The Giant Trees and Wild Springs of Qrahu
Of the three roads crossing the central mountain ranges only the Northern Cross Island Highway is open its whole length. The small village of Qrahu (this is an indigenous name I think, in Chinese Galahe is used) is nestled among tea farms and forest above a steep valley.
The village is not far from Lalashan; a famous spot for viewing enormous trees and also cherry blossoms in the spring. But while Lalashan is well known and packed with traffic on weekends it seems Qrahu is remote enough to avoid crowds. You'll really need your own transport to reach this spot and given the long and challenging drive it's best to spend a night or two here.
The hotspring waterfall at Qrahu on a busy day
The main attraction is the wild hot springs deep in the valley. The springs are already quite well-known and despite the long and steep hike to reach them they were quite busy on the holiday weekend I visited. The forest of giant cypress trees above the village is less well-known and given the long hike to reach it I expect it'll remain this way. I don't think this little niche blog will make much difference to traffic there but hopefully the few who read this will enjoy a trip!
The long but well maintained trail down
Qrahu hot springs is in a beautiful steep canyon with a shallow but fast flowing river. The springs are located on the opposite bank from the trail so don't attempt a visit after heavy rain! The most unusual part of this spring is the hot waterfall. It's the only one I've come across so far in Taiwan. The massaging of the warm water against the cool air was very comfortable. Otherwise there are a few pools that are big enough for 4-6 people, and given the volume of hot water parts of the river are warmer. The hike starts in the main village car park and winds steeply down a track through bamboo forest. It is possible to drive down this but turning would be difficult and only a 4 x 4 or relatively powerful scooter should attempt it I think. The track becomes steps and then a dirt path with some ropes. The hotspring is a little less relaxing when you know it'll be followed by the long climb back up this. Given the remoteness of Qrahu and the pain in the thighs this hike is I can't see this spot getting busy outside of national holidays.
A waterfall pool upriver
Leaving the springs after dark
The trees are another challenging hike but in the opposite direction. This was quite a rewarding hike as we simply thought we were heading to a local peak and didn't expect the trees. After winding through tea farms a well-marked dirt trail winds along a ridge in thick forest.
Strange looking ferns
The trail is a workout in places
The elevation change from where we started to the trees was over 500 meters so this was no easy stroll. After a hour or two in a fairly ordinary forest the surrounding trees started to increase in height. Suddenly there were some massive specimens with trunks many meters in diameter.
These are mostly red cypress trees and some of the larger specimens are about 2000 years old. They are prized for their good quality wood and so many were logged over the years. A lot of buildings from the Japanese era used cypress wood (known as hinoki in Japanese) and this gives buildings from that time a distinctive scent. If you scratch some of the bark of these trees you can get a hint of the same aroma.
Luckily despite all the logging there are stands left in the most inaccessible parts of the central mountains. Lalashan has an area that's a lot more accessible to families and elderly people than these trees. The trail continues up to a forested peak but at the felled trunk of a massive specimen and a crowning stand of several giants we decided to turn back. The weather was starting to change and we were aware that getting stuck in rains and cold at 2000 meters is a lot worse than doing so on Elephant Mountain.
Gnarled old growth forest
There are plenty of local peaks in the area that I expect have large trees on top but these in particular do have a google map link. To get to the trail wind up through the local tea farms, I'm afraid that's a little non-specific but it's not really marked beyond that.
A house on the road back had some beautiful sakura
Two little curios from the place we stayed (a small guesthouse that seemed nameless):
A moth laying it’s eggs and a type of wine with hornets inside (it did not taste good!)
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