Litou Mountain Trail Introduction
Lihou Mountain is located at the junction of Xinpuxian, Zhubei City, and Xianglin Township in Hsinchu County. It is named for its shape, which resembles an ancient plow used in farming. The mountain stretches from Neili Village in Xinpuxian to the east, to the east side of the Zhubei Highway in the west, running in an east-west direction. It serves as a watershed between the two major rivers in Hsinchu County: the Touqian River and the Fengshan River. The elevation of the mountain is 156 meters, with a steep slope on the southern side and a gentler slope on the northern side. Initially, Lihou Mountain was home to tea gardens planted by farmers, which have since been abandoned. However, many old tea trees can still be seen in the forest. The main trail and various entrance routes are actually winding paths used by local residents in the past for collecting tea or farming. In the 1970s, as agriculture declined, the tea gardens on the mountain gradually fell into disrepair, and most of the tea picking paths were buried in overgrowth. Even the ancient trail known as Yuetao Wo, which was once bustling with travelers crossing Lihou Mountain, has become deserted. Lihou Mountain has turned into an uninhabited wilderness, with the exception of a section over one kilometer near the triangulation point in the western part, which still sees some visitors for hiking.
