For people living in the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area who want to have a one-day outing and get moderate exercise, Lover’s Lake and Dawulun Fort are definitely a two-in-one place they should not miss

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/03/25
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Lover’s Lake in Keelung, northern Taiwan (By Taiwan News)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–As the weather on Saturday (Mar. 24) was perfect, I couldn’t resist the notion of heading out and flinging myself into the arms of Mother Nature. I visited Lover’s Lake (情人湖) and Dawulun Fort (大武崙砲台), a national historical site, in Taiwan’s northern port city of Keelung. For people living in the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area who want to have a one-day outing and get moderate exercise, Lover’s Lake and Dawulun Fort, perched on top of a mountain range bordering the west coast of Keelung Harbor, is definitely a place they should not miss.

I parked my car on the Waimushan (外木山）coast near the Dawulun Beach (大武崙海灘）and started hiking to the mountain lake via the Hai Xing trail (海興步道）, which is a 1km trail connecting the coast and Lover’s Lake. The heavily shaded trail is said to be an ancient route that local fishermen used to transport the fish they caught to markets in downtown Keelung. It’s a nice hike up the mountain because of shade and the balmy weather.

When reaching the ridge, I took a left at the intersection because I wanted to visit Dawulun Fort first, which is located on the top of the higher Mount Dawulun to the northeast of the lake. After walking down the trail for a couple of minutes, I came across the entrance of the trail from the lake to the national historical monument. The trail is actually a long flight of steep, winding concrete steps. A lookout platform halfway up the stairs affords beautiful views of Dawulun Beach and the vast sea below.   [FULL  STORY]