Shah Alam Backyard Trail Loop.

 The last time I hike at the Shah Alam Backyard trail was almost a year ago. I decided to hike this trail to Mirror Lake loop over to Bukit Sapu Tangan and back. This is quite a long hike, almost 7+ km. Part of the initial trail has been converted to a public parking space for hikers, many thanks to MBSA for this.

The New Parking Space

The trail head starts right at the end of the car park and is a fairly easy hike. You will be walking along the Bukit Raja Lake towards the Lily Pond before turning off away from the lake and up a gentle slope till you arrive at Station B. It takes about 45 minutes to reach and you can stop for a quick rest. From this Station B, it'll take another 45 mins to reach Mirror Lake, a quick stop for some photo shots and short rest. 

The Mirror Lake

I noticed that this place seems slightly different from the time I visited a year ago, the area seems to have eroded and some of the seats seem to have disappeared. Some trees have fallen in to the lake as well. 

After a quick stop, we headed off to the fallen tree site, a tree trunk that has fallen across the lake, a worthy Instagram picture previously. However, the tree has deteriorated and fallen in to the lake, and the water level has gone down as well!!! 😞😞😞

                                               

The current state of the fallen tree now (left) & when it was intact

From this point we made our way up to Bukit Sapu Tangan passing by Station A for a short rest before heading up to the peak. Along the way you will need to stretch yourself while using full stamina to hike up 2 sections of steep slopes. However there are ropes to assist you to climb up. 

Rope assisted steep slopes and Bukit Sapu Tangan Peak (right)

From the peak we headed back to our starting trail head, all the way down hill.

Overall, the hike took about 4 hours including rest stops, photo shoots etc. I would rate this trail moderately easy, good for beginners and advance beginners but you need to be fit to hike for at least 3 plus hours.

Overall: Moderately Easy

Distance: Approx 7 km plus

Time: 4 hours including stops

Terrain: Generally Flat with some gentle and 2 steep slopes

Others: Leech free, some mosquitos, clear path.