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Mt. Xinan and Shishan Xiu Lake: A Hike Surrounded by High Mountains and Alpine Lake

Posted by:  Anusha Lee
Published date: July 26, 2022
This trail is for you if you are looking for treacherous terrains, mysterious alpine lakes, and spectacular high mountain views. The trail to Mt. Xinan, Shishan, and Shishan Xiu Lake is near Tengjhih National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan, Kaohsiung. With an abrupt 1,000 meters of elevation gain, you will reach Mt. Xinan, overlooking Shishan Xiu Lake or Shishan Xiu Hu (aka Xinan Ghost Lake), and hike to Shishan (Mt. Shi) with Jade Mountain (Yushan) by your side.
Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Shishan Xiu Lake, aka Xinan Ghost Lake
This hike is also a part of the Central Mountain Range Section South 1 trail in southern Taiwan. Camping by Shishan Xiu Lake and witnessing the mist and clouds floating above the lake makes this hiking experience even better.

Table of Contents:

Trail Information

Trail Name: Mt. Xinan (Xinan Mountain), Mt. Shi (Shishan), Shishan Xiu Lake 溪南山, 石山, 石山秀湖
Distance: 34.5 km (21.5 miles)
Route type: Out and back
Days/Hours Needed: 2 to 3 days
Total Ascent/Descent: 2,491 m/2,300 m
Best Time to Go: All year-round, but it can be scorching hot and humid in summer.
Permits: Required. Click here to apply. I'll wrirte a detailed post about how to apply for permits for hiking in Taiwan soon.
Phone Reception: None by the lake or Mt. Shi and Mt. Xinan. You might find some on the sections overlapped with the Central Mountain Range South Section 1.
Water Resources: Some small ponds on Shishan Forest Road. If you camp by the lake, you can go further to draw fresh water near Xiu Lake.
Difficulty Level:
Peaks and Places to Reach:
  1. Mt. Xinan 溪南山, 2,650 meters (8,694 feet) above sea level. There is a Class 3 Triangulation Stone. The views are great. Hikers can overlook Shishan Xiu Lake and see Jade Mountain nearby.
  2. Mt. Shi or Shishan 石山, 2,813 meters (9,229 feet) above sea level.
  3. Shishan Xiu Lake 石山秀湖, 2,300 meters (7,546 feet) above sea level.
Gear to Bring and Other Things:
  1. Camping gear and meals for two or three days
  2. A 3L water bag and water filter or purification tablets. Or at least boil the water before drinking.
Overlooking at Shishan Xiu Lake from Xinan Mountain

Personal Enjoyment

Things I Enjoy:

  1. The view from Mt. Xinan overlooking Shishan Xiu Lake is spectacular. The floating clouds over the lake made the view even more gorgeous.
  2. I got to see many 100 Peaks on the way to the lake, Jade Mountain (Mt. Yu/Yushan, 3,952 meters), Mt. Guan 關山 (3,668 meters), Mt. Beidawu 北大武山 (3,092 meters), the southernmost 100 Peaks in Taiwan, and more.
  3. Sitting by Shishan Xiu Lake is such a surreal experience. I circled around the lake and sat quietly, watching the sunlight and clouds dancing.
Peaks we could see from Xinan Mountain

The Thing I Don't Enjoy:

Overcrowded if you go on the long weekends in Taiwan. Some hikers played loud music and didn't give a damn about LNT. Some even washed their greasy pots in the lake.
Tent city by Shishan Xiu Lake
Tent city on the west side of Shishan Xiu Lake

Map/GPX Data

Date of Hike: Group hike with LOHAS on February 26-28, 2022

Route map for Mt. Xinan, Shishan And Lake 溪南山, 石山, 石山秀湖 by Anusha Lee on plotaroute.com

Profile of the trail to Mt. Xinan, Shishan, and Shishan Xiu Lake
The elevation profile of this hike
Click Menu in the map to download, print, or share the map.
You can see more options after clicking the Play button.
Click timer to change the speed to meet your condition.

