The Seven Heroes Dongmao Mountain hike is #5 of the Guguan Seven Heroes Hikes located east of Taichung City off the central highway route 8. Mt. Dongmao is a medium level hike. The beginning and end sections have some steepness. But, the middle part of the hike is semi flat and winds its way through switchbacks as it closes in on the peak.
The Seven Heroes Dongmao Mountain hike is popular with groups and hikers as a day trip. It takes about 5-7 hours to complete, is a well groomed trail, and has a large peak area with great views. It takes about 2.5-3 hours to reach the peak and hikers will climb about 1000 meters in altitude. It’s a great workout warranting some nice hot springs in Guguan afterwards.
Mt. Dongmao #5 of 7 Heroes:
Height: 1690 Meters
Distance: 6km + 1.55km paved road (1 way) (15km overall)
Time Round-trip: 5-7 hours
Altitude Gain: 1010 Meters
Getting to the Seven Heroes Mt. DongMao Hike Trailhead
The trailhead for the Seven Heroes Mt. DongMao Hike is located in the parking lot of the large Da Dao Temple just off route 8. Here is the LINK.
When you turn off of route 8 at the temple entrance, head up the hill almost all the way to the temple. Bear to the left side just below the temple and you will see cars parked in a lot surrounded by trees. From there, walk about 1 minute away from the temple and you will see the paved road and brown trail sign which marks the beginning of the hike.
After following the paved road up 1.55km, hikers will come to the actual trailhead. The actual route is 6km and there are trail markers every 500 meters counting DOWN as you head towards the peak.
The trail is very easy to follow.
The actual trailhead for the Seven Heroes Mt. Dongmao Hike is below.
Not many rest areas and power lines
The only rest pavilion is located at the 2km marker as you head up. This is a chance to sit for a bit and enjoy the forest. After this, however, there are no other designated stops.
Hikers will cross under several power line towers. The first part of this trail was built by Taipower for their power line maintenance. The forestry bureau built the upper part of the trail.
Some fun sections
About 10 minutes below the peak, you will encounter some boulder sections. These are fun to scramble over and there is one fun rope section to make your way up a slanted rock. There are views here to the west and Da Xue Shan Forest Park.
Approaching the Peak of the Seven Heroes Mt. Dongmao Hike
The final 0km marker designates the final approach to the peak. It is a 2 minute rock scramble to the top.
Reaching the Mt. Dongmao Peak
The Mt. Dongmao peak sits at 1690 meters. The area is wide and has some platforms for sitting or making coffee and tea. There are some radar reflector panels there as well. Many groups head to the peak and spend time there talking and eating and enjoying the views.
The Da Jia River can be seen below.
Below is the Mt. Dongmao elevation gain from the parking lot.
The views from the peak of Mt. Dongmao are great to the east and the west. This is a major reason while it is a popular Seven Heroes of Guguan Hike.
Hikers can see other 7 Heroes Peaks like Mt. Baxian and Mt. Malun. Also, there is a view of Mt. Baigu which is one of the 100 Peaks of Taiwan over 3,000 meters.
