Ergeshan 二格山

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Ergeshan (aka Erge Mountain or Shijianshan) is a magnificent mountain hike in Shiding District of New Taipei. The trail features a short climb to a watch tower with 360 degrees of Xindian, Wenshan, and Shiding Districts. There are also great views of Taipei City and the surrounding area. 

Background:
The rock formations that form Ergeshan formed as sediment under the ocean millions of years ago, and was later uplifted thanks to the collision of the Eurasian and Phillipine plates. The rocks are mainly sedimentary and are part of the same formation that forms the special rock formations on the northern coast around Keelung, and the waterfalls in Pingxi.
Ergeshan is the highest mountain in the surrounding area at 678 meters above sea level. It is one of the 100 lesser peaks in Taiwan. 

Hours:
24/7

Price:
Free

Length:
2.5 KM, 200 meters of elevation gain
About 1.5 hours total

Difficulty:
Easy, The trail can be quite steep in some places, but overall an easy short hike.

How to get there:
By Bus: Take Bus GR12 from Xindian to Xiangdi Temple. The trailhead is about a 12 minute walk from there. 
By Car/Scooter: Take provincial highway 9 to Xiandi Temple and take a turn up the mountain, and take a left at the monastery. The road ends at the trailhead. You can park further up the road for the faster way to get there. 

Map:
​Please see below:

Our Journey:

I have been to Ergeshan twice and climbed it once. It is a great place for an easy hike that has spectacular views. 

See our drone footage above for a better view of the area. 

Or check out our 360 degree panorama above. 

The first attempt at Ergeshan it was raining, but I got this amazing shot from the trailhead. 

Map of the trailhead from the entrance. There are two entrances, one with a ton of straight steps, and one with switchbacks. The switchback route is faster. 

Beware of bees and snakes.

It also rains a lot here. 

This way up is the longer way, but is the first trailhead you will see.

Pebble steps at the beginning.

Which quickly turns into super steep wooden steps. 

And also super steep stone steps. 

More stone and concrete steps. 

The two paths eventually meet up near the top.

There is a roofed pavilion near the top.

At the very top of the mountain is another roofed pavilion. 

View south catching a glimpse of Feitsui Reservior.

"Monkey Mountain (Houshan)"
Monkey Mountain, rising on the western ridge of the Mt. Erge cordillera, is 551 meters high and supposedly has a simian appearance. The trail here is divided into two, Houshanyue Trail and Dachengdian Trail.
The former is a mountain trail that links Houshankeng Industry Road and Xinguang Road. Dachengdian is a very short trail through the secluded forest on these winding, level trails is an excellent way to get up close to nature."

"Pen Rack Mountain (Bijiashan)"
Mt. Bijia is one of the three rock climbing grounds of northern Taiwan (Huangdidian and Wuliao Peak are the other two). With the precipitous cliffs and narrow ridge that demand great care and induce great excitement. This is especially so for Mt. Bijia, with awesome cliff faces and a trail that winds up and down, back and forth amidst the dense woods, bird and insect songs, and forest aromas, this is a trail to test your fitness and stamina. 

View of Houshan or Monkey Mountain right in front of you. 

View looking north to Bijiashan and Huangdidian. 

Another view of Bijiashan and Huangdidian. 

View of the top of the mountain via drone and more photos from the top in the gallery above. 

Faint view of the Taipei 101 through a rainshower. 

Same view with Instagram filter. I imagine it looks much better with good weather. 

Dark clouds came in fast. 

More photos from the top right before the rain shower. This place would look amazing on a clear day. 

View of the top of Erga Mountain via drone. 

More drone photos above.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more blogs on Northern Taiwan to come. 

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