Lion's Head Mountain (獅頭山) hiking [Taiwan Day 763: Lion’s Share - Oct. 3, 2015]

Hakuna matata! This was the first thing that came into my mind when I first learned about theLion’s Head Mountain in Hsinchu. There were really no lions in this place but the name intrigued me. The place is officially part of the Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area and considered as one of the best scenic areas in the island. There were various temples along the trail and some of them were built in Baroque style architecture with each of them having their own story. Three mountain systems made as one tourist spot. The Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area must have the lion's share in Formosa

I was with Kiran and he was my Travel Buddy for this Taiwan Day 763. He was also my Travel Buddy in the waterfall trail adventure in Sandiaoling in Taiwan Day 603 (True or Falls). How did we reach Lion’s Head Mountain? We boarded the train from Nangang to Zhubei and from there we transferred to the Taiwan Tour Bus. We paid a one-day ticket of NTD 100 for the bus ride. A one-way fare from Zhubei Station to Lion’s Head Mountain costs NTD 119 and it was a good decision that we bought the one-day ticket. 

Xiexin Tea House

Shuilian Cave Trail

A Thread of Sky

We went directly to the Lion’s Head Mountain Visitor Center to grab some maps. The scenic area is composed of interconnected trails and it’s better to have some maps in case that you got lost. We started first the adventure at the Shuiliao Trail aka Waterfall Curtain Trail. A temple is said to be shrouded in a curtain of water when it rains. The temple is also inside the cave which made it more interesting. As we go along the trail, we passed by an old stone bridge in which a glutinous rice paste was used as an adhesive for the stones. 

Shuilian Cave Temple

Shizi River

We found the temple but it was not raining but going inside you will feel droplets of freshwater falling down from above. There were also other visitors aside from us proving that the place is a popular site in the Lion’s Head Mountain. The Shuilliao Trail is only 500 meters but be careful in the trail. Some parts were very slippery with giant insects to surprise you.

Entrance of the Lion's Head Mountain Historic Trail

There were many butterflies along the trail.

Wanfo Temple

Giant lion carvings welcomed us at the entrance of the Lion’s Head Mountain Historic Trail and we didn’t let the opportunity pass without taking pictures. We expected concrete steps but we were surprised that we were walking on an asphalted road leading to the mountain top. As we walked our way to reach Quanhua temple, we noticed the damaged trees caused by past typhoons. There was also erosion in the trail as evident by the exposed roots of large trees. We have also seen large boulders shredded by forces of nature. Even the asphalted road showed signs of very slowly movement with its numerous short parallel cracks.
 

Lingxia Cave Temple

Yuanguang Temple (Shihyan Cave)

Wangyue Pavillion

Lion's Head Mountain cliffs

Stone inscription on the cliff wall

What can the Lion’s Head Mountain Scenic Area offer to its visitors? There were many temples built along the mountain caves. One of them is the Lingxia Temple. It has a Baroque style architecture which is dominant in Taiwan during the island’s Japanese colonial period. We also passed by a stone marker that demarcates the boundary between the provinces of Hsinchu and Miaoli. The Lion’s Head Mountain cliffs were etched with Chinese poems and we couldn’t resist ourselves in taking photos. We walked down carefully in this part. The stone stairs were no longer stable and rock falls can happen anytime. 

Quanhua Temple as seen from Sheli Cave Temple

Kaishan Temple

Daode Gate

Sheli Cave Temple is another temple built on a cave and while we were wandering an old man approached and talked to us in very good English. He called himself Uncle Zhen (pronounced as ‘jan’). He toured us inside the temple and showed that it was built inside a cave. I took a video to document our encounter with Uncle Zhen.  After our interesting talk with him, he later pointed the way to Kaishan Temple.

Sheli Cave Temple

The Quanhua temple was the icing on our trip. Uncle Zhen had explained that Quanhua Temple is a combination of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucian temples. We walked and we were fascinated by the fantastic view.  Although cloudy, the beauty from the temple’s rooftops will still amaze anyone who visits the place. At spring, cherry blossoms add a hue of pink to the orange building complex.

The Lion’s Head Mountain Scenic Area is not just all about mountains. The Nanzhuang area boasts its Hakka culture, the Emei Lake has a large smiling Maitreya Buddha while the town of Beipu has cold springs to relax your tired bodies. But one day is not enough to visit these places. Kiran is even planning to hike the 5 kilometer Liuliao Trail. As the Taiwan Tour Bus coming from Nanzhuang took us back to the Visitor Center, I promised to myself that I will go back in this mountain and tell my friends about my experience in Lion's Head Mountain. I went hiking and got the lion’s share.

