Urban City Hikes

By Michelle Kwan | Intern, Mind HK and Medical Student, HKU

Long commute times are a common turn off. However, Hong Kong’s hilly terrain offers many short hikes that are just around the corner!

Checkerboard Hill

Checkerboard Hill was located near Runway 13 at Hong Kong’s former Kai Tak Airport, which had white and red checkerboard patterns painted to navigate aircrafts. The checkerboard pattern can no longer be found nowadays, but this unique name remains. Located in Lok Fu, Checkerboard Hill is 98m tall and requires less than an hour to reach the peak. Get off at Lok Fu MTR station and head to Lok Fu Park. After walking up a slight slope and climbing some steps, you will reach the Lok Fu Service Reservoir Rest Garden. The Rest Garden offers a large area, which is a great spot for picnic! Although Checkerboard Hill may not offer the best city view of Hong Kong, its accessibility certainly makes it a prime location to enjoy a quiet afternoon!

Check out this hike:

Hong Kong — Checkerboard Hill, Ghosts of the Past, Lok Fu Park https://asiajottings.wordpress.com/2018/06/03/hong-kong-checkerboard-hill-ghosts-of-the-past-lok-fu-park/

Garden Hill

Garden Hill is renowned for its amazing sunset and night city view of Hong Kong. This trail only takes 15 minutes to reach the peak from Sham Shui Po MTR station. Situated behind the headquarter of the Garden Company, this is where the name “Garden Hill” originated from. After five minutes of walking from exit D2 of Sham Shui Po MTR station, you will reach one of the Grade II Historic buildings in Hong Kong, Mei Ho house. This will lead you to flights of stairs that bring you to the peak of Garden Hill. The accessibility and the breathtaking views of Garden Hill attracts many locals and photographers to visit the hill before sunset. Remember to bring a torch if you are heading to Garden Hill for it’s stunning twilight!

Check out these hikes:

1. Short urban walk to Garden Hill in Sham Shui Po. The night photographers’ hangout

http://www.hongkonghikes.com/2016/09/short-urban-walk-to-garden-hill-in-sham.html

1. Garden Hill https://www.gethigh-hk.com/post/garden-hill

Ping Shan

Ping Shan is located in Kowloon East in Kwun Tong District. Many people are not aware of Ping Shan, as it is not marked in many of the maps. However, its low profile should never be the reason for one to undermine its beauty. It takes around 30 minutes to reach the peak from Kowloon Bay MTR station or bus stop near Kai Yip Estate. You have to climb a long staircase to reach the peak of the 189-meter tall Ping Shan. After reaching the peak, enjoy the landscape of Shun Lee Estate, Jordan Valley and Kowloon Bay. The trail features Hong Kong’s iconic Lion Rock and picturesque sunset of East Kowloon. It is underrated, compared to Garden Hill, and thus you might enjoy some moments of silence.

Check out these hikes (only Chinese version available):

1. 【行山好去處】30分鐘到達 九龍灣 — 平山 || 遠眺獅子山 — 市區快閃日落好去處 || 行山路線全紀錄 ||

https://blog.ulifestyle.com.hk/we4travel/4101503/%E8%A1%8C%E5%B1%B1%E5%A5%BD%E5%8E%BB%E8%99%95-30%E5%88%86%E9%90%98%E5%88%B0%E9%81%94-%E4%B9%9D%E9%BE%8D%E7%81%A3-%E5%B9%B3%E5%B1%B1-%E9%81%A0%E7%9C%BA%E7%8D%85%E5%AD%90%E5%B1%B1-%E5%B8%82%E5%8D%80%E5%BF%AB%E9%96%83%E6%97%A5%E8%90%BD%E5%A5%BD%E5%8E%BB%E8%99%95-%E8%A1%8C%E5%B1%B1%E8%B7%AF%E7%B7%9A%E5%85%A8%E7%B4%80%E9%8C%84

1. 平山 https://www.hillmanblog.com/project/ping-shan/

Little Hawaii Trail

If you are looking for natural scenery that is near the city, the Little Hawaii Trail might be the option for you! Little Hawaii Trail is near Tseung Kwan O and you may start from Po Lam MTR station. The trail starts at the roundabout near Tseung Kwan O Village, with the start of the hike intersects with Section 3 of Wilson Trail. It only takes 10–15 minutes to reach the highlights of the trail — Little Hawaii Falls. If you did not take enough photos to post for social media at the Little Hawaii Falls, you can also pay a visit to Lin Yuen Terrace Falls, which is just another 15-minute walk from Little Hawaii Falls. However, bear in mind that the Little Hawaii Trail is a popular hiking spot recently so you might consider visiting the trail on weekdays to avoid the crowd!

Check out these hikes:

1. Little Hawaii Falls https://droneandslr.com/travel-blog/hong-kong/little-hawaii-falls/
2. Little Hawaii Trail offers spectacular waterfall and panoramic view of Tseung Kwan O https://www.dimsumdaily.hk/little-hawaiian-trail-with-spectacular-waterfall-and-panoramic-view-of-tseung-kwan-o/

Dutch Lane

On Hong Kong Island, the trail I would recommend is Dutch Lane in Wan Chai. The most symbolic icon of the Dutch Lane is the tiny windmill on the sign at the entrance. The trail is 1.5 km long and is near Wan Chai Green Trail and Bowen Road Fitness Trail. The trail starts off as a paved road and ends as a mountain trail; nonetheless, the lane is quite easy to manage and offers lovely skyscraper views of Central towards the end of the lane. You can choose to wrap up your hike at Magazine Gap Service Reservoir Playground or continue your hike from Magazine Gap Road to Central Green Trail and end at Garden Road.

Check out these hikes:

1. Dutch Lane (via Wan Chai Gap Road) — Easy https://hongkonghikinglover.com/2020/05/16/dutch-lane-via-wan-chai-gap-road/
2. From Aberdeen to Admiralty via a route that took us along Dutch Lane

http://webs-of-significance.blogspot.com/2016/05/from-aberdeen-to-admiralty-via-route.html

Don’t let inconvenience be an excuse!. Trying out these short hikes is a great way to get started, especially on a busy day.

This article is informative only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Sign up for ‘Move It for Mental Health’ Campaign: www.moveithk.com

Read more:

Hiking and Nature for Better Mental Health in Hong Kong
The Power of ecotherapy on mental health
Ideas to help you get started on your #50kmNatureChallenge
Hiking Hong Kong: What Are The Main Trails?

Learn more about Nature and Mental Health: https://www.mind.org.hk/mental-health-a-to-z/nature-and-mental-health/how-can-nature-benefit-my-mental-health/

Safety

At Mind HK, safety is always our top priority. Given the flu season and Coronavirus outbreak, we ask all ‘#MoveItHK’ participants to take extra safety precautions during this time and follow government guidelines. At all times, we encourage you to take extra precautions: wash your hands before and after working out, wear a mask when in the community or in crowded areas, avoid hiking in groups and in crowded areas, and refer to government guidelines: https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/index.html.

Managing mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: https://www.mind.org.hk/mental-health-a-to-z/covid-19/managing-mental-health-staying-well-during-a-virus-outbreak/

For a list of emergency contacts, please visit: www.mind.org.hk/find-help-now/

For other local mental health services, please visit our Community Directory: www.mind.org.hk/community-directory/

For more information on mental health in Hong Kong, please visit: https://www.mind.org.hk/mental-health-in-hong-kong/

For more information on seeking help in Hong Kong, please visit: https://www.mind.org.hk/getting-help/

Questions? Email the team at media@mind.org.hk .