Xiao Cukeng Ancient Trail Introduction
The end of spring is the perfect time to enjoy the tung flower bloom at Xiaocukeng Ancient Trail! This serene path connecting the Cukeng and Shimen areas attracts many visitors every year from March to May during the Hakka tung flower season, where you can appreciate the beautiful sight of white flowers scattering among layers of green forest. Walking on the century-old stone steps, you may unexpectedly discover a heart-shaped flower crown made of tung flower petals arranged on a stone platform around a corner, providing a sense of healing! A visit during the summer nights offers different surprises; the fireflies twinkle like stars, adding enchanting charm to the dark mountains and fields, presenting an emotional scene that is hard to enjoy in the city, definitely worth your anticipation as you hike up in the dark! Xiaocukeng Ancient Trail was built during the Japanese occupation as a bullock cart road alongside the Xiaocukeng Stream. At that time, the mountain area's ancestors transported goods between Zhukeng Shilyao in Hsinchu and places like Maowudu, passing through Sankengzi (now Longtan) and Dakengkan (now Daxi), making Xiaocukeng Ancient Trail an important passage. However, with the development of industrial roads for the Shimen Reservoir, the flow of visitors decreased, leading to its gradual decline. This has helped preserve the rich original ecology along the trail, where you can see various plants such as water trees, large-flowered mandala, ferns, and camphor trees, as well as rare species like the butterfly, Pangu toad, and Wenhao's red frog, making it a popular spot for outdoor hiking today. Nearby the ancient trail entrance on Longyuan Road, there is a Qing Dynasty temple, Yu-Fu-Da-Sheng, which enshrines a rare statue of the "Land God Embracing Child". The entire trail is moderately difficult; the front section is mostly gentle, allowing you to leisurely enjoy the tea plantation scenery. The middle section transitions to a gravel path, and the later section requires some climbing with ropes. If your stamina allows, you can continue to challenge the Shimen Mountain Trail for an uninterrupted adrenaline rush.
