Tiger’s Head Hill Park: A pleasant place to spend an afternoon in Taoyuan

This mighty epic is huge (the English translation runs to almost 1,400 pages!), but it doesn’t take long to find the reference to Taoyuan, for in the very first chapter the three main characters of the novel meet and swear brotherhood in an orchard of flowering peach trees.

Today’s Taoyuan City, which has seen massive development over the last few years, is a little easier on the eye than it was a few years ago, but apart from its evocative name, it’s certainly not a beautiful, historic or romantic place.

However, virtually nowhere in Taiwan is completely lacking in points of interest, and Taoyuan has the good fortune to lie right next to an attractive area of hilly countryside known as Tiger’s Head Hill (虎頭山). The hill’s wooded slopes closest to the city are occupied by the pleasant but very ordinary Tiger’s Head Hill Park, but the area’s real gem lies in exploring the quiet and surprisingly secluded wooded ridges beyond.

The area wouldn’t merit a special trip, but if you’re in the area with nothing special to do, as I was one Sunday recently, it’s one of the most pleasant places in Taoyuan to spend an afternoon. The park has been popular for decades with Taoyuan families, young couples, and elderly residents out for exercise, but recently a much-needed facelift, including a huge tree-planting project, a smart new wooden viewing platform at the top, and comprehensive signposting, has made the area much more attractive.

There were a few unfortunate choices—the occasional length of ugly, blinding white concrete footpath is a shame—but on the whole the park is an excellent example of the new, environmentally friendly approach many Taiwanese councils are taking towards their local green spots.

Tiger’s Head Hill lies on the edge of Taoyuan city center, close to the impressive new stadium on Sanmin Road (三民路). Directly opposite the stadium, turn onto Chengung Road, Section 3 (成功路三段), crossing the Nankang Stream. Cross the railway track and take the first right, parking in the large free carpark on the left just down this road.

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