A few weeks ago, we stumbled onto a street full of mountain bike shops, suggesting that some trails might be nearby. We recently climbed the mountain to check it out – here is the track of our hike:
We’ve entered a season of rainy weather, so much of our hike was with an umbrella. We went along the road for a while, then climbed past some tombs and up a section of steep (and slippery) single track:
The trails at the top of the mountain look like a lot of fun (of course, I’m a former mountain biker):
The area provides nice views of the city and the nearby cliffs at Western Hills:
Along with native eucalyptus trees, there were raspberry blossoms and pitcher plants:
As we crossed a road, there was a convenient spring to re-fill your water bottle (if you trust it!):
We opted to return via steep stairs that disappeared into the valley:
Like most Chinese parks, this area is adjacent to a large temple complex (BaoZhu):
The small road from the temple descends into an old village, overshadowed by new construction of the encroaching city:
We hope to return here again, an unusually peaceful place within a stone’s throw of a city of 8 million people.
There’s no such thing as a former mountain biker – inactive, perhaps but not former.
…and going down those stairs would be fun on a mountain bike, too!
Eric, the credibility of your first comment was compromised by the content of your second one. But what should I expect from someone who has logged almost 10,000 miles over the past 18 months…
I wanna see another “photobomb” dad picture 😉 in every blog!! haha!
I agree with Laurie.
Those look like really nice trails, though… did you actually see anybody riding a mountain bike on them? However, as awesome as the trails would be, I think my favorite part of the ride would be in the last picture.
They do look fun — wonder how hard it is to make trails on public land here… ironically, probably requires a lot less paperwork / permits than doing the same thing in the US.