Baiyang Waterfall Revisited

The Water Curtain Tunnel

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Bilu and Yangtou Mountain, Taroko Gorge National Park

Walking through a frost covered forest in Taroko Gorge National Park

Mount Bilu and Yangtou are located near the top of Taroko Gorge National Park.  Both peaks are above 3000m and can be done as individual days hikes, a mad single day traverse or a 2-3 day traverse with camping.

Day 1

It’s a long drive from Taipei to Dayuling for the start of the hike.  With the restrictions on the Suhua Highway, we had to come via Lishan and it took almost 6 hours to get there.  The trailhead starts next to the Dayuling Tunnel which is the intersection for Lishan, Hehuanshan and Taroko Gorge.

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Teapot Mountain and Banping Mountain

Teapot Mountain as seen from Banping Mountain

Teapot Mountain on Taiwan’s north coast has to have some the most amazing views you can get for a day hike from Taipei City.  The hike begins in the rejuvenated Jinguashi Gold Ecological Park. I remember visiting this area years and just thinking how depressing it was, but it’s now fully open and makes for a nice place to visit especially in the morning when the crowds aren’t too bad.

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Yushan Single Day Ascent

With Yushan’s Paiyun Cabin still not open, the best way to climb Taiwan’s highest mountain is the tough single day ascent.  Starting at Tatajia you have to ascend and descend some 1700m and cover 26km in a single day.  It’s not for everyone, but is makes for a great challenge for those who are up to it.

Sunrise at the trail to Yushan

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Yuemeikeng Waterfall

The Yue Mei Keng Waterfall in full flow

Richard Saunders let me know about the Yuemeikeng Waterfall sometime ago and he mentioned that it was a relatively unknown and hidden place and so when I visited last year, I decided not to write about it to try and keep it that way.  But now it has been discovered by the masses and the trail is well tagged and well beaten, I think it’s OK to write a quick post.

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Beidawu – 北大武山

Sunset near the Kuaigu Cabin

Having failed to get a permit in the Yushan National Park because of the snow season, we headed a little further south to Pingdong County to hike Beidawushan which is Taiwan’s southern most Baiyue (top one hundred mountain). In the past this was a reasonable 2 day hike, but a large landslide caused my Typhon Morakot means the trailhead is much lower and further back making it a much tougher walk. We did it in 2 days, but if you’ve got the time, I think 3 days would be more enjoyable.

Although it’s one of the smaller Baiyue (3092m), Beidawu is a mammoth rock that rises sharply from the ground. The strip of land that it lies on is only 80km from the west coast to the east coast and on fine days you can see both (or so I hear!)

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Sandiaoling Waterfalls 三貂嶺瀑布群

The weather in northern Taiwan is notoriously bad in the winter and this year has been no exception.  So f you’re going to hike in the rain, there won’t be much scenery to look, unless of course you visit a waterfall and the Sandiaoling Trail 三貂嶺 has waterfalls in abundance.

Hegu Waterfall, the first waterfall on the trail

When I woke up on Sunday the weather in Taipei wasn’t too bad, just a slight drizzle and so I had high hopes for our hike.  However, the further east we got, the heavier the rain became and when we finally arrived at the tiny station of Sandiaoling, it was pretty much a persistent downpour.  Still, everyone was in high spirits as we headed along the tracks and got onto the very muddy trail.

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Some Upcoming Hikes

We’ve got two open hikes planned for February.  The first is to Snow Mountain on the 10th-12th and the second is to Dabajianshan on the 25th-27th.  February 27/28th are both holidays and so we’ve got a 4 day weekend then.

Snow Mountain is Taiwan’s second highest peak and a great climb.  Some amazing scenery!

Snow Mountain Facebook Event

Dabajianshan is probably Taiwan’s most distinctive mountain.  Look on the back of a $500NT note, that’s the one!  It’s a great 3 day hike to this huge mountain and back.

Dabajianshan Facebook Event

If you’re interested in joining us on either hike or on some gentler day trips around Taipei, then join the facebook group, Taiwan Adventures – Group Hikes.

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Yushan Info

A couple of bits of news from the Yushan National Park came out in the last week.   The Paiyun Cabin, which has been closed for sometime now, is set to open in the spring of next year.  It seems that the cabin will be divided into roughly 10 rooms of 8-12 people rather than the old barrack-style that it used to be.  That should mean getting some sleep will be easier when you don’t have to listen to 60+ people snoring!  The Cabin will also have a restaurant too and hopefully there will still be kitchen facilities for those who want to do their own cooking.

The only bad news is that the cleaning fee for staying at the cabin will rise to $700 for foreigners and will remain at $220 for Taiwanese.  Given how much bad English and infrequent updates there are on the website, it seems a little rich for the foreigners to be charged more than 3 times as much.   We’ll have to see what eventually happens.  Fingers crossed the park authority see sense before the cabin opens.

Also earlier this week the dates for the resting period for Yushan were announced.  Climbers will not be allowed to hike Yushan between Feb 1st and Feb 29th.

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Group Hike to Snow Mountain

Snow Mountain, Taiwan

Next month Taiwan Adventures are organising a group hike to Snow Mountain, Taiwan’s second highest mountain.  We’ve already ran trips to Nenggao, Jialuo Lake and Songluo Lake and this will be our first group trip to the Sheipa National Park.  If you’re interesting in joining us, please sign up at our facebook page.

The plan is to leave Taipei on Friday 25th November at 7pm and return on Sunday 27th November 7pm.  The trip involves spending 2 nights in cabins on the mountainside.  Total cost for the trip is $4500NT and this includes transport, permits, insurance, food and guiding.  The trip is limited to 10 people so please sign up ASAP!

Itinerary

Friday – Meet 7pm, drive to Wuling Farm and then hike at night for an hour to arrive at the Qika Cabin.

Saturday – Up around 8am, breakfast and then hike up to the 369 Cabin passing by Snow Mountain’s East Peak. Sleep at the cabin.

Sunday – Up sharp (2/3am) and head to the main peak for sunrise. Hike back down to Wuling Farm and then drive back to Taipei. We expect to be back around 7pm.

Equipment

You will need;

– At least a 40L backpack
– Pack cover
– Sturdy hiking shoes or boots (Sneakers won’t cut it on this one)
– Fleece
– Raincoat
– Warm pants
– 3 pairs of socks
– Warm hat
– Gloves
– Sleeping bag (winter bag – it will be very cold  at night, possibly below zero)
– Rain gear
– 2L of water
– Flashlight (preferably a headlamp)
– Toiletries and personal items
– Sunscreen

If you have trouble getting anything, let us know and we’ll see if we can help you out. We’ll provide all the food with the exception of lunch on Saturday.

Notes

It’s important to note that although hiking Snow Mountain doesn’t involve any technical climbing, any high mountain hike where you are carrying your own gear is tough.  Please consider your fitness and ability before signing up.

We will require a deposit of $1000NT from anyone who wishes to come.  This is non-refundable unless we are forced to cancel because of the weather.

We must receive the deposit before 25th October otherwise it will be too late to apply for the permit.

The view from the East Peak as the sun comes up

Almost at the peak

Looking towards the Central Mountain Range

The Black Forest in winter

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