頂湖自然生態區(Dinghu Trail),In addition to the dense bamboo sea and straight cedar trees, there are also tall and magnificent ox-camphor trees. There are also a number of pavilions in the forest trail for resting, and in spring there are even cherry blossoms to decorate the green woodland. The Guanyin Stone, Titanic Stone, and Air Defense Shelter are also very special boulder landscapes, which make this a light travel attraction suitable for the whole family!

Table of Contents

Guanyin Stone(觀音石)

The parking lot in the park can be found by driving to the inner most part of the park after passing through the plaza. There are quite a few parking spaces in the parking lot, so don’t park on the side of the road randomly ~ and the Guanyin stone is right next to the parking lot, the Top Lake Trail is a circular trail, and you can see the Guanyin stone by walking clockwise.

Next to the Guanyin Stone, there is a small forest of four-sided bamboos with square trunks, and there are also such bamboos around the Fenqihu Railway Station, which are not very tall but can grow very densely.

Mountain Cherry Blossom counts Taiwan’s earliest blooming cherry blossom species, take these photos of the time point is in December, there are already a few mountain cherry blossoms open, basically mountain cherry blossom flowering period in January, walk through the bamboo forest back to the asphalt road can see these cherry blossoms.

There was only a short stretch of asphalt road before we entered the forest trail made up of cedar trees! This time, I went with my two best friends, and the three of us walked along the gently sloping trail, relaxing with the tall plants around us.

牛樟巨木

We passed through the cedar forest, and came to the Oxbridge Giant Tree, the sunlight was hitting the tree and the platform at the moment, it was just right for me to take photos of my friends interacting with each other under the light and shadows, the photos taken here were my favorite ones in this trip!

It looks good in a vertical shot, too.

After passing the Oxbridge Giant Tree, there was still a whole piece of cedar woodland, we walked under the towering forest and appeared to be quite small, I basically walked at the end to help them take pictures of their backs, on the one hand, I also want to integrate the characters into the picture ~ just occasionally have to call out to them, or else they will chat until they forget about me and keep on walking…

In addition to the tall upright cedars, the low plants are also fascinating in light and shadow!

The entire route is almost level, and the trails are mostly well-maintained.

The tree has fallen, but the parasitic plants on it continue to grow, and that’s what I like about the forest floor, there are still vibrant plants growing on the trees that have disappeared!

There is only one route here, just follow the trail all the way to Dinghu Plaza, I told my two friends to walk slower at the beginning! The trail is really short, about 2 kilometers, and it’s almost gentle…. I was not paying attention and soon finished the trail. It was a rare occasion for us to go to the mountains together, so it was better to walk slowly and enjoy the nature.

There are a few observation decks on the Top Lake Trail, and the view is of a whole tea plantation, which is basically surrounded by a circular trail.

Small brownish-orange butterfly.

頂湖廣場

When we walked to the plaza, we were almost halfway through the trail. There were ginkgo trees planted around the tea plantation, and the road beside the tea plantation was the way to the parking lot, which is also the main road in the park. There were some stalls selling Wild Love Jade on the roadside, and we bought a cup of each on our way back to the park to have a drink! The texture of the Wild Love Jade is a little bit more bouncy!

After the plaza, we continued on the circular walkway, which was slightly downhill and easier to walk, which meant that we had to climb a little bit on the way back, but the walkway was short enough, so I hoped that we could have a little bit more exercise.

There is only one small wooden bridge, maybe there is a small stream running through it? I didn’t see or hear any water, just a bunch of plants covering the left and right side, and after passing through this small bridge, I will reach the place where the Dragon Ball Stone is located.

Dragon Pearl(龍珠石)

There is a small pavilion opposite the Dragon Pearl Stone, with a small piece of sky above it to let in the sunlight. The bright green bamboo leaves together with the tall cedar trees are really beautiful, and it’s worth it to see such a combination once! Outside the pavilion, there are also outdoor tables and chairs, so it’s really suitable for the whole family to come for a walk.

The Dragon Pearl Stone opposite the pavilion is surrounded by a bamboo forest, with the big stone in the center. There is a small walkway around the boulder, so please take your time or you’ll be done just as quickly.

At the edge of the trail, there are rows of bamboo joints, and the instructions at the entrance state that running your hand across the bamboo will bring you different luck (clockwise vs. anti-clockwise), and whether or not it brings you good luck, the sound of bamboo tapping is really healing!

Keep going, it starts to be slightly uphill after leaving the Dragon Ball Rock.

We came across a big tea plantation before reaching the next attraction, so my friend and I took a stroll outside of the tea plantation, just to spend more time here and enjoy the nature. Another reason is, after walking in the forest for a long time, there is a big sky here.

My impression of Alishan is that there are a lot of birds, but on this day, I met very few…. I only saw a few golden doves in this tea plantation.

Back to the main trail for a last look at the tea plantation.

鐵達尼石

Small gentle ramp before Titanic Rock.

After a small piece of bamboo forest can be reached, the top lake trail basically consists of bamboo forest and cedar forest two kinds of forest phase, in my impression, the bamboo forest will be full of mosquitoes, even in the altitude of more than 1,600 here is also possible, perhaps the day is the cold front, it ~ is not subject to the interference of mosquitoes!

Titanic Stone is also located in the bamboo forest, coincidentally, the aforementioned Dragon Pearl Stone and Guanyin Stone are also next to the bamboo forest, but honestly, I can’t see the connection between the shapes and names of these three boulders – this slanting boulder looks a bit like a Shen Ship (maybe I don’t have enough imagination).

To pass through the Titanic Stone, it is necessary to cross this rock crevice, which is large enough not to be oppressive.

峭壁雄峰

We soon reached the craggy peak, a rock wall that we couldn’t see the connection between the name and the wall – the view really didn’t attract my attention compared to the previous one, and we left without stopping, partly because it was noon, and we were all a little hungry!

air-raid shelter(防空洞)

On the way back, there is another bomb shelter, which is a natural formation and quite special. It is just a little bit away from the parking lot, so if you go clockwise at the beginning, you can reach it very quickly.

The broken logs and boulders on the side of the road across the trail are a novelty to me! I wanted to try more angles for more compositions, but the two people in front of me kept walking… They’re probably starving.

The last small downhill, 2 kilometers of the Top Lake Trail is really light and can be considered as a walk! However, at an altitude of 1600, it should be cool even in summer (under the shade of the trees), and with ten laps of the 200 meter National Elementary School stadium, walking slowly is the best choice.