River tracing at Jiajiuliao river, Taipei
This trace has guided tours
Local guides are available on this river. See current listings on Klook.
Time needed
Around 3 hours round trip at a moderate pace
Safety
The trace its self is fairly easy. This area is prone to flooding though so keep an eye on the weather and be aware that there have been hornets spotted on the trail leading out.
Equipment
Them ever so sexy tracing boots
General information
Easy trace located quite close to town. Perfect for someone just looking to get into river tracing. The ending GPS location will get you to an area with a big slide that is quite fun, and quite safe. The final pool is deep so make sure you know how to swim. Some people I know have taken dogs on this trace up until the waterslide so thats possible if you want to give it a go. You can take the left-hand fork away from the main pool you end up at and go slightly further up to find a small pool to relax in. It should be easy to recognize as it's shaped a bit like a very specific part of the male anatomy. You can either continue further up this stream, though it does get a harder quite and I wouldn't suggest it unless you more experienced (only went 20 mins up myself, though would like to go back with more time as it looks fun) or find a trail on your left-hand side if you're facing upstream you can use to walk back to where you started. If that all seems a bit confusing check the photos for a drawing
Comments
We continued upstream from the big pool past the slide. The tracing gets slightly more difficult but a lot more fun, and keeps getting better the further you go. We are casual rock climbers and beginning tracers; nowhere did we need a rope or to swim. Lots of small waterfalls and pools, one big cascade (labeled Jiajiuliao Watefall on Gaia), and another slide into a big pool (though not sure if it's safe). You will eventually reach another fork in the stream here: 24.87242, 121.51454. The south fork takes you quickly up to the Honghe Valley Trail, which leads back down to the road. We didn't explore beyond the fork, but the river was still quite nice. There is likely another couple hours of tracing to further upstream trail crossings. This additional stretch took us 2 hrs without much stopping, and 1 hr hiking out at an easy pace. For reference it took us 1 hr to reach the big pool from the road. [Note, as of 2025-09-26, the Honghe Valley Trail is closed at a washed out suspension bridge at 3km. The fork above brings you back to the trail at approx. 3.5km, but the downed bridge is easy to pass with some care.]