Yangmingshan National Park 陽明山懶人包 – Your Complete Travel Guide

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Yangmingshan National Park is a mountainous area in Taipei and New Taipei, known for its volcanic activity, hiking trails, wildlife, waterfalls, hot springs, and sulfur vents. It is definitely worth a stop on your trip to Taipei. 

Historical Background:

The area known as Yangmingshan now was formed by volcanoes about 700,000 years ago, forming many mountains about 1000 meters or less in northwestern Taiwan. The park still features active volcanoes, vents, and hot springs.
The original name of the area was Caoshan (grass mountain 草山). During the Qing Dynasty, the area was used to harvest sulfur, and many of the hills were burned to help catch sulfur thieves, Qingtiangang likely being one of these areas. 
Sulfur mining was started in the Qing Dynasty by a British mining company that first obtained the rights to mine here in 1897. In 1927 during the Japanese era, Yangmingshan was made as the first national park in Taiwan, then known as Datunshan National Park Association. 
The area around Qingtiangang to Lengshuikeng was made into a ranch for water buffalo, and grass from Japan was planted here for them to graze.
In 1950 after the ROC took Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek renamed the park after the philosopher Wang Yangming, and called the area Yangmingshan. 
The KMT kept the ranch at Qingtiangang and continued to maintain it. They also built bunkers here and kept a garrison of troops.
In 1985, after resolving many land disputes, Yangmingshan National Park was officially designated as a national park in the ROC era. 
Due to its easy accessibility from Taipei and many natural attractions, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Taipei City. Most visitors come on weekends, and it has parking lots and visitor’s centers throughout the park. 

Hours:

The visitor’s centers are open from 9 AM to 4:30 PM. However, you can visit the park 24/7.

Price:

Free entrance into the park
(car parking 30-50 NT， scooter parking 20 NT)
You can book tours to Yangmingshan on Klook here, or KKday here or here.

Tours:

You can check out tours to Yangmingshan such as a One-day Yangmingshan NP Beitou Hot Spring Park and Tamsui Tour Package,  Beitou and Yangmingshan Day Tour from Taipei, One Day Hike around Yangmingshan, or Private Yangmingshan Volcano Tour and more on TripAdvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here.

When to Go:

Silver Grass Season: Mang Grass season goes from September to November. During this time you will be able to see silvery grass all over the mountain tops around the park.
Cherry Blossom Season: Cherry blossoms can be seen in the park from February to late March. 
Snowfall: Once every few years it can snow here from December to February. The snow usually only lasts a day or two and melts away quickly.
Best Weather: In my opinion, the best weather is in the summer when constant rain makes the air cleaner, and summer mornings are usually clear. Be sure to start hiking in the morning for the best views and sunshine, as afternoon thundershowers are common. 

Where to Stay:

High end: We have stayed at and recommend the Yuanshan Grand Hotel, once the tallest building in Taiwan and still the most grand (book on Booking.com here or Agoda here).
We also recommend Fullon Hotel which has locations in Tamsui and Fulong near the beach (book on Booking.com here or Agoda here). 
Budget Hotels: We have stayed at and also recommend Fu Chang Hotel in Ximending, which is within walking distance of Ximending shopping district (book on Booking.com here or Agoda here). We have also stayed at and recommend Hai Xia Your Home which is right in front of Fulong Beach (book on Booking.com here or Agoda here). 
Looking for a hotel? We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan.
Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.

How to get there:

By Car/Scooter: From Taipei, take provincial highway 2A north to the park, where you can see the main attractions such as Zhuzihu, Qixingshan, Datunshan, Qingtiangang, etc. There are many parking lots, but car parking is limited on weekends and the number of cars allowed up the mountain is also limited. There is also paid scooter parking.
On weekends this place can be packed, and cars can be backed up for up to an hour or more, so consider taking a scooter or bus. Looking for scooter rental in Taipei? Check out Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. 
If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or  KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.  
By Bus: From Beitou MRT Station, Take Little Bus 19 (小19), or another bus to the park. You can book tickets to travel to Taipei via inter-city bus on Klook here. 
You can book tickets to Taipei via high speed rail (HSR)  on Klook here or KKDay here. 
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan’s landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can search on KKday here and search for tours on Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. 

Map:

See below for a map of places mentioned in this blog: 

Our Journey:

I have been to Yangmingshan countless times. The first time I went was with my parents. At the time I knew nothing about the park, just that the Lonely Planet guide has a huge section dedicated to it. We went the hardest way up Qixing Mountain from Miaopu and had to give up halfway because it was too tiring. I regret that trip so much because there are so many other amazing places in the park that are much easier to get to. From this blog, I hope you will at least get a general idea of what there is to see in this park and you can better use your time when your family visits Taiwan on their only trip to Yangmingshan in their lives. 

Drone Video

See our drone footage above for an overview of most of the main attractions in the park.  Below we have listed the main attractions to the park and links to complete blogs on each area. Visiting just one of these areas can take an entire day. Be sure to give yourself enough time, a few days at least, to visit all these locations. Let’s get started.

