MacLehose Trail Section 7 — Attraction in Hong Kong

One of the most interesting hikes through the Shing Mun Country Park is the MacLehose Trail Section 7 which starts at the Shing Mun Reservoir Dam in the south and winds along the mountain ridge line past Needle Hill (532 m) and Grassy Hill (647 m) before ending at Lead Mine Pass to the north.

This is a 6.4 km trek, one of the shorted along the full 10 section MacLehose Trail. It requires a lot of initial climbing, around 1000 steps upward for the first 1.7 km until Needle Hill. There are a few more ascends which are much less intimidating until you reach Grassy Hill later on. From there the trail winds downhill before reaching the end of this Section at the campground and rest stop at the Lead Mine Pass.

The trail is in good condition but still requires good footwear. The section between the reservoir and Needle Hill is mostly exposed so best to have a hat, plenty of sunscreen and water. Afterwards, it is a mix of exposed trail as well as time spend in mature forests with plenty of shade.

Views from Needle Hill are excellent. You can see the Shing Mun Reservoir and township of Tsuen Wan to the west very clearly. To the south, you can make out Lion Rock fairly easily on the horizon and to the east, you can see Sha Tin, Ma On Shan and Tai Po along with the respective country parks and peaks in that direction.

A popular side trail just before reaching Grassy Hill can be taken to see the peculiar X Rock. This is around 250 metres out of the way. There you will also find open grassy areas and some trees with shade, a good spot for a lunch while enjoying similar views to those at Needle Hill. More good views are found once you make your way up to Grassy Hill.

Note: Facilities are available at the start and end of this section of the MacLehose Trail. These include fairly maintained public toilets and water refill stations. The stations at the Lead Mine Pass require Octopus payment so have your Card ready if you intend to make use of them.

When finished with Section 7 of the MacLehose Trail, you can can switch over to the Wilson Trail Section 7 which also meets at the Lead Mine Pass and trek northward to Yuen Tun Ha where you can pick up light Green minibuses that go onward to the Tai Po Market MTR Station. Alternatively, serious hikers tackling more of the MacLehose Trail, can carry on with Section 8 (9 km) which enters the Tai Mo Shan Country Park and climbs Hong Kong's highest peak at Tai Mo...

Quite boring....