Yangmingshan Park

Yangmingshan Park, of 125 hectares and 443 meters above sea level, is renowned for its natural mountain streams, hot springs, waterfalls and forest parks. It has impressive volcanic terrain and a richness of butterflies and stunning floral displays from February-May when cherry blossoms and azaleas are their peak.  It is frequently used as the backdrop for wedding photos.

There are many hiking trails in broadleaf forests, volcanic formations and fissures that spew steam from the depths of the earth and form clusters of sulphur crystals.

We took the Erzihping Trail which is a 1,700 metre (5,577 ft) long, easy obstacle-free trail that takes you to an ecological pond area. On the return you can take a left turn to go down to the gardens. No vehicles or bicycles are allowed. Be aware when walking in the hills that the low cloud can come in very quickly.

Yangmingshan was called Tsaoshan (Grass Mountain) during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, because it was covered with grass and seldom visited. After World War II, the KMT government renamed the mountain Yang Ming Shan and built a park here. Yang Ming Park is the only park in Taiwan that has volcanic geography and hot springs.

 

Designed in traditional Chinese style, the natural beauty of the park has won it the reputation as urban forest and the Taipei garden. The park is characterized by a large clock made of flowers with a diameter of 22 feet. Water runs around the flower clock and music is played every hour. Opposite the clock is a statute of late president Chiang Kai Shek; on both sides of the statue are the cypresses planted by president Chiang himself. The Hsin Hai Kuang Fu Lo was completed in 1971, in the centre of the park. Also there is a statue of Wang Yang Ming, the famous Chinese scholar in the 17th century.

 

The 260 bus leaves from Civic Blvd (outside Taipei Main Station) every ten minutes – it costs NT$15 and takes about forty minutes to get to the Yangminshan bus station. For just NT$60, you can take the 108 bus around the park an unlimited amount of times during its operating hours. There are plenty of stops at various locations around the park, but you may have to wait 15 or 20 minutes between buses, so plan accordingly. Note that there are no food places en route so eat at Yangmingshan town or visitor centre.