Pingxi Crags 平溪六尖：孝子山

Pingxi Crags are a set of hiking trails that traverse steep mountain peaks and rock cliffs in the mountains south of Pingxi Village. The sedimentary rocks here stick out of the forest at the tops of the mountains, making for great views but also dangerous climbs. 

Background:
The rock formations that form the Pingxi crags hike formed as sediment under the ocean millions of years ago and were then 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.
The area also has some coal deposits, and there is an abandoned mine on the trail. 
There are basically six main peaks along the Pingxi Crags trail: Xiaozishan (孝子山), Cimu Peak (慈母峰), Cien Peak (慈恩嶺), Putuoshan (普陀山), Choutoutshan (臭頭山) and the Zhongyangjian Peak (中央尖)  which is the highest peak in that chain of mountains. 
Xiaozishan is 140 (459 feet) above sea level.
Much of the climbing is medium to difficult, and includes rock scrambling and rope climbs up steep cliffs with carved steps and footholds, as well as ladder crossings and chain ladder climbs in some places.
The area is popular with hikers and can get busy on the weekends. 

Hours:
24/7

Permits Required:
None

Duration:
The trail is technically 1.6 KM to Zhongyanjian, but it could take you most of the day because the hike is steep and there is lots of rope climbing. The difficulty here is medium because you are not gaining tons of elevation but there are some really scary rope climbs, rock scrambling, and near vertical rock climbs in some places. 

When to go:
On a sunny dry day. The rocks can get slippery and a fall on some of the trails could kill you. 

When not to go:
Don't go when it is raining. You could slip right off a cliff to your death, plus it will be cloudy with no good views. Don't bring children under 12 years old. 

How to get there:
By Train: Take the TRA to Ruifang Station, and then switch to the Pingxi Railway line. Get off at Pingxi Station, and then walk south past the river toward the mountains. The trailhead starts right to the right of the public bathroom.
By Car/Scooter: Take provincial highway 2 east toward Pinglin, then get off the main highway once you reach Shifen. Then turn right and go west on county road 106 until you reach the Pingxi Old street and turn left up the mountain after you reach the Taiwan Power Company. There is a parking lot and trail head at the end of the road. 

Maps:
You can check out the full trail map here or here. 
For the location of the start of the trail, please see below:

Notice how this mountain chain is a very pronounced horizontal pattern of sediments being lifted out of the ground as seen from space. 

Our Journey:

Check out our drone footage of below of Xiaozishan and some of the other peaks in the background in the video below:

I have been to Pingxi many times and have admired the pointy mountain peaks that stick out of the tops of the mountains like tortilla chips. I have also long since admired blog posts and photos on Google maps of these places. These kinds of hikes can be found throughout greater Taipei and Keelung where there is similar geography (mountains made from sedimentary rocks). 

The start of the trail begins near Pingxi station. You can start from the main road or drive up another small road to the trail parking lot. ​

The main peaks on the trail don't seem that far away, but there are tons of steps and rope climbs along the way. 

A complete map of the trails in near Pingxi can be seen above. 

​​Xiaozishan Trail 孝子山

The first part of the trail will take you to Xiaozishan. Above you can see an outline of the peaks as seen from the parking lot, Xiaozishan looking tallest from this angle. 

You can see some people climbing to the top of the peak from this angle. 

The trail gets steeper and steeper as you get to the top, and turns into carved steps into the rocks with ropes on either side. One part of it requires you to climb a ladder bridge to get the the main rock. 

On top of the mountain sit two Gods overlooking the Pingixi valley. 

Another view of the mountain mass. 

Xiaozishan sits on a line of sedimentary rock that stretches east and west, but this section and stubbornly not eroded away with the rest of the mountain. 

Cimu Peak 慈母峰, Putuoshan 普陀山, and Cien Peak 慈恩嶺

In the picture above you can see Cien Peak 慈恩嶺 to the left in the foreground, Putuoshan 普陀山 to the right in the foreground, and Cimu Peak 慈母峰 on the right in the background. All of these peaks require further climbing up steep carved steps with ropes (check out the giant staircase going up the Cien Peak on the left). On this day I only had time to climb Xiaozishan which only took 20 mintues, but it was the end of the day and the sun was going down. I will go back sometime and update the blog. 

View to the west from Xiaozishan. 

View of Pingxi Old Street to the north from Xiaozishan. 

View to the south of Lingjiao and the rest of Pingxi from Xiaozishan. 

View to the north looking at the mountains surrounding. 

I will definitely go back to see the views from the rest of the peaks and also to get some more drone footage. 

As for Zhongyanjian, (as well as the rest of the peaks) check outthis blog by Richard Saunders. 
​Also for another view of the Pingxi Crags trail, check out this blog by Josh Ellis. 

Stay tuned for more of our adventures on the Pingxi Railway line!

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