Kowloon Reservoir to Shatin Pass via Mac 4 (Beacon Hill-煙墩山)

Duration: 
10k, 3.5 hours

Difficulty: 

6/10. 495m elevation gain.

Cel phone coverage: Everywhere.

Water needs: 1 liter.

Appreciation: 8/10. Nice views of Kowloon and the harbour on a clear day

Map & Details: http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/2637043513/

Exercise Area: There is one "homemade" exercise area with 3 chin-up bars

Transportation: Bus 72 or 81. Get off at Shek Lei Pui Reservoir. Return via Wong Tai Sin MTR.

Why it's worth it: 

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Get off the bus at Shek Lei Pui Reservoir at take the footbridge over the highway

Left right after the footbridge. There might be a number of monkeys there

Down the ramp and right at the road

Up the stairs and to the left at the Eagle's Nest Nature Trail. The nature trail and Maclehose 4 are overlapping for a while. You can always refer to the little hiking guy sign to give you the direction. And the Maclehose distance posts every 500meters

Up at the gazebo

Up!

Where do these stairs go? They go up!

About 1.5 hour and 4.7km in, you will arrive at the gazebo at the foot of Lion Rock.
Take the path straight, by the plaque on the stone

About 100m farther up, there will be a split. We took a left. The right will get you up-top Lion Rock and will ultimately connect back to Mac 4. So, up to you, but climbing Lion Rock is adding quite a bit more stairs.
Anyhow, from this point on, just keep going on Maclehose 4 for about another 5.5km

You'll end up here: Shatin Pass. Go down right towards Wong Tai Sin. But before you do so, you can go to the toilet and/or get some food/drinks at the store on the left (circled)

Fishballs! The hikers' delight!

Just follow the road all the way down until you see the signs for the MTR.

Hong Kong Trail Section 3 and 4

Duration: 

(15 kilometers)
4 hours

Difficulty: 4/10

Cel phone coverage: Everywhere

Water needs: 2 liters. Please, do not litter! 

Appreciation: 7.5/10. While there aren't many nice views, section 3 of the Hong Kong trail is shaded and goes through nice woods and streams, with the occasional waterfalls. Quite a nice trail on a hot summer day

Transportation: CityBus No. 7 from Exchange Square. Get off at Tsung Man Street in Aberdeen. Return via buses 6 (to Central) or 76 (Causeway Bay) at Wong Nai Chung Gap.

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Get off at Tsung Man Street in Aberdeen

Keep on going on Aberdeen Reservoir Road

Until you reach Peel Rise. Take a left on Peel Rise 

Keep going up on Peel Rise, you'll get to this barrier. Keep going straight...

... you'll reach the trail head on your right, take it. There will be a map. Keep on the trail (don't take the stairs, they bypass pretty much all of section 3)

En general, just follow the signs with the little hiking guys...

Keep following the HK trail signs...

At the end of section 4. Buses will be on your left.

Hong Kong Trail Section 4

Appreciation: 7/10. An easy hike that is short and shaded. Perfect for a slow afternoon. A forest hike so no much in terms of views. Some WWII remnants and quite a few cats towards the end.

Why it's worth it: 

Duration: 

6.5k
285m elevation gain
Total: 2 hours

Garmin GPS route: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/266067566

Difficulty: 

5/10.

Cel phone coverage: Coverage everywhere.

Water needs: 0.5 liter.

Transportation: Take NWFB #15 from Exchange Square and get off at Wan Chai gap road. Return to Causeway Bay via CityBus #76 (will stop close to TimeSquare where you can take the Causeway Bay MTR).

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Off the bus at Wan Chai gap. Walk towards the little park and gazebo. Take the road immediately to the left of the park (Mount Cameron Road)

100m into Mount Cameron Road, you will see the intersection to  Aberdeen Reservoir Road and the trail sign. Head right onto Aberdeen Reservoir Road

Another 250 or so meters in, you'l reach the fork to Lady Clementi's Ride. While it is not the "official" entry point to HK trail Sec 4, it's a little shortcut that will bring you to a WWII  bunker. How's that? Let's go and take it.

The WWII bunker in question.

Keep going on Lady Clementi's Ride for a few more minutes and you'll reach Hong Kong Trail Section 4. Head left.

You are on the right path...

Just keep following the little hiker guys on the sign, towards Black Link's

About 1 hour into the hike

Some of the rare views

At Black Link's road, hit right.

Be on the lookout for the mighty little felines on either sides of the road.

There you go; end of Section 4, start of Section 5. The bus stop is just around the corner (where the car is going on the picture)

MacLehose Section 4 & 5

(Updated 2020-DEC-23)

Duration: 

(23.3 kilometers) Between 7 and 9 hours depending on walking speed (took me 7.5)

Difficulty: 9/10. There are steep climbs for a good part of the trails and the two sections are over 22 kilometers. Inexperienced hikers will likely suffer. Bring a flashlight, just in case you can't reach the end of Section 5 before dark.

Cel phone coverage: Full

Water needs: 2 liters

Appreciation: 9/10. Great views of the mountains and then Kowloon (go on a clear day).

Map & Details: 
https://www.hiking.gov.hk/trail/info/id/aWhDRVFZbmpET0pMazRxdWhhU0hIUT09
https://www.hiking.gov.hk/trail/info/id/MW45T1puY3I1OVJiaDRudGNuNEgxZz09

Transportation: From Diamond Hill MTR station, KMB 96R or 92 will take you to the Sai Kung terminus. Then take bus 99 or 299x and stop at 澳頭新村
O TAU NEW VILLAGE (the 6th stop). At the end of section 5, you'll be within 100 meters of Tai Po road where buses 72 (Cheung Sha Wan MTR), 81 (to Prince Edward, Mongkok, Austin MTR stations), and 86B (Mei Foo MTR) will take you back to town. Take it on the same side of Tai Po Rd you are on when exiting the trail

Why it's worth it: 

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The MacLehose trail is identified by the little hiking dude.

Section 4's trail head is about 3 minutes walk from the bus stop (on your left).
There's restrooms on the other side of the road, by the beginning of the trail.

That is the start of Maclehose Section 4. M071

At

Helipad on the right. Keep left.

At this point, you leave the paved road (dirt path on the left)

Pay attention between milestone M74 and M75 not too miss the sharp left turn. 
Otherwise, you'll end-up off the trail in some deserted village. 
It used to be confusing, but there's now a Maclehose signpost.
Now, this is where the heavy climbing starts.

A little bit after M81, take a short break.

Around M82, nice views from where the para-sailing enthusiasts take off.

M85

Section 4 completed. On your way to Section5. Head right and walk on the road for about 100 meters.

Section 5 continues on your left.

Between M97 and M98. Here, you will be at the intersection of  Jat's Incline,  Fei Ngo Shan Road and Shatin Pass.
Take Shatin pass on your right after a short break.

Flat walk along Shatin Pass. A short while after M100, you'll have an option to cut Section 5 short if you are tired, replenish your water supplies at the store on your right and keep going.

Be ready for more climbing.

A little bit after marker M104, after climbing a few steps, you'll be presented with an option of staying on the MacLeahose Section 5 proper (Option A, going straight) or exploring the Lion Rock portion (Option B, turn left). On a clear day, if you are not too tired, I strongly suggest option B which will give you the best Kowloon views. Both trails meet back into Section 5 at the gazebo between M106 and M107.

That is the gazebo between M106 and M107. Go straight up the stairs to continue with Section 5.

You'll cross Lung Yan Road a few times.

At this point, you're about 2.5km from the end of Section 5.