Hong Kong Trail Hiking Guide | The 50-km trail in Hong Kong Island

After stuffing myself with dim sums and noodles in Tsim Sha Tsui, comes the highlight of my Hong Kong Trip! One of the long distance trails in Hong Kong, and probably the shortest is the 50-KM Hong Kong Trail. Although the trail is short compared to other long distance trails in Hong Kong, the information in the internet is quite limited. Therefore, I planned to come up with a one-page Hong Kong Trail hiking guide only to realize that I might not be able to share information accurately. Instead, I decided to write a section-by-section guide to share as much as I can from this experience.

Then, if you’re here to see the trail’s overview, let’s get started and read on the summary of my Hong Kong Trail hiking guide!

What is the 50-km Hong Kong Trail?

According to Wikipedia, Hong Kong Trail is a long-distance footpath from Victoria Peak to Big Wave Bay in Hong Kong Island. It is a 50-kilometer walking route which passes through the five country parks on Hong Kong island.

Hong Kong Trail Sections:

The Hong Kong Trail is divided into 8 stages/sections as below:

Section Number	Route	Distance Post Numbers	Actual Time Taken
Section 1	The Peak to Pok Fu Lam Reservoir Road	#1 – #14	2 hours
Section 2	Pok Fu Lam Reservoir Road to Peel Rise	#15 – #25	1 hour and 30 minutes
Section 3	Peel Rise to Wan Chai Gap Road	#26 – #37	1 hour and 15 minutes
Section 4	Wan Chai Gap Road to Won Nai Chung Road	#38 – #50	2 hours and 15 minutes
Section 5	Won Nai Chung Road to Tai Fung Au/Mount Parker Road	#51 – #59	1 hour and 30 minutes
Section 6	Tai Fung Au/Mount Parker Road – Tai Tam Road	#60 – #68	1 hour and 30 minutes
Section 7	Tai Tam Road – To Tei Wan	#69 – #84	Not yet done
Section 8	To Tei Wan – Big Wave Bay	#85 – #100	Not yet done

Technically, among the other long-distance trails in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Trail is the shortest. The other long-distance trails are: 

• Lantau Trail (70 kilometers) 
• Wilson Trail (78 kilometers) 
• MacLehose Trail (100 kilometers)

Despite the shortest trail (50-km only), I split the trail into two days since it’s my first time in Hong Kong and even on the trail itself. I am leaving some room for error as well as a room to enjoy the trail well instead of rushing it.

Hong Kong Trail Information:

1) Maps

Every hike and outdoor activity should always be done with the help of maps. I saved tons of map screenshots from various references (I can’t remember where I found them) since I plan not to use a data and rely on online maps. But to my surprise, I didn’t need to use my map screenshots because there is always a map at the start of each section. The maps are informative with details of distance posts, emergency hotline phones, toilets, transportation access (cab, bus, parking) and even picnic sites! 

2) Distance Posts

You must have been curious from the beginning what are the distance posts. Distance posts are small and short metal posts that you will see all throughout the trail with information such as Distance Post Number (H001 is the first distance post) and Grid Reference (looks like a code to me and might be a code for coordinates).

These distance posts act as your coordinates or guides. It’s not an actual coordinate that you use in Google Maps but the locals who maintains the trail might have the coordinates on each distance posts. The purpose of the distance posts is to help the rescuers locate hikers in case of emergency. So it is very important to remember the last distance post you’ve been to.

Distance posts are placed every 500 meters interval between the trail to assure that you are still on the right path.

3) Water Access

Based on the fellow hikers who did this trail, there are sections where you can buy food and drinks. However, I didn’t see one so bring lots of water. On a side note, there are natural streams along the way but I don’t want to encourage you to drink from it. But, when I almost ran out of water, I drank from one of the streams and I’m pretty fine until now so maybe it’s safe to drink.😅

4) Camp Sites

Even though I split this trail in two days, I didn’t spend the night camping along the trail as I have read online that it is not allowed to camp. If my memory is correct, I think I have seen some posts on the picnic sites as well that camping is NOT allowed. In other words, if you’re looking for a hiking trail with a camping site, do not choose this one.

5) Public Transportation

If you’re like me and want to take public transportation to reach the start of the trail, you’re on the right track!

In fact, I took public transportation on both days which turned out to be quite accessible and easy to follow. For details and directions, it will be discussed further in the section area so check on their respective sections. 

Finally, let’s now proceed to the in-depth details of each section and some of my memorable experiences. Check out the links of my Hong Kong Trail hiking guide below!

• The Peak to Pok Fu Lam Reservoir Road – Section 1
• Pok Fu Lam Reservoir Road to Peel Rise – Section 2
• Peel Rise to Wan Chai Gap Road – Section 3
• Wan Chai Gap Road to Won Nai Chung Road – Section 4
• Won Nai Chung Road to Tai Fung Au/Mount Parker Road – Section 5
• Tai Fung Au/Mount Parker Road to Tai Tam Road – Section 6