We'll be in Hong Kong next week and plan to visit The Peak but wondered about the nature trails at the top. Has anyone walked them? What kind of surface - dirt and rock? Are the trails flat? I ask this since I wasn't planning to take hiking boots but do enjoy good hikes. (We live near the Grand Canyon so of course are not expecting hikes like we do around here.) Would my city walking shoes suffice? Many thanks in advance!

There is an excellent post in here somewhere by Cicerone about walks in Hong Kong. Do a search & see if you can find it.

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...d-the-peak.cfm

Here is one.

Thanks - I did a search but this post didn't come up for some reason!

Oh my God, a gift from heaven, a hiking question! Bless you! You certainly can bring your hiking boots; while you won’t need them for the Peak (well, you could use them to venture from the Peak to other places) you may want them on other walks in other parts of Hong Kong. If your hiking pole fits in your suitcase, you might bring that as well.

If you saw my post mentioned above, that refers to a very nice easy stroll on roads. Sneakers or even street shoes are fine for that walk. There is a nice dirt trail from Lugard Road which takes you around the top of Pok Fu Lam and then down to the reservoir, however as it is flat or downhill on stairs, I think you could do this in sneakers. (I can dig up my notes on getting to this walk if you are interested. I am not sure I would really bother with this one, there are better ones available.)

Otherwise, for the Peak, not sure what “nature trails” you are referring to. If you are referring to the ones at http://www.thepeak.com.hk/en/1_3.asp these are all on sidewalks or roads and can be done in street shoes or sneakers. The “Hong Kong Trail” is flat (it’s also referred to as the Lugard/Harlech Road loop) and can be done in flip flops (many people do so, it’s also a popular jogging and dog walking path). It is unfortunately a bit overgrown at this point so views are obscured, although the first portion of Lugard still offers some very good views once you get to the sidewalk suspended out over the hillside. (IMO, the Severn Road walk offers better views overall, however. ) The “Victoria Peak Garden” walk is on a road, and requires a bit of exertion to get uphill to the top (which is where the actual Peak is found), but is worth the effort as there are splendid views of the Southside from here. (And some friggin’ valuable real estate to gawk at on the way up…) Be sure to walk around behind the car park and the largish pavilion under construction here, where you will find walkways with views. This is particularly excellent for sunset, and you can come down in the dark as the road is somewhat lit and there is virtually no traffic on it. I would not bother with the “Mt Austin Playground Walk”, just continue up toward Victoria Peak Garden. The “Pok Fu Lum Country Park” walk is downhill on a closed road. It offers some nice views, but is mostly forested, it is a tree walk so there are little signposts with info on local trees. It will eventually take you out past the reservoir to Pok Fu Lam Road, from where you could get a bus to Aberdeen or to Stanely. To take a bus, when you hit the main road from the reservoir road (the main road will be just past the riding stables) turn left, and walk to the bus stop. For Aberdeen take the #7, 91, 970X, 973 or the A10, or a taxi as Aberdeen is quite close. For Stanley take the #973. You could also cross the street and take a bus back to Central (#37 B, 40, 40 M, 90B, will take you to your hotel which is at Pacific Place, #7, 91 will take you to Central).

Some other walking trail ideas are at: http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...eels-alm-1.cfm and http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...agons-back.cfm and http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...l-night-ma.cfm

You might consider walking from the Peak to Stanley, all in this would be about 4-5 hours, but would offer excellent views of mountain, sea, city and real estate. As you are a hiker, then rather than the easier “high heels” path to Stanley from Happy Valley mentioned above, you can take the more scenic but more challenging portion which is Stage #1 of the Wilson Trail. (I can give directions or Google Wilson Stage 1 and you should get info, but note that those are usually directions <i>from</i> Stanley as the trailhead officially starts there. You need directions TO Stanely).

You can also walk down from the Peak all the way down to Central at sea level, an easy walk which can be done in street shoes, although sneakers IMO would be preferable because many portions are steep inclines with no stairs and can be a little slippery.

I also this weekend for the first time did the trail underneath the cable car to the Big Buddha on Lantau and thought that was just splendid with fantastic views, the same as the folks in the cable car get, but for free and no waiting hours in line. It is a bit of a slog up, so downhill would be easier and more fun with all the views and little of the work. I can give directions for that. But if you want a really good workout, do it uphill. It’s completely paved as it’s the rescue trail for the cable car. If you want a dirt trail, then do Lantau Peak or Lantau Trail Stage #5 which is one of my top three favs, complete with herds of wild cattle.

I think you may underestimate the kind of hiking you can do here. If you are seriously interested in hiking, consider doing the Pat Sin Leng (Eight Immortals) hike, which is Stage #9 of the Wilson Trail, IMO a fantastically beautiful ridgeline walk (after a good climb up and down). Or hike Lantau Peak from the Big Buddha on Lantau, a very good climb with superb views. Stages 2, 3 or 4 of the MacLehose are each great walks, and Stages 2 and 3 would include stops at marvelous beaches (bet you don’t find those in Arizona!) All these require a somewhat significant time commitment, as Pat Sin Leng is 5 hours, plus an hour each way to/from the walk by public transport. The MacLehose stages mentioned above are 3-5 hours each, plus about an hour each way to get to and from the trailheads. Lantau Peak is about 3 hours and if you include time at the Buddha, plus time to get to Lantau, that is pretty much the whole day as well. I can send photos and details of some of these walks if you send me an e-mail at [email protected]

Anyway, I will try to stop myself now, but would be happy to answer question or provide copious details on walks. It’s quite warm and humid here now, but good hiking weather as we have not had much rain so trails are mostly dry. Visibility is pretty good, hoping the summer winds will shift soon which usually brings clearer skies as it pushes the pollution back onto the mainland where it came from.