The easiest hikes in Hong Kong, by the numbers
Of the 56 trails in Hong Kong in our dataset, 15 (27 percent) rate easiest on the gain-and-distance scale we use, run 1 to 6 miles and climb 500 ft or less; all 15 are listed here, lowest rating first.
Ngong Ping Fun Trail has the lowest rating: 50 ft of gain over 1 mile, 50 ft per mile.
Across the 15, gain runs from 50 to 498 ft and distance from 1 mile to 2.5 miles; the median gain is 190 ft and the median distance 1.3 miles.
11 of the 15 are out-and-back routes; the rest are loop (4).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ngong Ping Fun Trail | 1 | 50 | 50 | 5% | 1,430 to 1,509 | 10 | |
| 2 | 砵甸乍山郊遊徑 Pottinger Peak Country Trail | 1 | 64 | 64 | 37% | 476 to 728 | 11.3 | |
| 3 | Ho Pui Reservoir Family Walk | 1.3 | 53 | 41 | 11% | 515 to 604 | 11.7 | |
| 4 | High Island Geo Trail | 1 | 123 | 123 | 20% | 26 to 226 | 15.7 | |
| 5 | 鶴藪水塘家樂徑 Hok Tau Reservoir Family Walk | 1 | 162 | 162 | 9% | 341 to 492 | 18 | |
| 6 | 鶴藪水塘家樂徑 Hok Tau Reservoir Family Walk | 1.3 | 125 | 96 | 9% | 315 to 492 | 18 | |
| 7 | 分流郊遊徑 Fan Lau Country Trail | 1.4 | 129 | 92 | 17% | 0 to 187 | 19 | |
| 8 | 馬屎洲自然徑 Ma Shi Chau Nature Trail | 1 | 190 | 190 | 6% | 0 to 75 | 19.5 | |
| 9 | 地塘仔郊遊徑 Tei Tong Tsai Country Trail | 1.2 | 231 | 193 | 24% | 768 to 1,066 | 23.5 | |
| 10 | 黃泥涌樹木研習徑 Wong Nai Chung Tree Walk | 1.3 | 241 | 185 | 18% | 558 to 728 | 25 | |
| 11 | 龍脊 Dragon's Back | 1.3 | 404 | 311 | 23% | 719 to 1,115 | 32.4 | |
| 12 | 鳳凰徑第11段 Lantau Trail Section 11 | 1.7 | 413 | 243 | 20% | 20 to 463 | 37.5 | |
| 13 | 大潭郊遊徑 Tai Tam Country Trail | 1.5 | 498 | 332 | 40% | 689 to 1,404 | 38.7 | |
| 14 | Pok Fu Lam Family Walk | 2 | 453 | 227 | 36% | 554 to 906 | 42.6 | |
| 15 | 虎地郊遊徑 Fu Tei Country Trail | 2.5 | 476 | 190 | 25% | 135 to 876 | 48.8 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band easiest (under 50), 1 to 6 miles, no more than 500 ft of gain, ordered by rating asc, miles asc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "Hong Kong" here means the 56 trails in Hong Kong in our dataset, not every trail in Hong Kong.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with Ngong Ping Fun Trail.
Easiest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other countries in our dataset.