Huay Tung Tao - Mae Sa Mai Trail Loop • Chiang Mai Trail Running

Distance: 39 kilometers

Elevation: 1840m

Difficulty: Hard

What to expect on this trail?

The Huay Tung Tao – Mae Sa Mai trail loop is a great lesser-known route in the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park. It starts at the well-known Huay Tung Tao lake but then takes off into nature on exciting single-track trails. Looping around the mountain you will end up at Mae Sa Mai, a scenic Hmong village that is fairly unknown compared to the other Hmong settlements. A great route for anyone looking for a longer adventure on the mountain.

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Huay Tung Tao – Mae Sa Mai Trail Loop in detail

The trail route starts at the ranger station at the far end of Huay Tueng Tao lake. But instead of following the double-track road up the mountain, you will turn right onto a cool single-track section right away. This first part is generally flat with some rolling section, making for a very fun start of the loop. After a couple of kilometers, you will see the edge of the forest before you, this is where you should keep left and stay on the single track.

From there you will start climbing and pass some more fun single tracks. You will pass a very wide range of different sceneries from dense jungles to rivers to open, grassy fields. As you go onward, the trail becomes steep and more challenging. You will finally end up at some wider trails in a pine forest, this is when you will enter an area that belongs to Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens. You won’t visit the actual gardens though, instead just continue towards Mae Sa Mai Hmong village.

Mae Sa Mai is the biggest Hmong village in the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, but despite that, it is one of the least visited. The atmosphere is very local and you will surely see locals going about their daily life wearing traditional attire. Unlike the other Hmong villages, there is no real tourist infrastructure like coffee shops or restaurants. So if you are in need of a refuel, you will have to rely on local minimarts instead. We advise you to stock up on water and some calories as there are still some challenging trails in front of you.

Note: at Mae Sa Mai the track goes through the village school. If the gate is closed, you can make your way around via a small alleyway on your left that takes you around the school premises.

Leaving the village you will head into the forest and soon head off onto a steep single-track trail taking you towards the highest point of the route. The single track is humid and dense, and one of the more challenging sections of the route. But the reward will be amazing views of mountain farms and local farming settlements.

After you cross the highest point, you will have the chance to make some speed as you go down a wide doubletrack with amazing views of the mountains and Chiang Mai city in the distance. After a while, you will get on a small jungle trail again for another section of exciting single-track trail. Expect to go slow here as the route is a bit overgrown, and the terrain is technical. Following this trail, you will end up at the Chiang Mai University Highland Research station. Going forward, the rest of the route will be on double track as you connect on the well-known route that connects Huay Tung Tao Lake with Khun Chang Khian Hmong VIllage. Note that this route does not include Khun Chang Khian village though.

Overall this route offers a great adventure, but with considerable elevation and some challenging sections, it is definitely not for beginners.

Tips for this trail

This trail passes thourgh the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, which closes during some periods of the year. While the closure is not always strictly enforced, we advise you to always check with the National Park autorithies before going on a run. The Nationa Park’s facebook page has the lastest information, although only in Thai.
The route is challenging during some section, so shoes with good grip are highly recommended.
There is plenty of parking space near the starting point, as well as toilets. After that your only point with any facilities will be at Mae Sa Mai Village, after about 13 kilometers. Make sureto carry enough water and fluids along the way!
For a post-run coffee or snack, there are some local shops near the parkings at Huay Tung Tao lake. If you are very hungry, the bamboo huts lining the lake are a great option. They are perfect to relax and have a bite, and cool off in the water.

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