XIAQIGU WILD HOTSPRING (下七股野溪溫泉)

Yangmingshan’s Legal Wild Hot Springs

With its abundant sulphur deposits and steaming fumeroles, it’s hardly surprising that Yangmingshan National Park is home to plenty of hot springs. The vast majority of them are privately run facilities. A handful, like those at Lengshuikeng and Yangming Park are government-run facilities. And there are also a couple of wild hot springs. One of those—Bayan wild hot spring (八煙野溪溫泉)—is both popular and illegal to visit and police will occasionally venture out there to fine anyone caught breaking the rules. But illegal isn’t really my thing, so instead, here’s a short little post about visiting the legal wild hot spring in Yangmingshan National Park.

Distance: Less than 400 metres in each direction.

Time: It takes around ten minutes in either direction to walk to and from the hot springs.

Difficulty (regular Taiwan hiker): 1/10 – Some care should be taken navigating the steep path, but it’s basically a walk in the park.

Difficulty (new Taiwan hiker): 3/10 – It’s quite a long bus journey to get out there, and the walk down is unpaved, unsignposted, and steep in sections. That said, it is very well-trodden and you’re almost certain to run into others.

Total ascent: There a 50-metre climb from the springs back up to the road.

Water: This depends very much on how long you plan to hang out here. At a minimum, you’ll want to take a bottle of water and some snacks.

Shade: The hot spring pools aren’t very shaded, but the walk to and from it is.

Mobile network: Signal is very weak down by the stream. Personally, I don’t think that’s a bad thing!

Enjoyment: The pools are quite small, but if you’re lucky enough to be here when it’s quiet, it’s wonderful. There’s a cool freshwater stream running right alongside, so you can take turns dipping between the two.

Other: This is a wild hot spring, so there are no changing facilities, food, or rubbish bins. Make sure you prepare everything you need before boarding the bus.

Bathroom facilities: There is no bathroom on this trail. The nearest one is over at the carpark at the bottom of the Jinbaoli Trail.

Route type: There are back

Permit: None needed

Jump to the bottom of this post for a trail map and GPX file.

If you’re coming on public transport, you’ll be dropped off on the other side of the road from this sheltered stop and from here, you’ll have to walk down hill a short distance to the trailhead.

There are actually two trailheads. The first is a cut through next to this bend marker. This will take you down to pass in front of a building. There were a pair of noisy dogs guarding the area when I went, so you might prefer to walk a few metres further to find the lane opening instead.

The lane runs down to a clearing where it’s possible to park a couple of cars. From here, you’ll need to walk past the “no dumping your rubbish sign” and away from the road.

The large open area terminates just a little further into the tree line. Take a 90-degree right turn here and follow a narrow dirt track.

The path is well-defined the whole way. The first time I visited was after dark, and even in those circumstances, it was pretty easy to find the way.

When you get to this rocky outcropping, take the trail leading to the left around it. (There is another path on the right that seems to run down to another spot a little further downstream.) Soon, you’ll have to pass over a grotty-looking pool of sulphuric mud.

Thankfully, the thermal waters here are rather more appealing than the mud bath. The main pool is the one that you come to as soon as you break through the tree line. There were a few years and some heavy storms between my two visits, but the overall layout of the pools didn’t really change much in that time.

There’s another secondary pool immediately downstream of the first, but it’s far, far cooler.

The pools sit beside a freshwater stream that is unbelievably inviting even in winter (as long as you’ve cooked yourself for long enough). The trees to either side are lush and green, and if you visit on a clear night, you can look up to enjoy the stars.

How to get to Xiaqigu Wild Hot Spring

Google Maps address: There is a small amount of space at the trailhead to accommodate cars, but if you’re coming by scooter, it should be easy to park.

GPS location: N25 10.810 E121 34.810

Public transport: You can take the 1717 bus leaving from Taipei Main Station (Gongyuan) or Jiantan MRT Station and alight at Dayoukeng (I’ve also seen this stop listed as Xiaqigu, but Dayoukeng is how it’s currently listed on Google Maps). The bus runs roughly once every hour or two hours, with headroom getting longer later in the afternoon. The last bus heading back through Yangmingshan to the city is scheduled to pass this stop at 5:55pm, and there are two later services scheduled to leave in the direction of Jinshan. But… be warned, buses in these remote areas often whiz past way earlier than scheduled, leaving you stranded, so I’d advise against planning to get the last bus back unless you have a back-up.

Nearby trails: