Rivers of Taiwan
Every documented river trace, most recent first. Pick a specific river from the nav to narrow the feed.
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A beautiful creek with a lot of climbing. We visited two waterfalls and a pool between them. The distance isn't long, but it took us a lot of time (eight hours in total). There's a third waterfall, but we didn't go there. Beginners will have a very hard time, but ordinary river tracers or people good at climbing should be fine. A rope is strongly r ... ecommended for this trip. We visited two waterfalls. The first one is quite beautiful, located in a half-encircled gorge. The second one is a three-tiered waterfall. Between the two waterfalls is a pool similar to Goddess' Pool in Melburry Creek (you need a rope here to make sure you can climb back after jumping in).
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The first waterfall is at 24.96,121.9085. It's 4 meters and has a nice pool to chill. On top of it are another two pools and you can jump into them. Trace further up for another 40 minutes-1 hour and you'll get to a 8-m waterfall. If you go above the 8-meter waterfall, two really tall waterfalls are around the corner. The one on the main stream is ... around 20-25 meters tall, and the other one on the left fork is also around that height. We went around the waterfall on the right side(facing downstream) and did a little bushwhack, but it was quite easy in general. There's webbing and a rope on the other side but it looked very sketchy to climb up, so we didn't go up on the left side(facing downstream). Shimen Creek is not only easy but also quite traffically available, just a train ride and a taxi from Dali 大里 or Daxi 大溪 station and you'll get to the trailhead.
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Tracing Route: The trail from the starting point (24.53689,121.09718) to the creek is quite steep and slippery. A refreshing and nice small waterfall and its pool are at 24.53637,121.09613. After Baxian Waterfall 八仙瀑佈, you can either hike up the trail to the road at 24.53385, 121.09776 or trace up the creek to a steel bridge whose exit is at 24.53 ... 124,121.09533 in grass. Water is not recommended for drinking because the upstream part passes a bridge.
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The 5-kilometer one-way hike was quite long. We walked almost non-stop and chose to stick to the trail as much as possible while strictly limiting our time to 5 or 10 minutes at each large pool. To save time, we followed the trail for most of the route to Double Dragon Waterfall rather than tracing in the water. From Double Dragon to the final 120-m ... eter waterfall, the creek became steeper and more challenging, requiring us to climb large rocks, which slowed us down. There were no technical difficulties, but it demanded physical stamina and strict time management. We spent a fair amount of time at each large pool, but we decided to skip the Double Dragon pool and its slide. On our way back, we jumped into the pools (having checked their depth and suitable jump spots on our way up). We passed all the commercial tours and were rewarded with the opportunity to filter and drink the creek water, which tasted great. Most of them only reached the first large pool, and only a few made it to Crimson Gorge. Before reaching the final waterfall, we encountered a slender and elegant 60-meter waterfall and another tall one. Then came the enormous final 120-meter waterfall. It deserved a spot in my top ten magnificent waterfalls list, alongside the 120-meter Nenggao Soaring Falls. I had initially thought it would be around 70 meters based on the topo map, but I was glad to be proven wrong—very wrong. The waterfall consisted of three tiers, resembling the cross-section of a pork belly. The creek water from the main stream rushed from the top of the waterfall to the next tier, then further down to another tier before finally reaching the enormous pool it had created. The waterfall gorge had a beautiful shape, surrounded by steep mountainsides. A giant boulder served as the waterfall's threshold, which we had to climb over to access the pool, accompanied by a secondary 10-meter waterfall between the boulder itself and the giant pool. This trace was one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences I've had so far. It appears that there was another waterfall over 100 meters high about 300 meters away. Hopefully, someone can bring a drone to check it out. Trailhead 24.10787,121.59976 Rose Valley 玫瑰谷 24.11162,121.59199 Crimson Valley 赤金峽谷 24.11639,121.58093 Double Dragon 雙龍瀑布 24.11679,121.57702 Gorge 24.11692,121.57491 120-M Pork Belly Waterfall 24.12026,121.57353
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I visited the location a week after the typhoon had passed, resulting in the waterflow being 2.5 times its usual rate. I believe tracing the path is much easier under normal waterflow conditions. On that day, I encountered numerous waterholes. We drove down to the end and began walking along a trail towards the GPS spot. The creek serves as a water ... source for the village below, with visible pipes. The first waterfall was particularly enchanting, featuring a beautifully serene pool in front of it (I'm uncertain if it was at coordinates 24.41096, 121.73626). Up until this point, the creek was characterized by large rocks and a swift current, without anything noteworthy to document. As we approached the final waterfall, the boulders grew larger, and the terrain became steeper. 300 meters away from the destination, we walked around along the mountainside on the right side of the creek (facing downstream). We descended into the valley on a rope I set up to a tree, and left it there for our return. Close to where we descended with the rope, we encountered the most challenging part of the river tracing. A precarious rope was hanging in a strong current. Due to the high risk and time constraints (we had set off late), I initially considered retreating. However, David (The Map Room) managed to climb the rope, which had been there for who knows how long. I was reluctant to use the same rope, so I passed my rope to him to set up a rope for me to cross the boulder. The potential danger was immense – being swept away by the powerful current or the rope breaking could lead not only to a dangerous fall but also to potential death from the waterhole (as everything seemed like a waterhole that day). I asked about his assessment of the climb, and he estimated an 80% chance of success. Well, not my style, but he's much stronger than me. On the return journey, we rappelled down instead of using the rope in the water. Around 100 meters beyond the previous obstacle, there was a 15-meter slanted waterfall. We circumvented it on the left side. Although there were two small ropes visible (which I didn't use), the area in front of the waterfall presented challenges. If you managed to reach this point, you should be relatively fine here. The rocks were extremely slippery here. We witnessed the tremendous rush of water cascading from the height of 45 meters into a pool and roaring through the gorge. Adjacent to the pool, the water was squeezed between two large rocks, creating a secondary 3-meter waterfall as it dropped. The sight was truly amazing, leaving us both astounded and thrilled. However, the journey wasn't over. A path existed on the right side of a large rock (facing downstream). David managed to climb over, but he was uncertain about the stability of the worn rope hanging there. I secured a rope and slings around the rope anchor for safety. Upon climbing up to the anchor rock, the powerful current was right beside and below us, flowing between the two massive rocks. With caution, we descended and walked through the water while holding onto the rope. The water level was so high that it reached my chest. It weirdly reminded me the time in the gorges of Jianianduan when I fought against currents. Finally, we reached the front of the waterfall. It has a resemblance to Yuemeikeng but with a waterflow seven times stronger. During our return, I held a rope attached to David and descended first, carefully seeking footholds and avoiding potential waterholes. Then, I guided him down. At high water flow, the difficulty is undoubtedly at a 5/5 level. I can't speculate on how this would be under normal waterflow conditions--definitely much easier!