How to Get There

Hikers must drive or arrange a pickup to the trailhead at 18km of Tengjhih Forest Road. If you don't want to do the 9.2 km hike from the 18 km of Tengjhji Forest Road, you need to arrange another pickup to the trailhead of Central Mountain Range Section South 1. You can contact the local organization for this pickup.

Day 1 Itinerary: Wonderful Views from Mt. Xinan and Shishan Xiu Lake

Brief itinerary:
Day 1: Tengjhih Forest Road 18Km ➔ Tengjhih National Forest Recreation Area ➔ Chuyuan Mountain Checkpoint ➔ trailhead of Central Mountain Range Section South 1 ➔ junction to Mt. Xinan ➔ container shelter ➔Mt. Xinan ➔junction to Shishan Xiu Lake ➔ Shishan Xiu Lake and camped by the lake's west.
GPS coordinates of Central Mountain Range Section South 1: 23.084308, 120.789186.
This trail is the southmost hike I've ever done in Taiwan. You can visit Glenn's OutRecording for more trails in southern Taiwan.
We stayed at a B&B in the Jiaxian District of Kaohsiung City 高雄市甲仙區 for one night. I heard some hikers who did Central Mountain Range Section South 1 camped at the parking lot near the Medium Altitude Experimental Station of Endemic Species Research Institute 特有生物研究保育中心, 中海拔實驗站 (aka 特生中心) between 6 and 7 km on Shishan Forest Road. The parking lot has a canopy over it.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
The Medium Altitude Experimental Station of Endemic Species Research Institute near the trailhead

Extra 9.2 km Walk but The Views Worth It

06:15 We left the B B and headed to Tengjhih Forest Road. The sun and woods along the road were beautiful.
07:15 We arrived at the 18 km mark of Tengjhih Forest Road, which is also the pickup location of the Liuguei Tourist Association.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
07:28 After getting ready, we started our hike.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Some sections of Tengjhih Forest Road were still under construction.
07:37 Reached the trailhead of Tengjhih Forest Trail. The length of this trail is only 1,050 meters, and it was built after Typhoon Morakot, one of the deadliest typhoons in Taiwan. We hadn't reached our trail yet.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Tengjhih Forest Trail is a short one, but the forest is beautiful.

The Reward of Not Taking the Shortcut: Distinguish Mt. Shi and Mt. Xinan.

08:02 Reached Tengjhih National Forest Recreation Area 藤枝國家森林遊樂區.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Our guide, Rose, took photos here.
We started seeing many hikers taking the pickup trucks and going to the actual trailhead. As you can see, those trucks aren't for taking humans. We also thought it might be difficult to find camping spots by the lake later.
Pickup to the and from the trailhead
I was jealous that they could escape the extra 9.2km hike.
The distance from the 18km mark of Tengjhih Forest Road to the actual trailhead is 9.2 km, but the views along the way weren't boring at all. Look at this valley and the layers of mountains.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Our reward for taking the extra kilometers
We saw a prominent square peak on the ridge from Shishan Forest Road. The peak next to Mt. Shi was also visible.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Mt. Shi is next to the square mountain peak. Mt. Xinan is on the left.
You can see why Mt. Shi is nicknamed the Dabajian (3,505 meters) of the south 南部的大霸尖山.
When writing this post, I just returned from my hike to Mt. Dabajian for the second time. You can see the resemblance between them.
dabajian-mountain
The square peak is Mt. Dabajian.
08:26 We passed Chuyuan Mountain Checkpoint 出雲山管制站 and walked on Shishan Forest Road now.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung

