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Nate Ball
Start by following a short trail to the wonderful "Yunei Waterslide". This requires a short swim to access, but contains two slides and a huge pool. Beyond this, you'll find several smaller pools and falls along a relatively flat section. At a split, you'll find more nice pools. Going left (main stream) is unknown (probably flatter), whereas going r
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ight requires a short climb and then steeper tracing to an amazing waterfall grotto.
I made a spreadsheet of the best river traces in northern Taiwan, check it out here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15QNhE9z3lhwz33C6V4P11dljPzWafFGKowzTi9Wrkjg
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Jay
This is about the river tracers' route. If you take the tourists' mountain trail. Things would be much easier. On a trace, people usually trace up from the steel bridge(24.8303888,121.7385734) and go back on tourists' route from Yuemeikeng Waterfall. Because river tracing back takes a lot of time.
The starting point is a parking lot, but it is extre
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mely stuffed with cars on weekends because the area is a popular tourist attraction. Therefore, taking a taxi or riding a scooter here from the bus or train station is a reasonable choice.
First, walk across the bridge of big pipes to the trail from the starting point. Then hike up the trail for 15 minutes, and you will see the starting point in the creek, by a thin steel bridge. When you see a land god shrine on your way, you are almost to the creek. Remember to choose the right trail fork after the land god shrine.
There is a creek fork almost right by the starting point of the creek. You should follow the mainstream first, which is the left one. Trace up for 15 minutes, and you will the other creek fork; this time you have to choose the right fork. Trace up here for 15 minutes, there should be a gorge. There are two ways to go up. One is to climb up the waterfall, and the other is to climb around on the right side(facing downstreams) of the creek. The former is only doable with low waterflow, and the use of rope is suggested. The latter, however, requires tracers to climbing on a vertical wall at the height of 3.5 meters with some rope; it is pretty challanging even risky to unsporty people.
There is another waterfall right above the lower one. The pond between the two waterfalls is very deep and good for jumping. But the climbing-up next to the second waterfall is even more challanging--a gap of 5 meters with barely any footholds and slippery rock face. Even though there should be a piece of thick rope with many knots, it is still the most challanging part of climbing--I even struggled there. If you climb on the wall on the right side of the creek instead of climbing up right through the lower waterfall. You will end up at the top of the second water and will not need to climb this difficulty gap.
Yuemeikeng Waterfall now is 30 minutes away. The creek is surrounded by rainforesty trees and ferns, and this part of the trace is relatively easy. But the joy of a few gaps and pools on the way will bring you an impressvie experience. Finally, you will be met by a big waterfall at the height of 45 meters, and that is Yuemiekeng Waterfall.
On you way back, you can take the tourists' route to get back. There are two ways to do so. One is to hike up on the right side(facing downstreams). This is a detour route but much clearer than the other. The other is to trace downstreams back for 5-10 minutes along the creek. There is a rough trail and it is sometimes interrupted by the creek itself. The trail that leads you back to the mountains can be found at here, on the left side of the creek(facing downstreams)(24.8310332,121.7354250).
