way there I took a trail with a temple that was not too far off the path to the rock. The temple is called 奉天聖母宮 on google maps, but I found the name a little hard to translate. There are some signs in English mentioning Notre Dame Palace, but again, I’m not sure the translation. It is a small temple overlooking the city that also has excellent views. The climb to get to the temple was a bit steep at the end but worth the effort.
View from the Temple 
Once we had seen the temple we made our way back to the trail toward Warship Rock. The rock is pretty flat at the top and the views really are stunning. We took a different path home down a clearly marked trail of stone steps. This led us to a Main Street in the Tianmu area. I plan to make the trip again at some point at sunset. I’d like to see the city lit up at night, but I’ll wait until the weather cools down a little.
