Mae Wang Trail Loop • Chiang Mai Trail Running

Distance: 21.5 kilometers

Elevation: 970m

Difficulty: Medium

What to expect on this trail?

An epic trail loop in Mae Wang, a popular area for hiking and trekking. Throughout the loop you combine a number of highlights that are part of these more mainstream activities, making for an extremely scenic loop with a lot of variation. Rice fields terraces, waterfalls, elephant camps, it’s all there!

Check out the video:

Get the .gpx

Mae Wang Trail Loop in detail

The closest convenient spot to the start of the route is Ma Mueang Win Cafe & Restaurant. It’s about 500 meters from the actual start of the loop, but it is convenient with limited parking spaces and toilets (during opening times). You will follow the road from there before turning right onto a double-track dirt road. You will soon hear the sound of Mae Wang Waterfall, and you will have to make your way down to the waterfall via a couple of huts and buildings. Be careful because as you near the waterfall the rocks get pretty slippery. You will have to cross the waterfall to the other side to continue the loop. Make use of the little bridge to do this because the water current can be stronger than you would imagine, especially during the rainy season.

The next section will take you to the first rice fields to cross. They are very nice, but more terraced rice fields are waiting later on the route. On the other side of the fields, you will have to cross the river (or stream, depending on the season) again. You will see there is a suspension bridge, but at the time of our try-out run it was broken and we had to improvise to get across. There are however some other options to cross further upstream. By this point, you may have your first opportunity to spot some elephants along this Mae Wang trail loop as you pass by the premises of a number of elephant camps.

Beware of elephants and don’t get lost!

Then you will head deeper into the jungle by following a technical single-track trail along the river. While running may be difficult for some parts, the surroundings are amazing with waterfalls and rice fields never far away. You’ll then turn left and start climbing to the next valley where more elephant camps and amazing vistas are waiting. You will make your way through a settlement and through the grounds of Chang Chill elephant camp. You will need to be careful here for two reasons. Firstly, the trail veers off the main road and into overgrown fields. But more importantly, this particular camp let its elephants roam free, and you don’t want to run into one unexpectedly and unannounced. This is one of the few parts of the route where you will really need the .gpx file to navigate the trail. But trust the route and you will end up at another small river to cross.

After that, you will run along some bigger roads, some even partly concrete, but the views remain breathtaking as always. You will make your way to another elephant camp, and onto a school area, before heading down onto the final section through the jungle. You will cross Huay Hoi Waterfall which is another highlight of the area. It can also be a nice refreshing stop. The waterfall has a bit of a cave behind it, so you can effectively make your way behind the waterfall. Pretty cool! After that is it back along a single-track trail and later double tracks. Being one of the popular hiking and trekking areas, you may come across some other people in this last section.

Tips for this trail

While the distance and the elevation profile may look not extremely difficult, do not underestimate it. The terrain is not easy in some parts of the route, so be prepared.
Make sure to plan enough time for this route and bring enough water and fuel. The route may take longer than expected because of the terrain. Or because you may want to take some breaks along the way at some of the attractions.
Pay special attention during the rainy season. The rivers and the waterfalls look spectacular, but they can also be very dangerous.
For a post-run coffee or snack, Ma Mueang Win Cafe & Restaurant is the best option we could find in the area.

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