huckepack

MacLehose Trail

麥理浩徑

Length

100 km: the stated length (AFCD).

Our map line follows only 92 % of the official track on its weakest stage, so it isn't used as a length; the search sorts this trail by the figure above.

100km

Ascent · descent

Estimated from the terrain model, as the sum of every main stage's climbs and drops between samples 100 m apart. No source states them. The model measures the treetops in forests, so it reads high there.

estimated: 4,860m ↑4,760m ↓

Difficulty

How hard a trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days. Each is rated from Easy to Hard with the same thresholds for every trail, and takes its hardest measure. It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get.

  • Terrain: DemandingClimbing: ≈ 49 m per km
  • Climate: Demanding in Sep–AprHeat: 29 °C by day (September)
  • Effort: ModerateLongest day: 5 h 15 (stage 2)

All measures

Terrain: Demanding; Climate: Demanding in Sep–Apr; Effort: Moderate

Days

No source suggests a number of days, so the page counts one day per main stage (10).

10days

Per stage

The 10 main stages' totals over their number (AFCD), so the averages come from one source. The ascent is the terrain model's estimate per stage (≈), since the stages state no climbs.

10km· about 490 m ↑
Season

Landscape

Land cover along the main route, from ESA WorldCover satellite data:

  • Forest: 89%
  • Grassland and shrubs: 5%
  • Farmland and villages: 5%
  • Bare rock and sand: 1%
  • Water, snow and ice: 0%

Landscape along the route

Mostly Forest

Location

Country
Hong Kong SAR China
Regions
New Territories
Start
Pak Tam Chung
Finish
Tuen Mun
Route type
Point to point
Travel hubs
  • Sai Kung Bus Terminus8.5 km by road · 13 min
  • Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)58.8 km by road · 67 min
Protected areas
Sai Kung East and West Country Parks; Ma On Shan Country Park; Lion Rock Country Park; Kam Shan Country Park; Shing Mun Country Park; Tai Mo Shan Country Park; Tai Lam Country Park
Managed by
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), Hong KongOfficial website
Waymarking
Numbered distance posts every 500 m, M001 to M200
  • Trail
  • Start
  • Stage start
  • Finish
  • Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot? Rated over the whole main route. The rating takes its hardest measure.

Path grade: the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated.

  1. EasyT1
  2. ModerateT2
  3. DemandingT3
  4. HardT4 to T6

Climbing: ascent of the main stages over their length.

  1. Easyunder 15 m per km
  2. Moderate15–30 m
  3. Demanding30–50 m
  4. Hard50 m or more

Steep stretches: share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model).

  1. Easyunder 5 %
  2. Moderate5–15 %
  3. Demanding15–30 %
  4. Hard30 % or more

Natural ground: share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own.

  1. Easyunder a third
  2. Moderatea third to two thirds
  3. Demandingtwo thirds or more

Demanding

  • SAC hiking scale

    Trails rate their difficulty in many local scales, or only describe it in words. We translate each rating into the Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard), so trails can be compared. It stays an estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather.

    This trail: T2 (our estimate). AFCD rates the sections from 2 to 4 stars of 5 (overall difficulty, length, time, total climb, path surface): long stepped climbs over Ma On Shan, Needle Hill and Tai Mo Shan on paved and earth paths, without exposed or secured passages. Mountain hiking on good paths (T2).

    1. T1 · HikingWell-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
    2. T2 · Mountain hikingA continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
    3. T3 · Demanding mountain hikingThe path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
    4. T4 · Alpine hikingOften no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
    5. T5 · Demanding alpine hikingMostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
    6. T6 · Difficult alpine hikingPathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.

    The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club

    estimated T2
  • Climbingestimated 49 m per km
  • Steep stretches21 % of the way
  • Natural ground56 %

Climate

How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get? Rated for each month from 30 years of weather (ERA5). Without months picked (the search's When filter), the rating is for the trail's best run of at least two months in its season, and each measure shows its hardest month of that run; a pick re-rates it for your months. The rating takes its hardest measure.

Heat: mean daily high at the lowest point.

  1. Easyunder 22 °C
  2. Moderate22–27 °C
  3. Demanding27–32 °C
  4. Hard32 °C or more

Cold: mean nightly low at the highest point.

