| Distance: 22 kilometers | Elevation: 1257m | Difficulty: Medium/Hard |
What to expect on this trail?
This trail route combines three different points of interest: Doi Kham, Phuping Palace, and the Mae Hia Agricultural Research Station. It also includes two of Chiang Mai’s most infamous trails, the Last Man Standing and First Man Standing trails. They make for a nice and varied loop, with the climb to Phuping Palace being quite challenging. Your efforts are rewarded though because the views from the Phuping area are quite impressive, and the downhill is lots of fun.
Last Man Standing – First Man Standing Combination Trail in detail
This trail route combines two of Chiang Mai’s most infamous single-track trails on Doi Suthep Mountain. The Last Man Standing Trail and the First Man Standing Trail both start near the Phuping Palace making their way down the south-eastern side of the mountain. Doi Kham is located nicely in between both trails at the bottom, making for a nice loop almost entirely on single-track trails.
You could start the loop anywhere, but at the bottom of Doi Kham is probably the most convenient. The trail starts by climbing to the temple before going on the single-track trail that lines the Doi Kham ridge. A great warm-up for the work to come. Note: in the attached .gpx file I climbed to the trailhead by road, to avoid crossing the temple because of Covid-19. But you could also start this route by climbing the stairs. The route along Doi Kham ridge is always good fun, with a steep climb at the beginning followed by flowing trails afterward. At the fork at the end of the ridge, you will keep right and start descending until you hit the road.
This is where the real work starts. From the road, you will start climbing almost non-stop until you reach the highest point at Phuping Palace. There are some short flats and even some downhills, but most of the time it is up, up, up! Depending on your fitness level you may be able to run up some parts of the trail, but chances are there will be a lot of power walking involved. There are some forks in the trail but usually, they will join very quickly. So if you follow the general direction you will be fine. The only point where you have to place close attention is when you are near the top. Here, you will need to turn right over a small hill. You know you are on the right track if you see a small water reservoir.
After the reservoir, you have arrived at the Phuping Palace area. You will pass some green houses with mainly ferns and the odd hemp plant until you reach the parking area which is lined with restaurants and cafes. This is a great place to fill up on water if needed, or to get a coffee to energize yourself for the downhill ahead. Past the line of small restaurants there is a small road leading to a viewpoint. With clear skies the views are quite impressive here, and you will be amazed about the amount of climbing you did when you see Doi Kham temple in the distance below.
From the viewpoint, keep left and follow the forest trail. You will basically stay on this trail until you reach the Mae Hia Agricultural Research Center at the bottom. The downhill is fun and it has only a couple of very steep sections, great to get some speed in. There is not much to say about the downhill trail, there aren’t any confusing forks and it is quite obvious. So just enjoy!
From the Agricultural Research Center back to the start you will run first on some double track dirt roads, and then finally on asphalt. This last stretch which completes the loop is nice to cool down after all the climbing and descending.
Tips for this trail
- Do not underestimate this trail, the distance can be deceiving. The climb is challenging and you may spend considerably longer than you anticipated
- Good trail shoes are needed for this trail, you will need the traction and support to help with the climbing, and especially while descending.
- You could in theory visit the Phuping Palace, though, in reality, it will be difficult. You have to wear “polite” dress to enter, and I am quite sure sweaty trail running gear doesn’t qualify.
- I prefer to start at Doi Kham temple because there are some local shops lining the parking. If you want something more comfortable there is also Cup Fine Day. However, you could also consider starting at the Mae Hia Agricultural Research Center. This way you will have a flat road section to warm up before starting the climbing and the trails. In that case, there is Fernpresso at Lake which you can use as your base for your run.
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More Trails:
Mae Wang Waterfalls, Rice & Elephants Trail Loop
Bang Wad Dam Trail Loop (Phuket)
Baan Likhai Rice Terrace Trail Loop (Chiang Rai)
