Wufengqi Waterfall

The Wufengqi stream drops in three stages down a wooded hillside above Jiaoxi, with paved paths and steps linking viewing platforms at the bottom two tiers and a rougher climb to the top one. Together the three tiers drop about a hundred metres. The name comes from the five sharp peaks behind, likened to the five triangular flags worn on the backs of generals in Chinese opera. It is an easy walk from a hot-spring town that is itself an easy train ride from Taipei, which is why it is one of the busiest short walks in northern Taiwan.

Highlights

• The three tiers - falls stacked up the hillside with platforms at the lower two.
• The lower fall - the tier nearest the entrance, dropping into a pool.
• The paved path - an easy graded walk from the car park to the second tier.
• The Lanyang plain view - the Yilan plain and the sea from the upper viewpoint.

When to go

March to November is the best for flow, which drops in dry spells. Typhoon rain makes the stream dangerous and closes the path. Weekends are crowded.

Good to know

The path is busy and at weekends it is a queue. Flow is weak in dry periods. The climb to the third tier is steeper and less maintained than the lower path.

Nearby

Jiaoxi hot springs are below, and Yilan city is south.

Key facts