We tried almost a year ago to find this hot spring but poor planning conspired against us and we got to the river but not the spring. This time, armed with a map and a better idea of the trail we managed to find it.
For anyone who lives in the north of Taiwan there is one road that you have got to drive on, the number 7 七號公路. Because of this road, the drive out to the trail head is in itself a journey worth making. The views are awesome. The road twists and turns. And the best thing is that hardly anyone is on it.
To get there follow the number 7 from Sanmin 三民, near Dasi 大溪. After Sanmin the next village is Fuxing 復興 and this is the last chance to get gas. The road then continues onto Baling 巴陵 and after an hour or so of fantastic driving it passes through Sileng 四稜. Continue on to the 59.5km mark and here is the trail. Look out for red characters painted onto the concrete barrier. They are painted on in 2 places and the westernmost one is where you need to cross over the barrier.
From here there are trails to the left and right, ignore them and follow the plastic hiking markers down. On the way there are 2 places that look like excellent camping spots.
After about 20mins the trail begins to descend steeply. There are fixed ropes in place but care is needed, especially if the ground is wet. It took us around 40mins we make it to the river.
The river is a fantastic emerald green colour and the hot spring waterfall is beautiful. There are some ropes to help with crossing the river but the water wasn't particularly high when we went and so it wasn't a problem.
The hot spring water is hot and it needs to be mixed in with the river water. It's also very sulphurous but very enjoyable.
The climb back up to the road is pretty tough, especially after soaking in hot water for an hour, so it's best to take lots of water and don't rush back up.
More photos can be found here
Practicalities
I have heard that there are buses that run along the number 7 but really, the drive is as much a part of this trip as the springs and anyone with a bike should drive it.
Take lots of water as sitting in hot water will leave you dehydrated.
Don't go after heavy rain as the river can be dangerous.
Also the map below is only a rough guide, the springs might not be exactly where I marked them.
Practicalities
I have heard that there are buses that run along the number 7 but really, the drive is as much a part of this trip as the springs and anyone with a bike should drive it.
Take lots of water as sitting in hot water will leave you dehydrated.
Don't go after heavy rain as the river can be dangerous.
Also the map below is only a rough guide, the springs might not be exactly where I marked them.
beautiful! lucky you!
ReplyDeleteIt looks lovely!
ReplyDeleteAnd the same happened to me: Once I got here in Taiwan, I became crazy about Hiking.
I noticed you're part of the River Runners group. I did the East Coast Bike Ride with them and have my own group called "Hiking and Riding in Taipei". We are a lot more laid back though.
Thanks for the comments. Yeah, Ed it's a great and definately worth going to. I actually joined your group a while back but i've yet to get out with guys. Will do soon!
ReplyDeleteA couple weeks ago I river traced my way to 四稜溫泉 and when I came up to the highway I noticed a little trail down the road to the left. The next week, I returned to this trail and it turned out to be a really fun three hour ascent up to 尖山 (Jian Shan). The mountain is 1850 meters high and doesn't provide spectacular views, but the trail is a bit treacherous at points and you feel quite accomplished when you make it to the top.
ReplyDeleteIf you guys ever make it out that way let me know. Not to many avid hiker friends over here in Taoyuan.
www.flickr.com/photos/under_toad
alex.guppy@gmail.com
Hi, sorry I only just realised you'd posted here! Yeah, next time we head over I'll let you know. We've beening planning on climbing Jian Shan for a while but haven't got round to it yet. Do you use facbook at all? We organise most trips through that.
ReplyDeleteA little warning: Just gave it a try and found the walls around the 59.5 mile marker obscured by moss. Also all possible entrances between 59.5 and 60 seemed to be too overgrown to comfortably pass through. Couldn't find the entrance and didn't see any places that looked enterable.
ReplyDeleteIts not at the 59.5 km mark. Its at the 58.5!!!! I don`t if you guys just made a mistake or they Changed the numbers. After following the trail all the way down, there was no hotspring to see, don`t know if it just disappeared or we still messed up but to my opinion, its not there anymore. And the way back up is a disaster, its really tough. After all the effort it was a real disappointment without ever finding the hotspring down there. My suggestion, dont go there.
ReplyDeleteWe were there 2 weeks ago and the hot springs were still there then.
ReplyDeleteBTW I moved the blog to wordpress a few years ago
www.hikingtaiwan.wordpress.com