TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei City Government started its Taipei Grand Hike certification activity for 2021 on Friday (Jan. 1), challenging the public to take on the 92-kilometer trail network that cuts across the city.
This year’s certification program will last until Dec. 31, 2021. The city’s Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO) said in a press release that the route starts from MRT Guandu Station in the city's north and ends in the mountains behind National Chengchi University in Maokong to the south. It can be divided into seven sections, with each segment having its own distinctive attractions.
Participants can arrange to hike the seven sections on different days over the course of the year. Public transportation, including the Taipei MRT, city buses, Ubike, and Maokong Gondola, will provide participants easy access to the trailheads and connections between different sections, according to the office.
One-third of the route intersects Yangmingshan National Park, the GEO said, adding the hike takes challengers through unique volcanic landforms and the main peak of Qixing Mountain, which, with an elevation of 1,120 meters, is the highest point in the city,
Compared with other metropolises, Taipei is blessed to have such a convenient long-distance trail, the office added.
GEO Industrial and Trail Section Chief Chen Yen-cheng (陳彥成) said those taking on the challenge this year can opt to provide proof of completion by taking photos with the 12 activities posts strategically located at different spots along the trail or by using the Hiking Notes app (健行筆記APP). Various certificates and prizes are available depending on what type of documentation participants submit to prove they completed the hike.
At the end of the year, there will be a draw to award those who finished the trek with hiking-related prizes, Chen said.
People can get all information about the certification program and download the maps here. In addition to the digital source, the public is also encouraged to get a free brochure that contains trail maps and all information about the activity at the GEO. The address of the agency: 3F, 300, Songde Road (松德路), Xinyi District, Taipei City.
For updated information about the activity, please visit Taipei Grand Hike's official Facebook site. To make suggestions or leave comments about trail facilities, please visit this site.
(National Geographic video)
(Taipei City Government photos)