The Actual Trailhead with A Steep Ascending

10:07 After 3 hours, we finally reached the actual trailhead. This spot is also the trailhead for hikers who want to do Central Mountain Range Section South 1. Next, we passed Endemic Species Research Institute.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Trailhead of the Central Mountain Range Section South 1
If you take the pickup, this is the place where the drivers drop you off.
Pickup to the and from the trailhead
We took a short break and adjusted our backpacks. Then, here came the fun part, steep ascending. An elevation gain of 1,000 meters to Mt. Xinan was waiting for us.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
11:23 We reached the so-called big Taiwan Cypress table, which is the fallen huge trunk on the trail. The discarded mask underneath the trunk looked annoying, so I decided to pick it up and put it in my trash bag.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
The so-called big Taiwan Cypress table. I took the discarded mask in my trash bag.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Many beautiful trees on the way up
12:10 We took a 40-minute lunch break.
13:00 We passed the junction and took the left one to Mt. Xinan.
13:22 We passed the container shelter (2,326 meters). This shelter was the observation spot of the Endemic Species Research Institute. Now, it's turned into an important stop for the Central Mountain Range Section South 1. There is a water tank near the shelter.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
I didn't get inside to look. Some hikers will stay there overnight. According to my hiking friend, Glenn from OutRecording, it smelled terrible.
14:16 I saw the yellow mark CM600, 426/449 on the tree. You'll see many of them if you do the section south 1.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung

Spectacular Views from Mt. Xinan

14:53 We finally reached Mt. Xinan, 2,650 meters. When we got there, it was cloudy, and I didn't see anything. Then, suddenly, the clouds were blown away by the wind, and I saw a lake. Our guide, Xiao Tsai, told us that it was Shishan Xiu Lake, and we all took photos of the view again.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
On the other side, I saw Mt. Guan 關山 3,668 meters, Mt. Yu (Jade Mountain) 玉山 3,952 meters, and Mt. Dasuiku 大水窟山 3,642 meters and more.
Peaks we could see from Xinan Mountain
Peaks we could see from Xinan Mountain
Jade Mountain and other peaks
From Mt. Xinan, we could see many tents on the west side of the lake.
15:17 We headed to Shishan Xiu Lake. From here, it was mostly descending.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
15:54 We reached a junction and took a left.
16:00 We arrived at the campsite. It wasn't a surprise that those spots on the west side of the lake were occupied. Lucky for us, we still could find places to pitch our tents.
Tent city by Shishan Xiu Lake
See how packed on the west side of Shishan Xiu Lake

The Risk of Hiring Porters to Carry Your Essentials

Hiking with a big group of people is common in Taiwan. It is also common for big hiking groups to hire porters to carry meals, sleeping systems, and stoves for them.
Tent city by Shishan Xiu Lake
Many hikers rely on porters to carry their camping gear and food.
Unfortunately, things can also go wrong with porters. Not long after we pitched our tents and waited for our dinner to be ready, a group of older hikers arrived next to our tents. They were standing there and discussing things.
Later, they told me their guides hired three porters, but only two showed up. All the loading ended up with those two porters. As a result, they were slow and couldn't get to the lake on time. If you want your porters to hike with you, you must pay extra.
Without food, stoves, and tents, those hikers could only wait. Finally, their porters arrived when we were ready to sleep near 9 pm.
Guides cooking dinner
We could cook our dinner after arriving at the campsite because we carried everything we needed by ourselves.
I saw four hikers struggling with pitching up their tent, and I figured I wouldn't be able to sleep with their loud noise. So I got out of my tent and asked our guides for help. Within 10 minutes, their tent was appropriately pitched, and I could sleep.
I didn't mean hiring porters is wrong. What's wrong is we can't leave the essentials in other people's hands. Having said that, I made the same mistake on my second visit to Mt. Dabajian.
Guides cooking dinner
It's satisfying to see the fluffy rice after a long day hike.