  1. Easy8 °C or more
  2. Moderate3–8 °C
  3. Demanding−2 to 3 °C
  4. Hardbelow −2 °C

Wet days: days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points.

  1. Easyunder 10
  2. Moderate10–14
  3. Demanding14–18
  4. Hard18 or more

Snow: days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point.

  1. Easyunder 1 day
  2. Moderate1–3 days
  3. Demanding3–6 days
  4. Hard6 days or more

Wind: mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points.

  1. Easyunder 15 km/h
  2. Moderate15–20 km/h
  3. Demanding20–25 km/h
  4. Hard25 km/h or more

Demanding in Sep–Apr

  • Heat · September29 °C by day
  • Cold · January7 °C at night
  • Wet days · September17 days
  • Snow · February0 days
  • Wind · December24 km/h

Effort

How long are the days? Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end. The rating takes its hardest measure.

Longest day: walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466.

  1. Easyup to 4 h
  2. Moderate4–6 h
  3. Demanding6–8 h
  4. Hardmore than 8 h

Moderate

  • Longest day · stage 25 h 15

Climate

Days in season · lowest point
17–30°C
Nights in season · highest point
7–21°C
Wet days a month
4–24
Daylight
10.8–13.5h
SeasonDay high and night low0 °C10 °C20 °C30 °C40 °CWet days, at the highest point510152025Daylight10.9 h11.4 h12.0 h12.6 h13.2 h13.5 h13.4 h12.9 h12.2 h11.6 h11.0 h10.8 hJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
MonthLowest point, day high / night low (°C)Highest point, day high / night low (°C)Wet daysSnow daysFrost nights at the highest pointDaylight (h)
January17.2 / 13.913.5 / 7.45.40.20.310.9
February18.1 / 15.214.7 / 8.97.40.30.111.4
March20.5 / 17.917.6 / 11.911.10012
April23.6 / 21.420.4 / 15.113.50012.6
May26.8 / 24.722.6 / 1819.70013.2
June28.9 / 26.823.9 / 2023.20013.5
July29.8 / 27.524.7 / 20.522.30013.4
August29.7 / 27.224.6 / 20.323.90012.9
September29 / 26.423.9 / 19.3170012.2
October26.5 / 23.821.8 / 16.87.50011.6
November22.9 / 19.918.7 / 13.15.40011
December18.7 / 15.114.4 / 8.33.90.10.210.8

Climate by month

Averages for 1995–2024 from ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, at the trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to each point's elevation. Bars span the mean night low to the mean day high; wet days have at least 1 mm of rain, snow days at least 1 cm of snow. Daylight runs from sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month. The shaded months are the trail's season.

Stages

RouteDistanceAscentDescentElevationTime
1Pak Tam Chung Long Ke10.6 km280 m ↑190 m ↓10 → 100 m3 h 15
2Long Ke Pak Tam Au13.5 km770 m ↑680 m ↓70 → 150 m5 h 15
3Pak Tam Au Kei Ling Ha10.2 km620 m ↑690 m ↓150 → 80 m4 h 00
4Kei Ling Ha Tate's Cairn12.7 km830 m ↑480 m ↓80 → 430 m5 h 15
5Tate's Cairn Tai Po Road10.6 km460 m ↑700 m ↓420 → 190 m3 h 45
6Tai Po Road Shing Mun4.6 km210 m ↑170 m ↓160 → 200 m1 h 45
7Shing Mun Lead Mine Pass6.2 km630 m ↑420 m ↓200 → 410 m3 h 00
8Lead Mine Pass Route Twisk9.7 km610 m ↑520 m ↓400 → 490 m4 h 00
9Route Twisk Tin Fu Tsai6.3 km130 m ↑360 m ↓470 → 250 m2 h 00
10Tin Fu Tsai Tuen Mun15.6 km320 m ↑550 m ↓250 → 10 m4 h 45

Totals and averages count the main stages only. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: ascent and descent and heights from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m), to the nearest 10 m.

Terrain

Highest · lowest point
926m high2m low

Gradient

The steepest 500 m of the trail in walking direction, uphill and downhill. On this trail the steepest climb is 29 % (16°, 144 m up over 500 m) on stage 3, the steepest descent −30 % (17°, 148 m down) on stage 7.

