Hotels near Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan) Hiking Trail

The climb up Elephant Mountain is 20 minutes of steep stone steps and it produces the postcard view of Taipei 101 rising out of the city grid. Roughly 600 steps separate the trailhead from the first viewing platform at 183 metres. A little further on, the Six Giant Rocks give you flat boulders to sit on with the tower directly ahead, which is why photographers claim them early.

The path is paved and lit, so coming down after dark is straightforward, but it is genuinely sweaty work from May to September. Bring water: there is a vending machine at the base and nothing above it. Carrying on past the platform links into the Four Beasts Mountain trails towards Nangang, which adds two hours if you want a proper hike instead of a viewpoint.

Pro Tip: Start climbing 75 minutes before sunset. From one spot you get the skyline in daylight, the blue hour, and the tower's night lighting, and you beat the tripod crowd that turns up at dusk to fight over the Six Giant Rocks.