Canguangliao Historic Trail – Appreciating silver grass. Searching for gold. Indulging in the flavors of fall and all splendid sceneries.

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Canguangliao Historic Trail – Appreciating silver grass. Searching for gold. Indulging in the flavors of fall and all splendid sceneries.
Category :
Hiking Trails
Travel days :
1 day

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      Introduction

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      Rumor has it that the name “Canguangliao” (“canguang” means shining light in Chinese) comes from the scenery when mountains, full of yellowish and white silver grass in fall, give spectacular light rays formed under the sun beams, making Canguangliao Historic Trail a “golden shining” scenic route! From Mudan Train station, take a bus to Shisanceng Old Tree Stop and walk for 10 minutes, and you will arrive at “Canguangliao Historic Trail Entrance”. Along the Trail, visitors will pass by the historic site of Jinguashi Water Pumping Station, small waterfalls, historic site of old grocery store, Jinshan Fude Temple, and more, and they will ultimately arrive at Shumeiping Observation Deck. The total distance is nearly 5km with a walking time of approximately 3 hours; the level portions of the Trail are constructed with stairs of relatively lower difficulty level for walking. Moreover, Canguangliao Mountain is the highest amongst Keelung Volcano Group, so visitors can even look over to Taipei City and Northeast Coast when there is nice weather with an expansive view. After exiting the Trail, follow County Route 102 to Jinguashi Geological Park, where was previously Benshan Mine. Visitors here will have the opportunity to observe traces of the most original mining sights. Then continue traveling to the nearby Jinguashi Shinto Shrine, which was built during the period of Japanese rule in response to the mining development. Even though it is all abandoned now, visitors can still have a glimpse of the sacred and solemn ambiance from the remains of the historic site. If you are interested in having more in-depth experiences of Jinguashi’s golden age, you can continue walking down to the Gold Museum, which is a museum campus transformed from the gold mining areas in the old days. Activities here will include learning about the mining history, the gold culture, and experiencing gold panning; spending a whole afternoon here will be no problem at all. At the end of the journey, visitors will connect to Jiufen Old Street, where they are recommended to order a bowl of cold or hot taro balls or to find a tea place and enjoy a cup of good tea, taking some time to savor this “golden” journey as they take a rest.

      Note

      【Return-Take a bus】
      Take Bus Route 965 from Daitian Temple (Tianpantang) Stop and get off at Ruifang Train Station. Transfer via Taiwan Railways for your return journey.
      Next
      Taking a stroll to appreciate the scenery in Shimen
      Shimen is surrounded by mountains and is next to the sea with beautiful natural environment. Baisha Bay, a natural ocean spot located between Fuguijiao Lighthouse and Linshanbi Cape, with a shallow and clear shore, randomly distributed sand dunes on the beach and clear sea water like a mirror is called "Taiwan Kamakura," Having the capacity of thousands of people swimming in the area makes the place packed with "tourists" during hot summer days, making for a lively hustle and bustle beach! Down the way, the popular tourist's attraction, Shimen Wedding Plaza, where quite many newlyweds come to shoot wedding photos has a great natural landscape. Next, walk on the Fuguijiao Trail to take a stroll along the coast and when looking upward, it's easy to see Taiwan's northernmost Fuguijia Lighthouse, really famous, for it's being a sailing compass point. Besides, the ocean tide eroded stone gate, which is nicknamed as the "Shimen Cave” is seen in the distance, opposite the lighthouse. Going to the east along the coast, the unique Laomei Reef will come into view. The most famous landscape to visit is the reef during April and May. The reef that is full of green algae creates a stunning green reef landscape with an emerald tone. About 800 thousand years ago, when Mt. Zhuzi erupted, lava that was spewed out landed everywhere. The cooled magma formed a special valley terrain in the Shimen region. The lava that gushed out rushed to the seashore near Laomei and thus formed a special terrain and landscape along the Laomei coast. Lastly, be sure to have a seafood feast as a perfect ending of the trip. Fresh seafood is available at the Fuji Fishing Port where visitors can choose one restaurant on the seafood street to satisfy their palates.
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