Mt Guanyin – Yinghan Peak and Mt Lingyun Loop
Guanyinshan is the lonely mountain at the mouth of the Tamsui River. It's an inactive volcano, part of the same group as the Yangmingshan Mountains on the opposite side of the river. While the massif is called Guanyinshan the main peak is called Yinghan, and there are 17 sub-peaks each with their own names. Despite drawing it a few times, and thinking I should visit each time I went to Tamsui, it was only recently that I climbed it.
Some practicalities
Most of the trails that head up the numerous peaks here can be reached from Lingyun Road. This road is serviced by the O20 bus from Luzhou MRT Station and a couple of others. Compared to Yangmingshan services up here are quite infrequent. A taxi from Guandu is not expensive if split between a few people. There are parking areas around Lingyun Temple if you drive. The loop route described here starts just up the road from the huge Lingyun Temple at the Yinghanling Trail Entrance. I'll describe the route going in a clockwise direction, which I think is also the easiest way to follow the trail. It's a relatively short hike that could be completed in about three to four hours at a leisurely pace.
A couple of views of Guanyinshan from Tianmu and Shilin I’ve made. I’ve always thought it’s an attractive mountain
The Route
Lingyun Temple is a huge and wealthy monastery that was established in 1909. However after a couple of landslides in the early 90's the buildings were rebuilt in a modern fashion. It's worth a look for it's dramatic position beneath the sheer cliff face of Mt Lingyun. After checking out the monastery the entrance to the Yinghan Trail is a few minutes walk up the road.
Lingyun Temple below a dramatic cliff
This is the most popular trail on the mountain and like all popular trails it's a dull walk up stone steps with huge crowds if it's the weekend. I promise the second part is more fun. That said, this was such a beautiful day that I didn't mind this part of the walk. The name translates to “Tough Guy Peak” and this comes from a military training challenge that involved running up it. There are probably alternative trails up to the peak that are wilder and more enjoyable but you'll have to research those yourselves.
The views from the top of the Yinghan Peak are well worth the walk up! It's a spectacular panorama stretching from Tamsui through Taipei and over as far as Banqiao. It was fun having a new perspective of places that I had long been familiar with. As a side-note I remember when I arrived in Taiwan my guidebook talked about the “quaint seaside town of Tamsui”. Seeing it from this angle confirmed what nonsense that is! There are large cities in the UK that are less high-rise and developed than Tamsui, though I admit the area around the old consulate does feel a little small town-esque.
The ‘quaint seaside town of Tamsui’
The Datun Volcanoes
From the south side of Yinghan you'll see a group of little forested peaks. These are the next destination. Retrace your steps and keep an eye out for signs for the Jianshan Trail. This trail starts as paved steps, but gradually morphs into dirt tracks with the odd stepping stone staircase. There are ropes here to help as this trail is probably quite slippery after rain.
After a bit of walking you'll summit the small peak of Lingyun Mt, though there isn't a good clear view over the temples below from here. There was a small farm enclosure and a make-shift rest area. Here we chatted to an older hiker, who told us the next part was quite good fun and we perhaps should have brought gloves (I had not and did not have any problems).
Typical scenery on the Jianshan Trail
The descent from Lingyun was exciting, with some great views of the almost perfectly conical Mt Pansi along the way. The trail at one point descends around twenty meters on a very steep cliff face. You should have a good head for heights for this one and be confident descending using fixed ropes.
It’s a lot steeper in person
Then it's a short steep climb up the other side to Pansi. The views from this summit were not as spectacular as those earlier but there was a good chair to chill in.
Retrace your steps back a few meters and take a trail branching off to your left. You'll see a sign saying 凌雲寺 near it. This will take you back down towards Lingyun Temple. There's a side-trail that heads up Mt Yingzai on the way, but there weren't really any views from the summit of that one so I don't think it's an essential visit. You could also follow the trail to Jianshan Hill, at the very end of the ridge, but the views from that one look quite similar to those from Yinghan and Lingyun.
There isn't a ton to note on this last leg of the hike. There's a section where you can descend on ropes and dirt trail rather than steps, and there's a pretty cool banyan in a desolate picnic area. The trail will follow around the back of Lingyun Temple. Towards the end it'll look like you're heading towards a dead-end wall but there is a small stone staircase to the right that will take you back to the Yinghan Trail Entrance where you started.
Returning to Lingyun Temple and a post hike snack in the restaurant next to the trail entrance
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