Mount Nicholson Hike: A Steep Climb and a Secluded, Secret Rocky Viewpoint Over the Ocean

Kamal Mirwani

Published

November 29, 2024

Type: Mountain Views

Type: City Views

Difficulty: Medium

District: Hong Kong Island

Essential Information
Hike Highlights
Google Route Map and GPX
How to Get There
Quick Route Summary
Wan Chai Station to Wan Chai Gap Road
Wan Chai Gap Road and Wan Chai Green Trail
Black's Link
Wild Route Beginning and Secret Viewpoint
Hiking to the Summit
Summit Views
Safe Route Down
Getting Back

Essential Mount Nicholson Hike Details

District: Hong Kong Island
Duration: 2.5 - 3 hours round trip
Distance: 10ish km round trip
Highest Elevation: 430 meters
Difficulty: 2/5 (safe route) 3/5 (wild route)
Facilities: There’s a public toilet at Wan Chai Gap Park about half way up

Why Hike Mount Nicholson?

Uncrowded views of Victoria Harbor on the way up

Brick Hill and the lesser-seen side of Hong Kong Island

Get a unique view of Happy Valley Racecourse surrounded by skyscrapers

An adventurous and optional rocky climb to the summit

A hidden viewpoint that not too many people know about

Wonderful Views of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon from the summit

Spectacular mountain and ocean scenery from the summit

There's spectacular mountain and ocean scenery at the top as well

The hike up to Mount Nicholson (聶高信山) is easily accessible from Wan Chai MTR Station, and is quite simple to navigate for the most part. Yes, there are some steep sections, but they’re all on a wide concrete path that make it difficult to get lost. Even getting to the summit is as easy as following a few wooden stairs right to the tower at the top.

However…

There’s a hidden second route (just a short section to the summit) that involves a bit of rock climbing, bushwhacking, and ribbon navigating (this will make sense later in the guide).

While I highly advise most people to take the safer wooden stairs route to the top, seasoned hikers looking for wonderful views out across the ocean, a secret rocky outcropping, and vistas over Ocean Park and Brick Hill, will want to try out the wilder route.

That being said, if you decide to test your mettle, bring grippy shoes to prevent you slipping down steep, crumbly cliff faces, and sturdy gloves if you’re uncomfortable using your hands to scramble up large boulders and rocks.

DO NOT do the wild route in rainy weather or just after rainy weather

Google Route Map and GPX

Mount Nicholson GPX File

How to Get to the Mount Nicholson Hike Start Point

Take the MTR to Wan Chai MTR Station and leave through Exit A3. The hike guide begins from right outside the station, no additional transport required.

Quick Route Summary

Take the MTR to Wan Chai Station and leave through Exit A3
Cross the street and walk through the stalls of Tai Yuen Steet
When you arrive at Queen’s Road East, look for Wan Chai Gap Road
You will have to cross Kennedy Road and continue up a set of stairs on the opposite side
Keep heading up Wan Chai Gap Road until you arrive at Stubbs Road
Take the Black’s Link Turn and follow Black’s Link for about 35 minutes util you arrive at a picnic area. There will be a set of stairs heading up into the mountain opposite
This is the safe route to the top of Mount Nicholson
If you want to do the wild way, continue past this and keep walking for around 5-10 more minutes
When you see a large electrical tower with a map board in front of it, you’ll be at the start of the wild route to the top
Take the stairs opposite the map board and begin climbing up the slippery mountain face
Clambor over and around the rocks until you enter the trees
To head straight to the top follow the ribbons to the right
For a cool detour to some interesting rock formations, head left and squeeze through the boulders to the viewpoint (ribbons will guide your way)
Retrace your steps back and follow the ribbons up to the right
You will reach an open section and be able to see the tower at the top of Mount Nicholson
Follow the trail up to the top
After exploring, you should take the safe, stairs route down, which is just to the left of where you ascend via the wild route. It’s marked by ribbons and the stairs are hard to miss
Retrace your steps back down to Wan Chai

Wan Chai Station to Wan Chai Gap Road

Take Exit A3 from Wan Chai MTR Station

Cross to the other side of Johnston Road

To the right of the crossing, walk up Tai Yuen Street (which was lit up like a side quest from a video game)

Keep heading down Tai Yuen Street. Try not to get distracted too much by the clothes and toy shops!

