Litou Mountain Trail Introduction
Li Tou Mountain is located at the intersection of Xinpu Township, Zhukbei City, and Xianglin Township in Hsinchu County. It is named for its terrain resembling the plow heads used by ancient farmers. Stretching from Neili Village in Xinpu to the east side of the Zhubei Expressway, it runs east to west and serves as the watershed between the two major rivers of Hsinchu County: the Touwan River and the Fengshan River. The elevation is 156 meters, with a steep slope on the south side and a gentler slope on the north. Historically, Li Tou Mountain was covered with tea plantations, which have now fallen into disrepair, though many old tea trees can still be seen in the forest. The main trail and various entry routes were originally winding paths used by local residents for tea picking or farming. In the 1980s, agricultural decline led to the gradual abandonment of the tea gardens, and most of the paths used for tea picking became overgrown with weeds, leaving the ancient Yueliao Wo Trail, once bustling with merchants and travelers crossing Li Tou Mountain, deserted. Today, Li Tou Mountain has become a wild and desolate area, with the exception of a section over a kilometer near the triangulation point on the western side, where some people still go for hiking.
