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Mt. Qixing Main Peak - East Peak Trail Menghuan Pond Trail Mt. Shamao Trail
  • Shamao Road trailhead, north → Observation deck → Mt. Shamao → Shamao Road trailhead, south
  • Total distance 3.2 km, average grade of 15 degrees, entire journey takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Mt. Shamao Trail Drop map

Public transportation
  1. Yangmingshan Bus Station: R5 (MRT Jiangtan Station to Yangmingshan), 108 (shuttle bus), 260 main line (Dongyuan, Taipei Main Station to Yangmingshan)
  2. Yangmingshan Stop: R5 (MRT Jiangtan Station to Yangmingshan), 230 (MRT Beitou Station to Yangmingshan), 260 main line (Dongyuan, Taipei Main Station to Yangmingshan), S 8 (MRT Shipai Station to Zhuzihu), S 9 (MRT Fuxing Station to Zhuzihu), 1717 Royal Bus (Taipei to Jinshan)
  3. Taipei Teacher’s In-Service Center Stop (Shamao Road): 230 (MRT Beitou Station to Yangmingshan)
  4. Dingbanling Stop: 230 (MRT Beitou Station to Yangmingshan)
By car
  1. Shilin→ Fulin Road→Yangde Boulevard → Gezhi Road → Yangming Road → Yangmingshan Bus Station → Shamao Road → North trailhead or south trailhead
  2. Tamsui, Sanzhi → 101 County Highway → 101A County Highway (Bailaka Highway) → Yangjin Highway → Yangmingshan Bus Station→ Shamao Road → North trailhead or south trailhead
  3. Jinshan → Yangjin Highway → Yangmingshan National Bus Station → Shamao Road → North trailhead or south trailhead
  4. Beitou → Xinbeitou → Quanyuan Road → Dingbi Bridge → Shamao Road → North trailhead or south trailhead
Parking

There are no parking lots next to the trail. Roadside parking is available on Shamao Road, next to Qianshan Park; however, parking is limited and visitors are advised to utilize public transportation.

Animals
  • Collared scops owl
    Collared scops owl

    Strigidae family. Spread throughout mid- and low altitude regions. Rests on branches with dense foliage during the day and becomes active after dusk. Has excellent protective coloration. These owls have sharp beaks and strong claws, and they mainly feed on small animals. They are able to locate prey with their heightened hearing senses.

  • Taiwanese blue magpie
    Taiwanese blue magpie

    The Taiwanese blue magpie is a species that is endemic to Taiwan. This ferocious omnivore will attack other birds. The magpie will steadfastly defend and protect its family members. The Taiwanese blue magpies are gregarious birds. Close relatives of breeding pairs that have not yet bred themselves will help the pairs raise, watch over, and defend their chicks. This species exhibits strong nest defense behaviors and are ruthless against intruders.

  • Formosan rock macaque
    Formosan rock macaque

    A protected species endemic to Taiwan. Its tail is approximately 2/3 the length of its body. It weighs about five to twelve kilograms and has short forelimbs and long hind legs as well as a thick and furry tail. Its coat turns grayer in winter and greener in summer. Not commonly seen in Yangmingshan. Only reported sightings have been at Lujiakeng, Mt. Shamao, and Mt. Zhongzheng.

  • Huechys sanguinea (Black and Scarlet Cicada)
    Huechys sanguinea (Black and Scarlet Cicada)

    The body of this cicada is about 2.5 centimeters long. Its head and compound eyes are black, the forehead is orange-red, and its proboscis and feet are black. There are orange spots on both sides of the mid-chest and back. The stomach is orange and its wings are a semi-translucent gray-black color. The larvae do not go through a pupal stage, but rather emerge as adult insects. This species is found throughout Taiwan's low-altitude mountainous regions. Adults emerge during April and June.

  • Pomponia fusca
    Pomponia fusca

    This is a large cicada species. They have dark-green heads and brown bodies with green patterns. A yellow stripe runs down the center of the head and face. The cicada is three to five centimeters long and can be found around Yangmingshan from June to September. Their numbers are greatest from July to August. Their call is very noisy. In fact, the Pomponia fusca is the noisiest cicada in Taiwan.

Plants
  • Taiwan cherry
    Taiwan cherry

    Latin name: Prunus campanulata Maxim. Taiwan cherry is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae. It has oval-shaped leaves with serrated edges. The leaves have clear main dorsal veins. Filamentous stipules can be found near the petioles when leaves are young. Since the stipules fall off quickly, only obvious nectaries can be found on older leaves. The flowers are made up of long purplish red petals. 3 to 5 blossoms grow in bunches on the leaf scar. The cherry's fruits are also purplish red in color when ripe. Flowers bloom from late December until April.

  •  Japanese silvergrass
    Japanese silvergrass

    Latin name: Miscanthus floridulus (Labill.) Warb. ex Schum. & Laut. Colonies of Japanese silvergrass are scattered along the Yangtou Highway. This pioneering heliophyte has leaves from 90 to 120 centimeters long and two to three centimeters wide. It has hardy rhizomes and grows to about two to three meters tall. When in bloom, the Japanese silvergrass can reach 4 to 5 meters tall. The flowering season is from May to June. The flower spikes are white and can be used in floral arrangements or bundled into brooms. The leaf sheath and stem can be used to create silvergrass paper and in the building of roofs. The tender hearts on top are edible.

  • Bat's wing fern, Incised Histiopteris
    Bat's wing fern, Incised Histiopteris

    Latin name: Histiopteris incisa (Thunb.) J. Sm. The bat's wing fern is a perennial herb and grows on the edge of forests and sunny hillsides in the low to mid-altitude range. It has a long rhizome with brown scales. The petiole is thick, dark, and glossy. The leaves are part of the hypanthium, while the base pinnae form the stipe for support. The linear sori, protected by a film of indusium, appear along the leaf margin in continuous lines.