Not sure if this topic has already been discussed, but can anyone recommend some hot spring bathing areas? Also, does anyone know of natural hot spring baths (not just a tub filled with water and chemicals to simulate hot spring bathing).
Thanks!
[quote=“ratbrain”]Not sure if this topic has already been discussed, but can anyone recommend some hot spring bathing areas? Also, does anyone know of natural hot spring baths (not just a tub filled with water and chemicals to simulate hot spring bathing).
Thanks![/quote]
Yangmingshan. Just went there yesterday. Top of the mountain, natural hot spring with all the good floaties in the water. hot as hell.
cheap, outdoors place…and you have a car so very accessible, and some nice hiking around the area.
Rat, from your location the best place to go, and my favorite hot spring area is at Taian in Miaoli County. From Guishan it would take less than an hour to get there. Lots of great hiking in the area, clean swimmable rivers, excellent food (my favorite Hakka restaurant is there), and wonderfully smooth hot spring water. There are several hot spring sources and only a few hotels so you can be sure the water is pure. The Sunrise is an nice 4 star hotel with excellent outdoor facilities (think wooden decks and mutliple pools overlooking a lovely wooded valley) and funky Japanese style rooms with big tubs with windows overlooking the valley (if you get the right room).
There is a thread on Taian and I wrote a fair bit about the place in the new Lonely Planet (there’s a map, too).
Another place close to your house is at Sanxia along the road to the old tree trail at Full Moon Park. You may not have seen it but we passed it on the way it. If you drive down that road and keep your eye out you can’t miss it (it’s on the right). Since this is the only hot spring place in the area, again the water should be pure. They have indoor and outdoor pools. Hmm. Since it is going to rain this weekend maybe I will head out to one of these places myself.
Along the North Cross Island highway, around Baling there are two hot springs in a natural state. Haven’t been to them but if you drive to the visitor centre at Cihu (where Chiang Kai Shek is buried) they have maps and info.
There’s one more place in your area. South of Neiwan on the road to Kuanwu Forest Recreation area. the springs are in the town of Cingquan. This area had a lot of damage a year ago so I don’t know how the roads are or even what the springs are like.
In any case, you guys have several options within an hour or your place. No need to drive all the way to Taipei or Yangmingshan.
BTW, I don’t recommend Guguan at all. Horribly overcrowded. Very doubtful you are getting real hot spring water.
thanks for the suggestions. I know Yangmingshan has lots of hotsprings, and if the mountains are so packed on the weekends, i can’t imagine the hot springs. Thanks for the suggestions Mucha_Man, I will check those places out. The Sunrise place sounds good. Okay, I am sold, I will go and buy the Lonely Planet.
There’s a thread on this. Full Moon seemed to be highly recommended. Mrs and I will be checking it out next month. Here’s a Chinese website about Taiwan hot spring places
Yes, there is a thread on this but because rat lives in Taoyuan I will let it stay. Let’s keep info relevant to her area then.
There is a totally natural hot springs (one of many in this area) at Km mark 59 on the Northern Cross-Island Highway (Bei-hen)
I haven’t been there for about 2 years, and it’s a one hour, pretty much straight down hike.
PM Mr. He for directions…He’s been there more recently.
Nice place, complete with Hot Spring waterfall out of solid rock.
I did a search but the page 2 function is still not working, I think someone already mentioned it in the bug thread. Anyways, Taoyuan area natural hot springs are good, and the suggestions are good, many thanks!
2-300 meters after the 59km mark on the North Cross island highway, you will see the road turn left. At the rurn, there will be a small rock with trees sticking up at your right hand site.
Park there, and walk back for about 30 meters or so. Where they have signs on the “down” side telling you not to tresspass, you do exactly that, and you will discover a faint trail with markers. (Another hint is that the trailhead to fuxing jian shan is on the othe rside of the road goign up - it’s a bit more clear to spot.)
Follow that down.
Riverhikers - IE felt-soled shoes/boots should be brought, as you have to cross the river in order to make it to the hot spring.
There’s supposed to be a rope you grab when you go over, it was broken when I was there, so we did not make it across.
What if the toad is not there that day? 
[quote=“Mr He”]2-300 meters after the 59km mark on the North Cross island highway, you will see the road turn left. At the rurn, there will be a small rock with trees sticking up at your right hand site.
Park there, and walk back for about 30 meters or so. Where they have signs on the “down” side telling you not to tresspass, you do exactly that, and you will discover a faint trail with markers. (Another hint is that the trailhead to Fuxing jian shan is on the othe rside of the road goign up - it’s a bit more clear to spot.)
Follow that down.
Riverhikers - IE felt-soled shoes/boots should be brought, as you have to cross the river in order to make it to the hot spring.
There’s supposed to be a rope you grab when you go over, it was broken when I was there, so we did not make it across.[/quote]
oh my god.
Come on, my daughter did it when she was 9…Ok, it’s damn steep, but it’s also a really beautiful hike/climb/rope down and not really that far compared to some of the other hikes done by other posters weekly. Yes, the hot spring is on the far side of the river, but it’s worth the bone crushing cold to be oh, so warmed on the other side.
The hike itself is spectacular, and the hot springs at the end is just icing on the cake.
And remember that you REALLY have to cross the river because on the side you arrive at, there’s little piles of human shit and TP EVERYWHERE. Pretty fucking gross. At least there was when I was there a few years back.
OK, then. I am so there. 
That’s weird, I went there in may, and there was only the remains of a campfire, and that was it. Reasonably clean, actually.
Ditto here,
I’ve been up there 5 times, and have never seen anything other than nature… :s