Day 2 Itinerary: Mt. Shi Accompanied by Yushan Mountain Range

Brief itinerary:
Day 2: Back to the junction and took the forest road. Took a left ➔ Mt. Shi ➔ took the same trail back ➔ junction to the meteor crater ➔ back to the campsite by the lake.
Our guides told us we would have breakfast at 5 am. I woke up after 3 am and went out to look for the starry sky. I don't have a DSLR camera (I don't plan to buy one, either). I used my iPhone 13 Pro to shoot those photos. I'm satisfied with the results.
Starry sky at Shishan Xiu Lake in Kaohsiung
After breakfast, we took photos by the lake. On Day 2, we went to Mt. Shi and returned to the lake later. So, we only needed to carry the essentials like food, water, rain gear, etc.
07:11 We took the same way back to the junction and then took the opposite direction from yesterday's hike.
From here, we were on Shishan Forest Road. The trail was flat and easy to hike.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
We passed a junction and a campsite, but I forgot to record the time. There was a sign saying that Mt. Xinan was one of the ten famous mountains in Kaohsiung County before Kaohsiung County merged with Kaohsiung City.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
I took those photos on the way back.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
A campsite near the sign. There were some small ponds in the woods.
07:44 We reached an opening of the trees and saw the lake, Mt. Xinan, Jade Mountain, and other 100 Peaks.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Mt. Xinan and Shishan Xiu Lake from Shishan Forest Road
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Mt. Jade in the distance from Shishan Forest Road
While on the way to Mt. Xinan, I saw Mt. Beidawu (3,092 meters) and Mt. Damumu or DaMuMuShan 大母母山 (2,423 meters) again. I hope I can hike those mountains someday.
Peaks we could see from Xinan Mountain
The peak on the left is Mt. Beidawu, and the one on the right is Mt. Damumu.

The Spectacular Yushan Mountain Range from Mt. Shi

09:12 We arrived at Mt. Shi, but we were queueing on the small ridge for at least 10 minutes to take the peak photos.
Peak photos at Shishan
Queueing for peak photos at Shishan
People mountain, people sea.
I could see Alishan's Mt. Shi from Kaohsiung's Mt. Shi.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Looking at Shishan (Alishan's) from Shishan (Kaohsiung's)
09:51 We retreated from the ridge after we were done with the photos. We waited near the old fire lookout for our hiking mates to finish.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
10:36 On the way back to the lake. I met several hikers going to South Section 1 who are hiking guides from LOHAS. One said it's easier to run into each other on the trails than in the cities. He wasn't wrong.
Ran into a hiking guide on the way to Shishan
We ran into one of the guides of LOHAS. He was doing the Central Mountain South Section 1, and he has done this one twice.

Visited the So-called Meteor Crater

10:47 We returned to the junction of the meteor crater. Rose, one of our guides, was waiting at the junction to ensure we went in the right direction.
Our guides from Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike
Rose waited at the junction to help us get to the crater.
Within two minutes, we reached the vast crater. Honestly, I can't find any information officially proving this meteor crater is real, but it's become the name to call this place among hikers.
We had a one-hour lunch break here and took photos. This place was huge.
Group photos from Shishan and Shishan Xiu Lake hike
Group photos at the crater
11:46 We headed back to the lake.
12:07 We passed the campsite and several signs. One of them said the distance from here to Mt. Xinan is 1.4 km, and it takes 50 minutes.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
12:08 Returned to our tents.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
My MSR mesh tent and tarp

Explore Shishan Xiu Lake

After getting back to the campsite, we didn't have any hike to do on Day 2. So instead, it was time to explore the lake.
Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
I started from the south side of the lake, which is my left side when facing the lake. It's evident that not many people come here because I had to squeeze myself into the branches to make my own way.
Circle the Shishan Xiu Lake in Kaohsiung
There was no trail on the south side of the lake. So, I had to squeeze myself into small spaces among trees.
But the trees lying in the lake were beautiful. I tried to take my own photos with my new iPhone 13 on the tripod, and I almost kicked my phone into the water.
Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Several banks looked like small beaches. Some hikers camped there to avoid the crowd and noise. I wish I could camp there, too.
Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Soon, I reached the east side of the lake. After arriving here, I told myself we should have camped here. It was much quieter here, and taking extra walks was worth it.
I spent a lot of time filming on the east side. Our hiking mates arrived here from the north.
Then I realized there was a trail on the north side of the lake, and it was much easier to walk there. Well, at least it was easier for me to return.
Circle the Shishan Xiu Lake in Kaohsiung
It's much easier to circle the lake from the north side.
It took me around 2 hours to circle the lake, including taking photos and sitting by the lake.
Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
There were several small ponds next to Shishan Xiu Lake.

