Dakeng Mountain Trails 9 and 10: a Stunning, Easy Hike

Happy new year everyone! We’re going start off 2023 with one of my favorite things to do, especially during the winter-hiking.

Today I’m going to be taking you to Dakeng Mountain, a very popular mountain located in the Beitun District of Taichung. Dakeng Mountain has some of the most well known hiking trails in Taichung due to the accessibility and variety of its trails. WIth a total of 12 different trails, you’ll be guaranteed to find the perfect one for you regardless of your hiking abilities.

Today I’ll be guiding you through two of the more beginner friendly trails that new hikers often start with- trails 9 and 10.

Getting to Dakeng Mountain

Driving is a great option if you’re coming in from another city. However, if you’re coming up to the mountain from Taichung, then taking the bus will probably be a better option because it’s usually hard to find parking spaces here, especially on the weekends. There are many buses that you can take to Dakeng Mountain such as buses 1,15, 20, 21, 51, 68, 85, 270, 271, 276, 277, and 922. (phew, that was a handful)

Alternatively, you could also take the MRT to Songzhu or Beitun Main MRT station and then transfer by bus to get to Dakeng Mountain.

Dakeng Mountain: Trails 9, 9-1, and 10

Trail 9

distance: 1.6 km

difficulty: 🌝 (1/5)

Out of all the trails in Dakeng, trail no.9 is the easiest one and the most suitable for beginners. The trail is only 1.6 kilometers long and there are many stands selling local fruits and snacks along the way, so you don’t have to worry about getting hungry or bringing your own food either.

Trail 9 is also perfect if you want to take your dogs for a nice walk outdoors. Especially if you have a dachshund at home who can’t climb too many stairs- this trail would be perfect for them. This trail is so smooth I would hardly call it a ‘hiking trail’, it is still an extremely beautiful trail nonetheless. Along the way, you’ll see many families and elderly couples from this area on their morning walks.

Trail 9-1

distance: 600 meters

difficulty: 🌝🌝🌚 (2.5/5)

9-1 is a sub-trail of trail 9. Trails 9, 9-1, and 10 all start at the same entrance and will eventually merge into one trail towards the exit as well. What’s different about 9-1 is that, even though it is only 600 meters long, it is much more difficult to climb compared to trail 9 because it consists mostly of staircases.

Trail 10

distance: 1.2 km

difficulty: 🌝🌝🌝 (3/5)

Trail no.10 is one of the newer trails of Dakeng Mountain. This trail is definitely the hardest of the three, with most of the trail being composed of very very sloped stairs. It will almost feel like you’re hiking at 90 degrees. The one thing I got out of this was that I definitely have to start working out more. The view at the top was definitely worth it though.

These two trails took around a total of two and a half hours. To avoid the heat, I strongly recommend coming earlier in the morning instead of the afternoon, it can get quite hot!

After hiking Dakeng Mountain..

Xindu Nature Park

After coming down from Dakeng Mountain, you’ll find a lot of vendors at the entrance selling fresh fruits, vegetables, and all sorts of Taiwanese snacks. My friends and I were just in time for the sunset when we came down, so we went to a local park nearby to enjoy the gentle breeze and the fabulous view. At the park, there will be a lot of families walking their dogs and having picnics in the afternoon. Bring your own picnic blanket and join the locals for an awesome post-hike cool down!

Eat at a local vegetarian buffet

Much to my surprise, there were actually a lot of vegetarian restaurants in the Dakeng area. My friends and I chose Lian He Vegetarian Buffet, which is a simple buffet restaurant run by locals. It’s quite large but there are no extravagant decorations like the buffet in Taipei that we went to last time. In fact, it feels very warm and local, and it’s evident that the people from this region really like this place too as a lot of local families started filling up the restaurant as soon as it opened up in the evening. The food here is generally quite healthy, and is great for a light dinner after your hike.

Do you enjoy hiking? What are some of your favorite mountains to hike?

Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,