Bukit Gasing Recreational Park

Well this is one of the very few places for PJ residents to go outdoor hiking in the heart of PJ. I have a strong feeling about this place as I remembered I almost had my first heart attack while hiking here (Just kidding, I am extremely unfit…). For an amateur hiker like me, this is probably one of the best hills to try or start with, as it is fairly manageable.
It has a lot of greenery and has a great scenery overlooking the city at some point during the hike. This hill is famous for their suspension bridge and an infamous uphill section that my friends used to call it the «stairway to heaven”(ya literally).
Generally I find this to be one of the most convenient places to visit for hiking and outdoor exercise as it is really located in the PJ town, and I love the serenity and peacefulness here (A great place to relax and workout).

Bukit Gasing is one of the other famous hills I’ve been to before. To me, as compared to Broga Hill, Bukit Gasing is a simpler hill to climb. With routes carved out for you and steps that have been adjusted to help ease the climb. I started climbing at around 7.30am and it took about an hour to reach the top and another 45 minutes to get down. This was with taking a few quick breaks on the way up.
There are a lot of friendly climbers who start climbing way early in the morning and they’ll greet you as they’re on their way down.
There’s also a hanging bridge suspended about 5 meters above ground about halfway up the hill — I found it really fun crossing it! In overall, I would rate Bukit Gasing hill climb as easy to moderate as the routes are pretty straightforward. Also, I would suggest you to go either earlier or later in the evening as it started getting a bit hot on the way down after the sun rose.

Gasing Hill is a treasured spot for many of those living in the PJ area. A green oasis surround by dense civilization, it is a popular among trekking enthusiast. It was my first ever hiking trail that I tried when I was young, so I would say that it is a perfect spot for beginners to hike, walk or stroll. The trail is quite easy to follow although there’s about a dozen path you can choose from.
Bear in mind that because Gasing Hill is behind a residential area, parking spaces are limited. Especially so on weekend mornings. You’ll be surprise by the amount of people you’ll pass through as you make your way inside the park. Sometimes even an occasional dog or two will pass you by. Speaking of which, this is just about the only place I like to bring my dog as a good exercise for them. However, you should be advised to keep them on leash at all times as a safety precaution.
Although over the years they have made the park easier to access, with pavements and rails in some areas, you should be careful of loose soil, especially after rainy days. That is why you would see a lot of people wearing proper sports shoes. There are some heavy duty mosquitoes here, so big you can feel them when they touch down on your skin. You can wear industrial strength bug repellent or Long sleeve shirt and long trousers to keep them at bay. Luckily though, there aren’t leeches here as far as I’m concern.
For me, I still like to go there every now and then to walk my dogs and enjoy the scenery.

So, I have picked up a new hobby this week which is hiking. The reason for the sudden move is to start keeping fit since I have hit my thirties and this is when most of the health issues kick in. I have never really been fit since leaving college albeit some short stints at the gym which never really lasted mostly because it was too mundane for me.
Hiking however has seemed to have tickled my fancy. I am a nature lover and enjoy views of greenery, hills and other elements of nature. Also, I have enjoyed jungle trekking since a young age especially hiking trips during my school days namely up Penang Hill, trekking to Pantai Kerachut and also trekking through Bukit Hijau in Kulim. I am now glad to have discovered Bukit Gasing in PJ which is the only green lung in PJ and is fairly untouched at least on the Selangor border. The hill is situated near section 5, PJ and is as wide as 100 hectares. The hill sits on the border of Selangor and KL. On one side is PJ section 5 to the west and to the east is Pantai Dalam. There are a number of tracks available to suit your fancy but I chose to use a moderate trail which involves some decent amount of hiking.

I am never really a sports or outdoor person. But due to my unhealthy lifestyle where I’m either sitting on the chair the working in front of the computer or binging away. I must find a way to at least work out a little. Hence, I decided to join my friend who are into hiking to try out hiking. He brought me and my other half to Bukit Gasing. A great place for beginners like me who want to try out hiking.
At first I thought I will hate it but to my surprise, I love it instead! Being in the jungle was so serene and stress relieving. The satisfaction of being able to finish the trail felt so good. It makes me feel ‘healthier’ already. Which allows me to eat more after. Hahaha…
Ever since then, I keep looking for people to go hiking with me whenever I am free. Bukit Gasing is a nice place to hike especially for beginners like me. If you ever get lost inside, fret not, there’s lots of friendly seasoned hikers where you can ask for directions.