Day 3 Itinerary: Mt. Beidawu by Our Side

Brief itinerary:
Day 3: Left the lake ➔ junction and a campsite. Took a left. ➔ back to the junction to Mt. Xinan ➔ trailhead of Central Mountain Range Section South 1 ➔ the ride to Tengjhih Forest Road 18 km.
On our last day at Shishan Xiu Lake, we got up around 5 am. My sleeping pill wore off around 3 am, so I got up to enjoy the starry night again. It was quiet, as it was supposed to be.
I heard snoring while passing by tents on the way to the lake. It's good for us to enjoy nature, but we, or mother nature, can't shake off the side effects we bring.
Starry sky at Shishan Xiu Lake in Kaohsiung
Around 4 am, my hiking mates gradually got up. Finally, it was time for me to pack my tent and gear. At 5 am, when we gathered for breakfast, our guides were amazed by how fast we were.
After breakfast, we took group photos as usual. Then, gazing at this mysterious lake one more time, I bid the lake a slight farewell, hoping to return.
Group photos from Shishan and Shishan Xiu Lake hike
06:18 We left the lake.
06:59 Reached Shishan Forest Road. We enjoyed a relatively flat and even terrain for about 20 minutes.
We didn't take the exact same trail back. So, we didn't pass the campsite. Instead, we made a small loop to connect to the junction leading us to Mt. Xinan on Day 1.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
07:20 We reached a steep slope and ascended again. The morning sun seeped into the slender Japanese Cedar trees casting a warm glow in the woods and my fellow hiking mates.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
From time to time, the views of those spectacular mountains in southern Taiwan were displayed by our side, and it was difficult to ignore them.
Looking at Beidawu Mountain
Looking at Mt. Beidawu and Mt. Damumu
07:54 We reached the junction and took the left one.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
08:13 Another junction.
08:44 We took a long break and waited for our hiking mates to catch up. We also took this chance to finish the trail snacks.
Our guides from Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike
Our guide Xiao Tsai
10:02 We arrived at the trailhead. This time, our guide, Xiao Tsai, decided to save us another 9.2 km hike. So, we happily hopped on the truck that was supposed to transport vegetables and returned to Taipei earlier. Each of us paid an extra NT$200 for the ride.
Pickup to the and from the trailhead
Our third guide, Mingshu, was the one with a red headband.
Our guides from Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike
Rose, Mingshu, me, and Xiao Tsai at the parking lot of Endemic Species Research Institute

Last but Not Least: Wildflowers

Amazingly, I saw two types of violas on this hike. Their leaves are different.
Viola hypoleuca Hayata 川上氏菫菜 on the trail to Mt. Xinan
Viola hypoleuca Hayata 川上氏菫菜
Viola formosana Hayata 台灣菫菜 on the trail to Mt. Xinan
Viola formosana Hayata 台灣菫菜
Indian Pipes 水晶蘭 on the trail to Mt. Xinan
Indian Pipes 水晶蘭
Wildflowers and mushrooms on the trail to Mt. Xinan
I also found some tiny mushrooms. Still have no idea what they are.
For more wildflowers I saw on the trails, please check out my Flowers on the Trails page.

About Mt. Xinan, Mt. Shi, and Shishan Xiu Lake

This trail is in Taoyuan District, Kaohsiung City 高雄市桃源區, in southern Taiwan.

