Lushui-Wenshan Trail & Hot Springs - 綠水文山步道 & 溫泉

Located less then one-hour away from Hualien City, Lushui-Wenshan Trail (綠水文山步道) is a fantastic day hike in the famous Taroko National Park. Not only do hikers get to experience a beautiful hike through subtropical forests with stunning views of cliffs and mountain peaks within the world’s deepest marble gorge, this trail ends with a visit to the picturesque Wenshan Hot Springs (文山溫泉).

The Lushui-Wenshan Trail was once part of the Hehuan Yueling Ancient Trail, however, over time and with the opening of other major roadways, many ancient trails have fallen into disarray and some have even disappeared. Over years of trail maintenance and improvements within Taroko National Park, the Lushui-Wenshan Trail is now in great condition. The trail experience offers hikers a chance to see abandoned ruins of a Japanese occupation-era outpost and parts of an old Truku tribe’s village ruins, and hikers will cross the famous Taroko Gorge on the Lushui Suspension Bridge.This trail is shaded and the forest along the way is a beautiful subtropical forest with plenty of opportunities to spot butterflies, birds and monkeys. For those sections of this trail that require a bit more caution, there are ropes and guard rails for the hikers’ safety.

Hiking the Lushui-Wenshan Trail (綠水文山步道

Approximately a one-hour drive from Hualien City, Lushui-Wenshan Trail is located in Taroko National Park on Taiwan’s east coast. This trail does not require a park access permit.

Trail length is 5.5km and will take hikers approximately 3-5 hours to complete. In addition to the trail hike itself, time will be allocated at the end of the trip for guests to be able to enjoy the scenery and a soak in the Wenshan Wild Hot Springs before getting picked up and returned to Hualien.

Guests will be dropped off at the Lushui Visitor Center and will begin the ascent up to the Wenshan Hot Springs and the suspension bridge at the west end of Taishan Tunnel. This hike is about 5.5km in length. This section usually takes hikers around 4 hours to complete. Perhaps not as epic and grand as the Zhuliu Old Trail, the Lushui-Wenshan Trail features plenty of beautiful sections. The length and difficulty are intermediate-level and requires considerable physical fitness.

This path allows the hikers to experience lovely waterfalls, green forest, and several suspension bridges along the way. Lushui Wenshan Trail is perfect for those who would like to venture into the heart of subtropical jungle and who would also like to learn a bit about the history of Eastern Taiwan.

Lushui Wenshan Trail is quite shady, and due to that it’s pretty cool even during summertime. End of the hike there is a wild hot spring awaiting; you can feel the total relaxation in the hot pool after an intensive hiking day.

This trail features a variety of trail surfaces including, compact soil, stone steps and crushed stone. There are sections that require use of hand ropes to help scramble up . There are no sections that are too difficult for hikers with novice skill levels and above. Fo those who are beginner hikers and have little-to-no experience hiking on trails, please take this into consideration before booking a trip. Feel free to call Parkbus Taiwan to discuss the suitability for this trail based on your skill level.

This trail is lined by dense forest and passes many historical sites and abandoned ruins. Cutting through a primarily broad-leaved forest, it passes the ruins of Doyon, Maheyang and Iboho villages. Part of the trail was originally part of a Japanese Colonial-period police road.

Starting on the east end (Lushui) of this linear trail, hikers will experience a climb of about 300m before the trail levels out most of the remainder of the hike. From the high point along the eastern section, hikers on the Lushui Wenshan Trail will get a bird’s eye view of the Lushui and Heliu area in the Liwu River valley.

Taroko Gorge

Taroko Gorge is one of the country’s leading scenic and natural attractions. Dramatic, stunning, epic – these are all words that are commonly used to describe this beautiful area in Hualien County. The area is referred to as simply, Taroko Gorge and is a steep valley that has been carved over centuries by the meandering Liwu River (立霧溪). With headwaters starting from the Central Mountains of Taiwan Liwu River (立霧溪) eventually flows to the Pacific Ocean on Taiwan’s east coast. The blue-green waters of the river provide a picturesque contrast to the immense marble cliffs of Taroko National Park.