Walking Routes in Chiang Mai Province
Three walking routes cover very different parts of the province: a flat heritage loop inside the Old City moat, a forest trail up to a hidden jungle temple, and a pair of alpine trails on Thailand’s highest mountain that need a car to reach the trailhead.
Route 1: The Old City moated heritage loop
About 2.5 to 3 hours over roughly 3.5 km. Start at Tha Phae Gate, the reconstructed 13th-century east gate, and walk west along Ratchadamnoen Road to Wat Phan Tao, an unlacquered teakwood monastery built from 19th-century royal palace timbers with a gilded kinnari over its entrance. Next door, Wat Chedi Luang holds the monumental 15th-century ruined brick stupa, partially damaged in a 1545 earthquake, once home to the Emerald Buddha; foreign entry is 50 THB. Continue west to Wat Phra Singh Woramahawihan, the city’s most sacred royal monastery, where the gilded Lai Kham chapel houses the revered Phra Phuttha Sihing Buddha and 19th-century Lanna murals; foreign entry is also 50 THB. Walk north to the Three Kings Monument honoring King Mengrai, King Ramkhamhaeng, and King Ngam Mueang, then finish at Sompet Market for fresh fruit or the Lanna Folklife Museum.
Route 2: The Monk’s Trail to Wat Pha Lat
About 1.5 to 2 hours over roughly 3 km round trip. The trailhead sits at the end of Suthep Road behind Chiang Mai University; the dirt path winds through evergreen forest marked by saffron monk robes tied around tree trunks, crossing wooden footbridges over small streams. It emerges at Wat Pha Lat, a 14th-century jungle hermitage with moss-covered stupas, dragon balustrades, and open-sided meditation halls beside a waterfall. Doi Suthep-Pui National Park collects a 100 THB foreign adult fee (50 THB child) at the trailhead checkpoint (fee notice from the Department of National Parks ).
Route 3: Doi Inthanon’s alpine trails
The Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail, at Kilometer 42, is a 2.8 km circular ridge walk through mossy montane cloud forest and open meadows above the cloud sea, open only November 1 to May 31, with a mandatory local Hmong guide at 200 THB per group. The Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail, at Kilometer 31, is a gentler two-hour downhill walk with a Karen guide (also 200 THB per group), passing a waterfall and Arabica coffee terraces into Mae Klang Luang village. Neither trail is reachable on foot from the city; you need a car or tour transfer to the trailhead first.
The verdict
Route 1 needs nothing but comfortable shoes and works any morning; Routes 2 and 3 both benefit from an early start, since the forest cover thins out and the heat builds by midday. Book a Doi Inthanon trail transfer on GetYourGuide if you have no rental car, and see the sightseeing guide for what else sits along these same routes.
Before you go
Wear covered shoulders and knees for the Old City temples, and bring a light jacket for Kew Mae Pan even in the dry season; the ridge sits well above city temperatures.