Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail Guide

Yes, if you go on a clear morning in season. I think it gives more view per hour of walking than any other short hike near Chiang Mai, because most of the mountain is a drive between viewpoints and this is the one place you walk out onto an open ridge above the forest.

Whether you'll love it comes down to the sky. Cloud often sits on the top of Doi Inthanon, and in March and April the burning-season smoke hides the views you came for. November to February is when I'd go. If the ridge is in fog, the cloud forest at the start is still beautiful, but the reason to walk this trail is the view.

Easy to moderate. Thai National Parks calls it a clear, well-maintained trail, and most people finish the loop in two to three hours with stops for photos. There are steps and some steep, uneven stretches, and at a little over 2,000 m you'll feel the climbs more than you would lower down, so take it slowly if you're not used to altitude.

Wear shoes with grip, because the forest sections stay damp and mossy. You don't need hiking boots.

Published lengths range from 2.5 km (Thai National Parks) to 2.78 km (local tour operators) and 3.2 km (some trip reports), which comes down to where people start measuring. Plan for about 3 km.

The trailhead is on Route 1009 at km 42, a few hundred meters north of the twin royal pagodas, with roadside parking, a ticket booth for the guides and a few food stalls. From Chiang Mai it's about two hours each way, south to Chom Thong and then up the mountain road.

There's no public transport on the mountain itself. Songthaews run from Chiang Mai to Chom Thong at the foot of the road, but nothing runs between the stops inside the park, so you need a car, a scooter, a private driver or a tour.

If you go with a tour, check it names Kew Mae Pan. Most group days drive between the waterfalls, the summit and the pagodas and skip the walk. A private driver lets you put the trail first, which is how I'd do it.

The viewpoint to aim for at sunrise is beside the car park on the main road, which faces east. The viewpoint out on the trail faces west, so it's the wrong place for sunrise, and the trail itself doesn't open until 06:00 anyway. Thai National Parks rates the roadside spot above the summit, which is too often misty.

Kew Mae Pan is the ridge and the views. Pha Dok Siew, near the park headquarters, is a 2.6 km forest walk past waterfalls to the Karen coffee village of Ban Mae Klang Luang, with a compulsory guide at ฿220 per group and a car back to the start for ฿150. Pha Dok Siew is the one to ask about from June to October, when Kew Mae Pan is shut, though it's muddy in the rains. In season, with time for one walk, I'd pick Kew Mae Pan.

A fleece or jacket, shoes with grip, water and cash for the guide and the park fee, because there are no ATMs on the mountain. Stay on the path with your guide. The ridge grassland and the moss are fragile, which is part of why the trail closes for five months a year.