The trail is part of Stage 8 of the Hong Kong Trail, the long-distance route that crosses the entire island. Dragon's Back earns its name from the exposed ridgeline at its heart, a series of rises and dips along a narrow crest that does, from certain angles, suggest the vertebrae of something vast. The path from the trailhead off Shek O Road is rocky in sections — proper footwear matters here; sandals are genuinely inadvisable — and climbs steadily before reaching the ridge and its unobstructed views. The standard route ends at Big Wave Bay Beach, which is a different beach from nearby Shek O Beach; a short bus connection links the two. Hikers who want to extend the day can detour at Pottinger Gap along the Pottinger Peak Country Trail eastward, then descend south to the Big Wave Bay Prehistoric Rock Carvings.

The thermals that rise from the rocky slopes make Dragon's Back a reliable launch point for paragliders, and on good days they hang above the trail in bright clusters before riding the air down to the beach at Shek O. Radio-controlled glider pilots also work the updrafts from the ridge. Together they give the trail a particular texture — the quiet of a mountain path interrupted by the coloured canopies overhead, the faint whir of model aircraft. The Country Park rules ask hikers to carry out all their own litter, since no bins are provided, and to keep music to a minimum. These are small courtesies that preserve what most people come here for: the impression, however temporary, of being somewhere genuinely outside the city.

One of the things Dragon's Back offers that few urban hiking trails can match is perspective. The ridge puts you high enough to see Hong Kong Island as geography rather than infrastructure: a hilly landmass extending into the sea, its built surface confined to the flatter coastal margins and the main valleys. The South China Sea stretches south without interruption. On the clearest days, visibility extends far enough that the geometry of the Pearl River Delta estuary is legible. The feeling of being above it all is real, even though the MTR and the airport and the towers of Central are all within about ten kilometres. Dragon's Back is not an escape from Hong Kong so much as a vantage point on it — which may be why the trail has endured as a favourite for residents and visitors alike.