Mt. Xinan or Xinanshan 溪南山

Before Kaohsiung County merged with Kaohsiung City on December 25, 2010, the county government held a ballot to let people select the 10 most famous mountains in Kaohsiung.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Looking at Mt. Xinan on the way to Shishan
The first one on the list was Mt. Yu (Yushan or Jade Mountain, 3,952 meters), the highest mountain in Taiwan. Mt. Guan or Guanshan we saw from Mt. Shi or Shishan is listed.
Then, Mt. Xinan, 2,650 meters above sea level. It used to take only one day for tourists to access Mt. Xinan years ago. After Shishan Forest Road collapsed, Mt. Xinan and Shishan Xiu Lake became remote until the hiking community built another trail.
Mt. Xinan is also one of the peaks (not listed as 100 Peaks) hikers will visit when they do the Central Mountain Range South Section 1. This is because Mt. Xinan belongs to one of the sub-mountain ranges of the Central Mountain Range.
The trail to Mt. Xinan is steep. There will be at least 1,000 meters of elevation gain in about a 4 km hike.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Steep ascending to Mt. Xinan

Mt. Shi or Shishan 石山 in Kaohsiung

There are two Mt. Shi or Shishan in Taiwan, one in Alishan, Chiayi, and the other in Kaohsiung. You can see Alisha's Shishan (2,682 meters above sea level) from Kaohsiung's 2,813 meters.
Peak photos at Shishan
This little boy has done many hikes with me, and he's the youngest hiking mate I've ever had. He took photos at Shishan.
I haven't been to Alisha's Shishan, but according to the hikers' report, you can see Shishan and Mt. Xinan from there, too.
If you take Shishan Forest Road, you'll see a protruding square peak on the ridge. Shishan is right next to this square peak. Many hikers dub this peak Kaohsiung's Dabajian Mountain.
shishan-36-Shishan 2
Hikers who do the Central Mountain Range South Section 1 will also visit Shishan.

Shishan Xiu Hu or Shishan Xiu Lake 石山秀湖

Shishan Xiu Lake is also called Xinan Gui Lake, aka Xinan Ghost Lake 溪南鬼湖. There are three alpine lakes in Taiwan with 'ghost' names:
  1. Dagui Lake, aka the Great Ghost Lake 大鬼湖 on the border of Maolin District, Kaohsiung City 高雄茂林區, and Yangping Township, Taitung County 台東縣延平鄉.
  2. Xiaogui Lake, the Little Ghost Lake 小鬼湖 on the border of Wutai Township, Pingtung County 屏東縣霧臺鄉 and Beinan Township, Taitung County 台東縣卑南鄉.
  3. Shishan Xiu Lake is also called Xinan Gui Lake, aka Xinan Ghost Lake 溪南鬼湖 in the Taoyuan District of Kaohsiung City.
Tent city by Shishan Xiu Lake
LOHAS did an 8-day hike to visit the Great Ghost Lake and the Little Ghost Lake in 2020, and this is a challenging hike even for seasoned hikers in Taiwan. You can check out LOHAS' itinerary for details.
Lucky for us, Shishan Xiu Lake or Xinan Ghost Lake is manageable for us. The most extended length of Shishan Xiu Lake is 200 meters, and the widest part is close to 100 meters. This lake looks like an emerald from the peak of Mt. Xinan.
Xinan Mountain, Shishan, Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
Most hikers camp on the west side of Shishan Xiu Lake. If you don't mind walking extra meters to avoid the crowds, you can camp on the east side during popular weekends.
Shishan Xiu Lake 3-day hike in Kaohsiung
We drew the water from the lake, but you can go further to draw fresh water from the river. The GPS coordinates are 23.090223 120.816745.
This hike to Mt. Xinan, Shishan, and Shishan Xiu Lake is an excellent match for those who seek hiking experience and great views in one go. If you get a chance to visit Kaohsiung and are looking for multiday hikes, you can put this one on your list.

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Posts in Chinese Only

Hiking Biji 健行筆記: Mt. Xinan and Shishan Xiu Lake trail 溪南山, 石山秀湖登山步道
Melissa: Shishan Xiu Lake 石山秀湖三天兩夜
Brother Hui's Sky 輝哥的天空: Shishan 石山
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