The trails in Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area are nothing if not accurately named. The Hemlock Trail weaves through moss-draped hemlock forest, the Cueifeng Lake Circular Trail encircles Cueifeng Lake, and the Jiuzhize Nature Trail is blessed with abundant nature. I have never seen so many muntjacs in one place, and certainly not such chill ones. It wasn’t just muntjacs gracing the grassy slopes, we also saw a Swinhoe’s pheasant and heard an angsty troop of monkeys.

Distance: About 2.4 kilometres.

Time: 1-2 hours. We walked this in an hour with failing light.

Difficulty (regular Taiwan hiker): 2/10 – There are a few steps and some of the surfaces are uneven or slippery, but aside from that, this is a very easy walk.

Difficulty (new Taiwan hiker): 3/10 – While there are some steps, this walk should be pretty easy even for those new to hiking in Taiwan.

Total ascent: About 120 metres.

Water: A single 0.5L bottle was ample.

Shade: We went at dusk, so sun wasn’t a problem, but I think it should be pretty shady even on a sunny day.

Mobile network: Quite weak.

Enjoyment: The walk itself isn’t spectacular, but there are two things which elevate it into something rather special. The first was the large numbers of deer and other wildlife that we encountered on the way, while the second is the fact that the walk starts from Taipingshan’s hot spring area, so if you have time, you can enjoy a dip in the baths once you’ve finished your walk.

Other: I don’t know if we got so lucky with the wildlife because we visited at dusk, but that definitely seemed to be a good time to catch them.

Bathroom facilities: There is a toilet block by Jiuzhize Carpark.

Route type: Lollipop loop.

Permit: None needed, but you do need to pay to enter the park.

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

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We parked up just above the hot spring cooking area where excited tourists were dipping their nets of eggs and sweetcorn in pools of thermal water as steam billowed upwards.

From there, we walked upstream towards the hot spring facility.

The walk starts just opposite the hot spring ticket office by crossing a suspension bridge over Tuchang River (土場溪).

The bridge’s metal supporting ropes are decorated with butterfly motifs in celebration of the Taiwan broad-tailed swallowtail butterfly, an endangered endemic species, which is only found between 1,000-2,000 in the northern and central mountains of Taiwan.

At the far end of the bridge, we turned left to start the climb. (The trail on the right is a shorter and flatter walk that demonstrates some of the eco-craft trail-building techniques used by Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association).

We started our walk at about 4:20 on a cloudy day, so it was already a little gloomy by the time we set off.

After about ten minutes, the trail reaches a junction. This is the start of the loop section and signs indicate that walkers should turn right to make an anti-clockwise loop.

Unlike the moss-covered higher elevation trails in Taipingshan, this walk is characterised by luxuriant ferns.

The trail leads around the outer edge of a grassy slope with a higher patch of forest right in the centre. There are two short spurs leading to higher vantage points, but neither of them has a view anymore.

However, I was not disappointed by the lack of a view because Jiuzhize Nature Trail did not disappoint on the nature part of its name. The grassland was full of half a dozen grazing muntjacs who were very, very chill about our presence. They would skitter if we made any sudden movements, but when we stayed calm and quiet, they were utterly unfazed by our being there. I have never seen one up close before, and I was very impressed by the beautiful glossy sheen of their coats.

The path climbed up to a high point before curving back down to the left, and as we crested the rise, we sent more deer scattering. One of them barked and that set off a chain reaction. A Swinhoe’s pheasant strutted away from us and into the safety of the trees, and somewhere in the gathering dark of the forest, a chorus of monkeys chattered in alarm.

After completing the loop, we headed back down towards the collection of lights and stream on the far side of the bridge. We almost gave up on doing this walk because we got held up by roadworks on the way and thought we were too late, but I’m really glad we did it. It turned out to be quite a magical experience.

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How to get to Jiuzhize Nature Trail

Google Maps address: The walk starts and ends Jiuzhize Hot Spring Car Park. If you’re coming by car or scooter, it should be easy to park.

GPS location: N24 32.745 E121 30.445

Public transport: Kuo-kuang Motor Transport (also known as King Bus) run the 1750 once-a-day service which picks up passengers from Yilan Transfer Station at 7:40am and Luodong Transfer Station at 8:00am. The bus makes its return journey from Taiping Villa 2:30pm with an hour-long stop at Jiuzhize (鳩之澤) on the way back. However, the bus doesn’t stop long enough for you explore this trail.

Further reading: More about Taipingshan can be found here.

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Jiuzhize Trail Map

GPX file available here on Outdoor Active. (Account needed, but the free one works just fine.)

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