 

Zhuzihu is a small valley in Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園 Yángmíng shān guójiā gōngyuán, in Beitou District of Taipei City) between Qixing Mountian and Datun Mountian. The valley is especially fertile due to the rich volcanic soil and abundant rain, and the entire area is full of recreational farms that have become popular tourist destinations. You should definitely stop by on your trip to Yangmingshan…(read more)

Datunshan 大屯山

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another easily accessible waterfall in the park is Lover’s Waterfall, right across the street from Sulfur Valley.

Sulfur Valley 硫磺谷

 

​Jingshan Recreational Area 菁山遊憩區

Near the Chungshan Building, you can check out Jingshan Recreational Area, which has a hot spring resort, campsites, hiking trails, and great views of the surrounding area. 
See the photo gallery above for more pictures of the area. 

Erziping Recreational Area 二子坪遊憩區

Erziping is a small area beneath Datunshan that has some nice hiking trails around nearby ponds and forests and has great views of the surrounding mountains.

The Road Down to Shilin (Pingjing St) 下去士林之路 (平菁街)

When I say the road down to Shilin, I do not mean provincial highway 2, I am talking about Pingjing Street on the south side of Mt. Qixing, where there is a residential area with many resort style houses and also some satellite dishes. It is a nice place to enjoy the scenery and cherry blossoms in early spring. See the gallery above for more photos. 

​​The Road Down to Wanli (N. 28 Highway) 下去萬里之路 (北28公路)

 
The road down to Wanli (North 28 Highway) starts from Fengguizui (風櫃嘴) and heads down toward Wanli District. There are some nice views here and not many people travel this way.

​The Road Down to Sanzhi (101A Highway) 下去三芝之路 (101甲)

The road down from Datunshan to Sanzhi (Highway 101 A) is also beautiful. Along the way, you can see amazing views of the ocean, and cherry blossoms, as well as sights in nearby Tamsui such as Wuji Tianyuan Temple (無極天元宮). For more about this temple, click here. 

The Road Down to Jinshan (Yangjin Road)下去金山之路 (陽金公路)

Another beautiful road leads from Xiaoyoukeng to Jinshan District on the north coast, also known as provincial highway 2A or Yangjin Road. There are many great views of the area from this road. Further down in Jinshan, you can see many hot spring hotels that use hot spring water from the mountain, and there are also a few roadside wild hot springs that you can soak in.   

Shimen Songshan Terraced Feilds 石門嵩山梯田

If you feel like leaving the country for some different scenery, you can instead head over to the Shimen Songshan terraced fields in New Taipei (aka 100-year stone terrace fields 百年石砌梯田)
near the border of Yangmingshan National Park. Here you can enjoy walking around the only stone-terraced fields in the entire country…(read more) Check out our full guide to the Shimen Terraced fields here. 

China Cultural University 中國文化大學

Another great place to see views of the Taipei Basin from Yangmingshan is China Cultural University. You can see many great views just from the road side at the back of the school. There is also an old American Military dependents village nearby that has been converted into a myriad of hipster cafes and restaurants. 

Roadside Markets 路邊市場

Around the mountain, especially near Zhuzihu and Pingjing Road there are many roadside vegetable markets to check out. 

Flying a Drone in Yangmingshan National Park 在陽明山國家公園飛空拍機

In order to fly a drone in the park, you need to apply at least seven days in advance online here. The application needs to be in Chinese and requires dates of flights, takeoff locations, etc. After you receive the approval letter, you need to call in advance, and then on the day of the flight you need to visit the nearest visitor’s center and they will give you a vest. Certain areas are always off-limits, so make sure you study in advance. Most national parks have similar requirements now. 

Places We Missed:

• Lesser Guanyinshan 小觀音山
• Miantianshan 面天山
• Zhuzishan 竹子山
• Huangzuishan 黃嘴山
• American Village 美國村
• Alibang Waterfall  阿里磅瀑布
• Menghuan Pond 夢幻胡
• Flower Clock 花鐘
• Datun Falls 大屯瀑布
• Xiaoyintan Waterfall 小隱潭瀑布
• Juansi Falls 絹絲瀑布
• Huang Xi Hot Spring 黃溪溫泉
• Xiaqigu Hot Spring 下七谷溫泉
• Ba Yan Hot Spring 八煙溫泉
• Futian Leisure Farm
• Beitou Museum
• Ju Ming Museum
• And many other places for you to discover. You can search for more tours on Tripadvisor here, Klook here or KKday here. 

You can book tours to Yangmingshan on TripAdvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here or here.
You can check out tours to Yangmingshan such as a One-day Yangmingshan NP Beitou Hot Spring Park and Tamsui Tour Package,  Beitou and Yangmingshan Day Tour from Taipei, One Day Hike around Yangmingshan, or Private Yangmingshan Volcano Tour and more on TripAdvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here.
We will be sure to update this blog in the future. Thanks for reading and be sure to check out more of our guides to Taiwan coming soon!

Check out our Taipei hiking and trail guide here. 
Check out our guide to Taipei’s Waterfalls here. 
Check out our guide to the best day trips from Taipei here. 
Also be sure to check out our guide to Taipei here. 
You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here. 

You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here.