Shoushan Nature Park
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> Asia
> Taiwan
> Kaohsiung
Online guidebook
Preface
Please be mindful that the nature park, while aware of the climbing activity, has no official management plan. Access could be denied at any time. Most development thus far has been done at night to avoid confrontation. A certain local leader has vouched for the legitimacy of climbing as a recreational sport in the park, but this is the same individual who is likely responsible for chipping and other intentional altering of holds to make routes easier for his clients. The areas themselves are far off the beaten path, but it is not unlikely that you will encounter hikers as you bushwhack from the main trail to the crag. PLEASE! Be mindful of your presence here. Pack it in, pack it out. And if you want to be involved with development, drop a line on the
Kaohsiung Climbing Group .
Description
The majority of Kaohsiung city is separated from the ocean by an uplifted mountain of limestone. This mountain has long been a playground for city dwellers seeking respite in nature's bosom, as well as a sanctuary for a multitude of plant and animal species. In spite of how big it may seem while wandering the snaking boardwalks through the jungle, most of the Shoushan Nature Park is off-limits due to proximity to military bases. For reference, the nature park is 10 km², and a majority of the established climbing is within a 0.1 km² area. A little adventure will continue to turn up new areas.
This is the "Little Crazy Horse" of Taiwan. The name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the renowned limestone climbing area outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Before you get too excited, know that these walls are typically short and narrow, with a few exceptions. Lots of sun and rain mean that, without regular traffic, most of these walls will return to the viney tangle of obscurity from which they were uncovered. Most areas are 15-20 meters tall (AC Wall is 30+) and contain 5-10 routes each, with potential for at least that many more. New areas are popping up all the time as harder lines are sought out, leaving easier potential at nearly every wall.
One should keep in mind that a specific weather window is necessary for ideal climbing conditions. Since most of the areas are essentially collapsed cave features, the lower portions of the walls often retain moisture, making them slick to the touch in hotter weather. The winter typically brings weeks of sunshine and lower temperatures - this is the ideal time to make the journey up the mountain.
Approach
It is highly recommended that you seek out a guide to show you the way the first time. Once you step off the boardwalk, you will encounter a maze of small trails, and you can get very lost very quickly. There is nothing to worry about though, as everything eventually rejoins the boardwalk after passing through some beautiful, less-trampled scenery.
The following directions apply to areas 1a-1f...
From the trail entrance next to Long Quan temple, walk for about 10 minutes on the boardwalk to the first split at a pavilion. Stay right here and continue for another 4 minutes to another fork. Go left (uphill) and continue for another 12 minutes to another fork. There will be a sign about snakes, a sign-post, a map, and an obvious bare trail going off to the right. Follow this, staying left on the most obvious trail, until you cut left along a narrow path that quickly arrives at the entrance of Skyline. Continue past this and turn left, following a faint path through the jungle to the Abyss, Hobo Wall, and White Wall. Turn right slightly further along to reach AC Wall and eventually Dirty Wall.
Considerations
Monkeys! These guys are cute, vicious, and unafraid. They know that anything in plastic has food in it. Put your water in something like a Nalgene, and bury your food in your bag. Otherwise, they will jump on you and try to take your stuff. If you leave your bag unattended in some areas, they will likely try to get into it, though they are less likely to do any damage.
Snakes! Less of a concern, but there are bamboo vipers out there.
Bugs! There are all manner of venomous creepy-crawlies waiting under every leaf, but in all my time of sleeping in the jungle I've never gotten anything worse than a mosquito bite.
Rock! The climbing in the nature park is very recently re-established. Holds are still breaking, rock is still cleaning up. In fact, you would be doing a huge favor if you brought a brush and helped scrub the ever-accumulating gunk off the holds. Most of the rock is great, the rest just requires a little tenacity.
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James is your man. Feb 13, 2016
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You then hike for another ten minutes in the woods on crazy small trails. Look for extremely tiny bits of yellow paint that mark the trail for climbers, but honestly you would have to be on mushrooms to notice these really tiny paint marks. At Skyline gorge (一线天） the three routes in the middle on the right hand side and to the right of the off width crack are good. They are 10a, 10b, 10c respectively. I like the 10a and the 10c. There is a 10d on the right right at the entrance that SUCKS BALLS! Also there is a 5.11something that goes up a flake that is also really cool.
Also pro tip for the Americans - Asia has Nettle, that stinging plant that if you touch it it feels like you are being bitten by ants, or like you have a chemical burn. So just watch out for that, it's not terrible, I think it's much worse if you don't know why your skin is burning from nothing! Oct 10, 2019