A gradient is height per distance: 20 % means 20 m up for every 100 m forward. Percent and degrees don't grow alike: 100 % is 45°, not 90°.

GradientAngleFeels like
10 %6°Noticeable on a road
20 %11°A steep path, slow going
30 %17°Very steep, often steps
100 %45°Scrambling

Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: short pitches within them, such as steps and ladders, are steeper.

29% ↑−30% ↓

Steep stretches

How many kilometres of the main route climb or descend at 15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), measured in 200 m stretches: on this trail 10.2 km up and 10 km down, the darkest parts of the profile. Such stretches are slow going uphill and hard on the knees downhill.

20.2km

Surfaces

  • Natural ground: 56%, 53.1 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
  • Gravel: 13%, 11.9 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
  • Paved: 31%, 29.7 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.

56% natural13% gravel31% paved
200 m600 m926 mStage 1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 56Stage 7Stage 89Stage 100 km94.7 km

Terrain along the route

Heights from the Copernicus terrain model (30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route); it measures the treetops in forests, so heights may differ from signposts by some metres.

The profile colours each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: the steeper, the darker, climbs warm and descents violet, from level ground to ±30 % and beyond.

The strip under the profile shows the ground underfoot, from OpenStreetMap; for the 61% of the route without a surface tag, the type of way decides (footpaths natural, tracks gravel).

Landscape

Forest89%Grassland and shrubs5%Bare rock and sand1%Water, snow and ice0%Farmland and villages5%Stage 1Stage 23Stage 4Stage 56789Stage 100 km94.7 km

Landscape along the route

Land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (10 m satellite map), every 100 m along the main route; each point takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground. Its eleven classes are folded into the six groups shown. It says what the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there.

Sleeping

Wild camping is restricted. In the country parks tents only at the AFCD's designated campsites (Country Parks and Special Areas Regulations, Cap. 208A, reg. 11(3)); fires only at designated barbecue sites or campsites.

8.6 km without a bedCamping28Huts0Hostels9Rooms2Stage 1Stage 23Stage 4Stage 56789Stage 100 km94.7 km

Places to sleep along the route

One tick per place to sleep along the main route, from OpenStreetMap: 28 campsites, 0 huts, 9 hostels, 2 guest houses within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail). Hotels and day shelters are left out. The shaded column is the longest stretch without any, from km 80.1 to 88.7. The map may miss places or list ones that have closed, so book or check locally.

Water & Supply

Clean water

8 fountains, taps and springs marked as drinkable in OpenStreetMap within 500 m of the trail. Clean water also counts the 13 huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m where hikers usually fill a bottle: guests come first, and many close out of season, so ask, and carry a little more than the gaps need. Places OpenStreetMap marks as without drinking water are left out. The counts include the approach and variant; the chart shows the main route.

Rated by the longest stretch of the main route without clean water: frequent up to 10 km, regular up to 20 km, scarce beyond. Here: from km 10.3 to 20.9, stage 2.

10.6kmRegular

Any water

Clean water, and the 1 springs within 500 m of the trail whose water is of unknown quality: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer. Here the longest stretch without any water runs from km 10.3 to 20.9. Rated like clean water: frequent up to 10 km, regular up to 20 km, scarce beyond.

10.6kmRegular

Shops

248 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol stations with a shop in OpenStreetMap, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail). Small village shops are often missing, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one. Here the longest stretch without runs from km 0 to 18.4.

18.4km
Water · 10.6 km withoutPublic drinking water · 29 km withoutSprings (treat before drinking) · 71.5 km withoutRefills at places to sleep · 20.9 km withoutShops · 18.4 km withoutSupermarkets · 34.1 km withoutConvenience and general stores · 18.4 km withoutStage 1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 567Stage 89Stage 100 km94.7 km

Water and shops along the route

One tick per place along the main route, from OpenStreetMap: drinking water and springs within 500 m, refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m, shops within 1 km or 3 km of a stage's end. The shaded band in each lane is its longest stretch without; "Water" counts every kind, and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own. The map may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally.