A visit to the crystalline waters of the Beipu Cold Spring and a very short but rewarding walk at the Wuzhishan Scenic Area on the Xian Dong Trail (仙洞步道) through dense pine forest.
Distance/Time: At Beipu Cold Spring we walked only 1.03 km. The trail at the Wuzhishan Scenic area was 1.13 km and took only 35 minutes.
Trail Conditions: Both of these walks are very easy. I did both walks wearing sandals. Beipu Cold Spring can be visited without ever leaving a paved path. There were a couple of wet, slippery parts on the Xian Dong trail with ropes to help on slightly steep parts, but nothing difficult. Both walks are suitable for families.
What to take/amenities: Beipu Cold Spring would be a great place for a picnic so I recommend taking a picnic lunch. There are shelter houses with benches where you could eat. There were also some vendors selling food and there was a cafe but on the day we were there it did not look open.At the Wuzhishan Scenic area there were lots of vendors selling snacks and cold drinks.
For the cold spring you might want to take a swimming suit. There were changing rooms but on the day I visited they were locked, I assume because of COVID restrictions. The toilets there were also blocked with yellow tape. At Wuzhishan there was a toilet at one of the temples and another at a temple on the trail.
Transportation:
There is no way to access this
area by public transportation that I know of. I was on a family trip
for the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and we rented a car and drove.
Both places
are on county road 37 outside of the town of Beipu in Hsinchu County.
Beipu Cold Spring
We parked in the large parking lot on the left just before arriving at the cold spring.
Exiting the parking lot onto the road we turned left and walked a short way toward two bridges.
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| Food vendors near Beipu Cold Spring |
The river is on the right side of the road and there are two bridges that cross—a concrete arched bridge and a suspension bridge. We walked to the suspension bridge and crossed.
On the other side of the river we turned left and walked along a wide shallow stretch of stream. There were several families with adults and children soaking and playing in the stream. At the end there is water streaming over a weir which is very picturesque.
There were changing booths but they were locked (I assumed due to COVID restrictions). Just to the right of the weir there were some pools for swimming and a long channel for sitting and soaking your feet.
However, the water in the pools was visibly, very dirty. Some people were swimming in it but we did not. A sign said that you must wear a swim suit and swim cap but some of the bathers did not have caps. Looking at the particles and dirt floating in the water I can’t see why it would make a difference.
The foot soaking area was mostly dry when we were there.
The swimming pools and the foot soaking area were a disappointment but the water in the river was crystal clear and cool and a great spot for soaking.
After soaking and resting a bit we got back in the car and continued to the Wuzhishan Scenic Area—about a ten minute drive or less.
WuZhishan Scenic Area: Xian Dong Trail
We parked in the first parking lot that we came to—on the left side of the road just before a very large, ornate temple.
Exiting the parking lot, we turned left, and walked along the road until we came to a wide, paved overlook on the right side of the road with a fantastic view. Just next to the overlook there was a parking lot.
We walked to the end of the parking lot passing a row of vendors to join a short loop trail that starts in the far right corner of the lot. There is a small, concrete pedestrian bridge. After the bridge the trail turns left but looking to the right you can see where the you will come out after finishing the loop.
The trail was concrete slabs at first, passed through a picnic area and then turned into a narrow paved trail and soon to a dirt trail surrounded by pine forest.
This trail is very easy to follow. We walked until we came to a fork. The left fork goes to the road. The right fork doubles back to the beginning along a lower trail.
This trail is short but really beautiful. It is in dense forest all the way. There are excellent views of the valley below and mountains beyond and two small shrines or temples.
The trail was a little slippery and overgrown in places but it was not difficult. There are ropes to help in several places.
We followed this trail until we came to a larger temple. The trail passes through the temple. Just after the temple turn right and uphill following a concrete path.
You emerge just next to the beginning point. We turned right then left back over the small, arched bridge and we were back at the parking lot.
Looking at the map, I could see there were some longer and steeper trails in the area, including one that goes to a peak called Shi Zi Feng which is 1040 meters.
But I did not visit any of these trails. I was with my family and they were definitely not up for hiking a trail like that. Also I was only wearing sports sandals.
GPS coordinates and maps:
Beipu Cold Spring parking lot: 24.664298, 121.071445
https://my.viewranger.com/track/details/MjA4MzgxMjI=
Wuzhishan Scenic Area: 24.643578, 121.090795
Trail head for the short trail (Xian Dong Bu Dao): 24.642061, 121.08882
https://my.viewranger.com/track/details/MjA4NDc1NTk=
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