Cross once you arrive at the end of Tai Yuen Street

Wan Chai Gap Road (the next portion of the hike) is between the orange and white buildings

Once you've left Wan Chai MTR Station through Exit A3, cross Johnston Road and look for Tai Yuen Street.

This colorful little gem of a location is filled with toy shops, clothes shops, accessories, and plenty of other curious little bits and bobs.

Keep heading straight until you arrive at Queen's Road East. Cross it and look for the winding lane between the brown and fancy white building.

The uphill begins from here!

Wan Chai Gap Road and Wan Chai Green Trail

Begin climbing up Wan Chai Gap Road

To continue, you'll need to cross the road and reach the stairs opposite. There's a pedestrian crossing to the right.

Once you've crossed, climb up the stairs

A sign will let you know that you're still on Wan Chai Gap Road and are going the correct way

The climb gets significantly steeper from here

This part of Wan Chai Gap Road encompasses the Wan Chai Green Trail, as well

It's called the Green Trail for a reason

When you arrive at Bowen Road, keep going straight up. There's a toilet here on the left if you need it

If uncertain where to go, look for the metal Wan Chai Green Trail Sign

It's gonna get REALLY steep from here

Fortunately, you'll begin encountering your first city views to help battle the cardio burn

After this bend in the road, it's probably the steepest part of the Green Trail next. Good luck!

When you arrive at Stubbs Road, it's time for the next portion of the hike

It took me about 20 minutes at a good clip to reach Stubbs Road. If you plan on taking your time and enjoying the view (or taking breaks to combat the steepness of the climb), budget a little extra time.

Aside from having to navigate a crossing, you'll be following the trail forward the entire time. The entire section is marked as Wan Chai Gap Road on Google Maps, so if you're uncertain, you can double check.

Black's Link

At Stubbs Road, look for the Black's Link Sign to your left

Here's a clearer picture of the sign

Compared to how busy Stubbs Road is, things will begin to quiet down now

Compared to how busy Stubbs Road is, the vibe becomes much more tranquil

It was a remarkably crisp day and once the views arrived, I could see all the way across the harbor to Suicide Cliff!

As the trail opens up, you'll find more epic views!

Like this!

And this! That's Mount Nicholson at the very top. If you zoom in, you'll be able to see the white tower at the summit

Keep going past this little rest stop

Just around the bend, you'll get uninterrupted views of the quieter side of Hong Kong Island. That's Brick Hill up ahead

Keep following Black's Link

If you spot any of these with H.E.C on them, it stands for Hong Kong Electric Company and indicates there are power lines nearby

When you reach this picnic area, you can take the stairs on the left if you want to head up to the summit via the safe route

Here's a close-up of the picnic area

And these are the stairs. I will provide photos of this route later in the guide as I come down this way

Continue onward if you're taking the wilder route to the top

Just over 5 minutes later, you'll see this massive electrical tower

The wild route is opposite this sign board and the electrical tower

The wild route begins at these innocuous-looking stairs

The stairs are beside a wall on the left while the map board is on the right

The Black's Link section of the hike takes between 30 and 40 minutes depending on your pace. It's mostly flat, which is a relief after the slog of a climb to get to this point.

The easy route entrance comes before the wild one. Don't miss the picnic area if you plan on taking that route up.