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2026 Forecast

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Tianyuan Palace backyard

Taipei Flower Test Center

Pingjing St. Lane 42

Broadwood Park

Sunshine Sports Park kawazu sakura

Wuling Farm (武陵農場)

SYS kawazu sakura

Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village

CKS Memorial Hall

Shibafen Yoshino Sakura

Hope River

Dongfang Temple

Tianyuan Palace

Neicou Stream Trail

Orange Garden Cafe

Yangming Park Visitor Information Center

Yangming Park Service Center Bus Stop

Huashan Road

Qianshan Park

Zhongshan Hall Entrance

Tenglong Sakura Farm

Flower Test Center Shōwa Sakura

Neihu Creek Trail

Shulin Land Office

Xióng Kōng Cherry Blossom Forest

Lung Yen Sakura Forest

Yangming Park cherry stream

Yangming Park fountain

CKS Memorial Hall Tairyō sakura

Wugu District Tianyi Road

CKS Memorial Hall yaesakura

Loving Farm

Yong Long Farm

Zhongbaling Sakura Road

Sun Link Sea

Tai'an Police Station

Cherry Hill Slope

Hsinchu Park

Taipei 101

Kāng Gào Kēng Creek

New Garden City

Broadwood Park

Tianyuan Palace backyard

Pingjing St. Lane 42

Alishan Ranger Station

Alishan House

Alishan Police Station

Alishan Forest Railway

Alishan Station

Alishan Entrance

Alishan Gou Hotel

Alishan Magnolia Garden

Wulai tour

Wun Chang Elementary School

Bishanyan

Sanzhi Sansheng Trail

Sakura Series - Taiwan

Nei Cuo Stream

Orange Garden Cafe

Sansheng Trail

Tenglong Sakura Farm

Yangming Park Cherry Stream

Yangming Park Fountain

Flower Test Center

Broadwood Park

New Garden City

Yinghua Park

Pingjing St. Lane 42

Yangmingshan Visitor Center

Taipei 101

Tianyuan Palace backyard

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Kamonyama Park

Near the Nippon Maru Memorial Park

Shinko Park

Minato-mirai 21 area

Tokyo Tech Suzukakedai Campus

Onda River

Tenryuji

Byodoin

Kiyomizudera

Himuro shrine and Yakushi-ji Temple

Hōryū-ji Temple

Nara Park attractions

Tokyo Tech Ookayama Campus

Sumida River

Tsuruma Park

Gion

Maple Series

Taipei Aowanda

Shimen Dam

Alishan

Aowanda

Shanlinxi

Taoyuan Valley Garden

Fushoushan Farm

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The "Taipei kong mahal" (My beloved Taipei)

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MRT birdman

Valentine's Day

Tulips Festival

2018 Taipei Lantern Festival

City of Azaleas

Linji Huguo Temple

Nanjichang Night Market

Gudetama Chef restaurant

Dalongdong Bao'an Temple

Shilin hollyhocks

Ningxia Night Market

Ximending graffiti

Discovery Center of Taipei

Chunghwa Postal Museum

Double-Decker Bus

Shilin Cold Balls

Jingimoo

GomanMango

mud volcanic ice

Fire and Ice Dumpling

Opium Fen-Yuan

Ichiran Ramen

Liu Shandong Beef Noodles

hydrangea flowers

National Palace Museum

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Taipei on a budget

Japanese buildings

Dāoxiāomiàn beef noodles

Presidential Office Building

Yongkang St. and Elephant Mountain

CKS and SYS Hall

City tour

Beitou ramen

MRT Monopoly Game

Winter city tour

Zhicheng Park

Shilin Plum Blossom

Art museums

Shopping in Taipei

Summer desserts

Qingtiangang

Qixingshan hiking

2015 Calla lily

2016 Calla lily

Beitou tour

Beitou-Zhuzihu tour

NTU

Confucius Temple

2015 Dadaocheng Festival

Puppet Museum

Fantasy Ice World

2016 Bread Show

Strawberry picking

2015 Rose Garden

Modern Toilet

Shilin Night Market

NASA Exhibit

Raohe Night Market

Longshan Temple

2013 Taipei Zoo

Maokong Gondola

Lupin flowers

Taipei 101 day visit

Taipei 101 night visit

Tiger Mountain

Din Tai Fung

Taipei Story House

2014 Flower Show

Chrysanthemum Show

Miramar Ferris wheel

Miniatures Museum

Archery

1600 Pandas

Wulaoguo hot pot

Upside Down House

2016 101 Fireworks

New Taipei

Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival

Elephant Rock SUP/kayaking

Meteor Garden school

Tamsui Pumpkin Tunnel

Shifen Waterfall

2017 Sand Sculpture

Dragon Caves

New Taipei tour

2016 Kite Festival

Pingxi Crags

Bitou Cape

2016 Sand Sculpture

2015 Christmasland

Juming - Jinshan

Houtong - Pingxi

Sandiaoling Waterfall

Jiufen foodtrip

Guanyinshan hike

Yehliu Ocean World

2014 Kite Festival

Pingxi Rail tour

Jinguashi tour

Vigor Kobo Pineapple

British Consulate

Yehliu Geopark

2014 Sand Sculpture

Paragliding

2014 Christmasland

2014 Pingxi Lantern

firefly watching

Yingge Ceramics Street

Jiufen tour