Yinhe Cave Hiking Trail: Easy and Picturesque Hike near Xindian

Yinhe Cave Hiking Trail is a fairly easy hike with a spectacular view of a temple built right into a cliff face, next to a waterfall. Also known as the Silver Stream Cave in English, it’s located in Xindian district. The trail connects to Maokong Gondola after 2km, which takes only a few hours to walk. While it is accessible from both ends, we enjoyed starting in Xindian because the beginning was the toughest part (lots of stairs) with the most rewarding view.

To get to the trailhead, take the green line all the way to its southernmost endpoint, Xindian. The easiest way from there is to jump in a taxi and show this address to the driver: 銀河洞越嶺步道. The ride costs about $150-200. There are also buses (such as the GR12)  that depart from Xindian Station and stop quite close to the trailhead, but a walk would be necessary to get to the road that leads to the trailhead. Again, we recommend taking a taxi. It’s a good idea to stock up on water/food before you leave the station since that’s the last 7-Eleven you’ll encounter.

The driver should drop you off near Yun Yang Temple, along a one-way street that you can walk up to access the trail. Check our map at the bottom of this post to see exact locations. The first section is very easy to navigate: just follow the main road. There’s not much to see along the way other than views of the mountain and farmland, although there is a cool abandoned house that you can walk up to and explore. After five or ten minutes of walking, you will come to this rest area (pictured above) where the trail starts. You can get food, water, and access to bathrooms here.

The trailhead is clearly marked — just follow the sign!

As with most Taiwanese hikes, the trail starts with stairs. Lots of stairs. They’re quite steep and slippery when wet — shoes with a good grip are strongly recommended so you don’t slip, trip, and take out every Taiwanese family on your way down.

The first part of the hike is only stairs, which make it the hardest part. Take your time and stop to check out the pretty scenery.

Eventually, you will come to a clearing where you can look up at the main attraction of the hike: a temple built into a cliff, next to a cute waterfall. Founded in 1914 and refurbished in 1958, this temple was allegedly once a hideout for someone who led a rebellion against the Japanese during their colonial rule. Read more about that and the temple here. Whatever its historical significance, the temple is undeniably stunning, and we would argue it should be on everyone’s list of must-see Taipei attractions.

As you can imagine, a sight this beautiful is very photogenic, and there are an abundance of great photo opportunities to be had. But of course everyone has the same idea and plenty come for the sole purpose of posing for a photoshoot, so lines for photos can be quite long during peak times. Check out the lines for one of the photo-taking spots below.

Still, it’s worth waiting to take beautiful photos like this. If you want the perfect shot of yourself gazing into the waterfall, it’s best to bring a friend along to capture angles from the staircase or window — there were solo hikers taking photos too, but they had to ask around for someone willing to take a photo of them. And while everyone waiting in line was very helpful, not all photographers possess the level of skill you require for that perfect shot. You’ve been warned.

The cool part is that the stairs actually pass behind the waterfall! You can continue climbing for a couple more photo spots until the path hits a dead end. Lots of hikers turn back at this stage, having got what they came for — but it’s possible to continue hiking all the way to Maokong.

To do so, head back down the stairs to the clearing and take the path that branches out to your right. You’ll see bathrooms and a small pond for dogs to drink from.

There are several more sets of stairs to climb, but this section of the hike is quite easy for the most part — especially compared to the relentless stair-climbing before the temple. The views are not as rewarding along this section of the trail, as the path winds through a forest and farmland, but they’re pretty and enjoyable nonetheless.

When the path forks into two, make sure to follow the signs for Maokong Gondola Station — the path will continue straight ahead.

The path will eventually bring you very close to the top of Maokong Gondola Station. Directions are clearly marked, so just follow the signs and you will find the station very easily. You can choose to ride the gondola (the cable car) down to the brown line for $180 (this includes a $30 deposit) or take a bus down the windy mountain roads. The gondola can be quite impressive on a nice day, but if you’re not in the mood to spend $180 then the bus is a perfectly reasonable option… if you don’t mind being thrown about each time the driver swerves around a curve.

All in all, we absolutely loved this hike. It was easy (for the most part, stairs excluded), accessible, and had great views. We also finished it in a couple of hours, which was a relief — we’d been concerned we wouldn’t finish before dark since we didn’t start until mid-afternoon.

If possible, we recommend going on a day that’s not too cloudy, since there are mountain views at the temple and a pretty view of Taipei 101 from Maokong Gondola. For this same reason (and for your own safety), we suggest you aim to arrive at Maokong before sunset, so you still have enough light for photos. Also note that the stairs can be slippery after rain, so do bring appropriate shoes and make use of the handrails.

What’s the vibe?

Relatively easy (those stairs, though) hike with stunning views of a cliffside temple and waterfall. The section of the hike near the temple is by far the busiest, and you should expect to wait to take photos during peak times.

Worth it?

It’s SO worth it. Just like Elephant Mountain, climbing the stairs can be a real pain, but the view is completely worth the effort. If you’re not in the mood for a big hike, just climb the stairs to the temple and turn back once you’ve seen it.

Would you go back?

Absolutely. Not only is it a nice hike with great photo opportunities, but it’s an awesome place to take visitors.