The wild section is about five minutes away and is easily recognizable by a massive electrical tower and sign board. A set of stairs indicates the way,

Wild Route Beginning and Secret Viewpoint

Begin your climb at these stairs

There are plenty of hand and footholds as you climb. Just be mindful of loose grit and sandy dirt

Why bother with the wild way? This view is one really good reason

Just keep heading up to the large clusters of rocks while being extremely careful

Eventually, you'll reach an overgrown area

It's hard to see from this picture, but the path remains clear, albeit a little unkempt

The trail opens up again

The view is pretty darn cool from this high up

The vistas are pretty darn cool from this high up

This is a good indication of how steep the trail is. You can see Hong Kong Parkview (the red-brown buildings) in the distance

Onward to the next group of rocks

This cluster of rocks means you're close to the secret rocky viewpoint

Once you are beside the large rocks, look for the blue ribbon to your left. Ignore the path to your right into the trees for now

Once you are beside the large rocks, look for the blue ribbon to your left. Head right if you don't want to go to the rocky viewpoint. The path on the right leads directly to the summit.

Another blue ribbon lets you know you're going the right way

The entrance to the secret viewpoint

Navigate through the tight crevasse to reach the viewpoint on the other side

You're finally at the secret rocky viewpoint

Here's the rock face you navigated through to get to this epic viewpoint

When you're ready, head back through the cravasse

When you're ready, head back through the crevasse

Follow the trail straight and head past this round boulder

Keep heading completely straight

And you'll quickly find the trail to the summit

*The rocky viewpoint is optional. Take the path to the right instead of the left once you reach the higher cluster of rocks

This is where the real adventure begins. To get to the secret rocky viewpoint, expect to climb for a minimum of twenty minutes. Your time will vary depending on how used to this type of terrain you are.

Remember that you'll need to grab into rocks and trees to support yourself as you climb. If you're worried about hurting your hands, bring gloves.

To reach the secret viewpoint, keep heading up before going round the back of one of the higher cluster of rocks.

Follow the ribbons left, cut through the tight opening between the rocks and you'll have a little slice of paradise to yourself if you're lucky.

Hiking to the Summit

If you took the ribbon path to the right of the rocks, or came from the secret viewpoint, this open section leads to the summit

You can see the trail to tower at the top. There's not much longer to go now

It's a pretty cool view of Jardine's Lookout ahead

It's a pretty cool view with Mount Nicholson Microwave Tower and Jardine's Lookout ahead

Keep following the path upward

When you enter the trees, follow the ribbons

A few minutes later, you'll arrive at the tower

Take note of this path. It is actually the safe route from earlier. We'll head down this way after checking out the summit views

Once you're back out in the open, the route up to Mount Nicholson Microwave Tower at the summit is pretty simple.

The tower isn't some massive microwave oven waiting to explode. Instead, it uses microwave tech to broadcast to TV stations.

Summit Views

Behold the architectural splendor of Mount Nicholson Microwave Station!

Wow! such majesty!

I went around the perimeter of the microwave station to check if there were any good views to be had

Now that's a view! You can see all the way out across Victoria Harbor to the Kowloon ridgeline and beyond!

On the other side of the microwave station was this banger of a view

As you admire the view, please be careful not to take any barbed wire to the face. Almost happened to me twice

As you admire the views, please be careful not to take any barbed wire to the face. Almost happened to me twice

Once you've made a full round, look for this path again and you can begin heading back down

Once you're at the Microwave Station, You can follow the barbed wire perimeter to find all the best views.

Be careful not to get cut as you enjoy some really cool vistas.

Once you've completed the round, look for the wide trail with steps heading downward. It'll be marked with a blue ribbon

Safe Route Down

The safe route down begins with a gentle forested downhill. The blue ribbon marks the entrance

More ribbons let you know you're going the right way

Soon, protruding wooden stairs appear

Enjoy the gorgeous greenery around you as you head down

When the trail switches to concrete stairs, you're almost there

You will emerge back at the picnic area from earlier. Head right to retrace your steps back down to Wan Chai

It took just over ten minutes for me to reach the picnic area from earlier in the hike. This way is MUCH faster and safer than heading down from the wild way again.

Once you're back at the picnic area, head right and retrace your steps back to Wan Chai.

Getting Back

Retrace your steps back to Wan Chai and take the train or a bus to your desired destination.