Hsinchu Maple Forest - Xiuluan [Travel in Taiwan (Maple Series)]

The growing number of Taiwanderers will be surprised to hear this. There is a maple forest in Hsinchu!  While foreigners find it hard to go to Aowanda in Nantou just to see maple leaves (thanks to tripool taxi https://www.tripool.app/?utm_source=luomuji, going there now, had become so easy), locals wait for the right time to witness the reappearance of Hsinchu's yellow maple forest.

From Taipei to Xiuluan in Jianshih Township.  You can only get to this place if you have your own car.  Being a DIY traveler, the only option is to rent a private car.  From Taipei, the ride was smooth until my vehicle passed by Neiwan Old Street.   The TRA's Neiwan branch line can only reach up to the Neiwan town and what lies beyond the hills is always a mystery for a lot of people.   Mountains with hues of different colors,  going to the secluded corners of Hsinchu was like a having a trip to Alishan.

Yulao Lookout

At Yulao Lookout, visitors can make a stop and have some time for a delicious snack.

aboriginal sausage

 

Yulao Police Station

view of western Taiwan from Yulao

Before you get to Xiuluan,  you will pass by Yulan Lookout point.  It's a viewing platform where most travelers make a stop to enjoy local delicacies and buy some vegetables.  As expected, aboriginal sausages were the top pick, but the most striking was the millet-like plant that had been hanging on some of the stalls.   In the town of Ita Thao in Sun Moon Lake, millet is made into mochi.  It could be the same here in Jianshih.

a house in Xiuluan

autumn foliage at the mountian slolpes in Xiuluan

Formosan sweet gum leaves.  Not really a maple but regarded as a maple by the locals.  The leaves change color from green to yellow even up to red.

Three rivers meet at Xiuluan

Visitors can go to the creek to touch its waters.  Nobody will stop but you have to careful in going down.

There are two suspension bridge in Xiuluan.  The first is called the Xiuluan suspension bridge and it leads to the maple forest.

The second suspension bridge is called the Battleship Rock suspension bridge because you can get a good view of the rock formation from which it was named.

The trip will continue to a river valley until you reach a quiet town.  Welcome to Xiuluan, the place where the  Baishi, Yufong and Taihang rivers meet.  The body of water is a natural hot spring and you can build your own private tub by removing some boulders and letting some water fill inside the hole that you created.

selfie at the Xiuluan suspension bridge

Xiuluan suspension bridge

The rustling of leaves and the sound of the gushing water invites visitors to hurriedly cross the suspension bridge and find their way down to the riverside quickly.  There were actually two suspension bridges in Xiuluan.  The first leads to the maple forest while the second leads to the entrance of the Jhunyesheng Trail. 

There is a limit of 30 people at a time when crossing the Battleship Rock suspension bridge.

Battleship Rock

I was excited to get close to the yellow maples until I noticed the so-called Battleship Rock.  I was able to get close to it through the  60-meter long bridge where only 30 people can pass at a time.  Locals follow this rule to avoid any accidents.  Shaped like a hull of a ship, the Battleship Rock stood on the riverside.  Showing its marvelous striations, produced by eons of weathering, sedimentation, and metamorphic processes.

a Formosan sweet gum leaf

Tall yellow maple trees. A quintet to be exact!  Seeing the foliage that is swaying freely against the wind, is the price for those spectators who got tired of looking at the leaves for a long time.  Their necks have become stiffen, but their hearts would be filled by joy brought by the autumn colors that can only be seen every December in Taiwan.

If you are interested to see Xiulian, tripool taxi (web app: https://www.tripool.app/?utm_source=luomuji) can take you from Hsinchu HSR Station or TRA Hsinchu Station.  There will be no need to be in a hurry because you can schedule your own return trip.   The technique is, to base your travel itinerary on the train schedules at Hsinchu Station.  The cool water of the rivers are really tempting to touch, so I bet that you will really want to stay for a long time to enjoy your trip.   I have also designed a tripool taxi itinerary where you can visit in just one day, Neiwan Old Street, Yulao Lookout, and of course, the maple forest in Xiuluan.

Suggested tripool taxi itinerary on visiting Xiuluan Suspension Bridge, Yulao Lookout and Neiwan Old Street in just one day. If you want to follow this itinerary, then you have to make 4 separate bookings in the tripool  web app: https://www.tripool.app/?utm_source=luomuji for each pick-up point - drop-off point pair.  Up to a maximum of 8 passengers can be book in one ride

Pick-up point	Drop-off point	Distance	Travel time	Estimated tripool taxi fare (NTD)			Suggested pick-up period at the pick-up point
				# of passengers
				1 or 2	4	8
Hsinchu HSR Station	Xiuluan Suspension Bridge	52.8 kms	1 hr 40 mins	1,377	1,515	2,004	7:30 am - 8:00 am
Xiuluan Suspension Bridge	Yulao Lookout	10.3 kms	22 mins	435	479	968	12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Yulao Lookout	Neiwan Old Street	23.3 kms	45 mins	638	702	1,191	2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Neiwan Old Street	Hsinchu HSR Station	20.8 kms	35 mins	564	620	1,109	5:30 pm - 6:00 pm

MAPLE (紅葉) LOCATIONS IN TAIWAN

Sakura Series - Taiwan

2025 Forecast

Taipei 101 first flowers

Tianyuan Palace backyard

Taipei Flower Test Center

Pingjing St. Lane 42

Broadwood Park

Sunshine Sports Park kawazu sakura

Wuling Farm (武陵農場)

SYS kawazu sakura

Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village

CKS Memorial Hall

Shibafen Yoshino Sakura

Hope River

Dongfang Temple

Tianyuan Palace

Neicou Stream Trail

Orange Garden Cafe

Yangming Park Visitor Information Center

Yangming Park Service Center Bus Stop

Huashan Road

Qianshan Park

Zhongshan Hall Entrance

Tenglong Sakura Farm

Flower Test Center Shōwa Sakura

Neihu Creek Trail

Shulin Land Office

Xióng Kōng Cherry Blossom Forest

Lung Yen Sakura Forest

Yangming Park cherry stream

Yangming Park fountain

CKS Memorial Hall Tairyō sakura

Wugu District Tianyi Road

CKS Memorial Hall yaesakura

Loving Farm

Yong Long Farm

Zhongbaling Sakura Road

Sun Link Sea

Tai'an Police Station

Cherry Hill Slope

Hsinchu Park

Taipei 101

Kāng Gào Kēng Creek

New Garden City

Broadwood Park

Tianyuan Palace backyard

Pingjing St. Lane 42

Alishan Ranger Station

Alishan House

Alishan Police Station

Alishan Forest Railway

Alishan Station

Alishan Entrance

Alishan Gou Hotel

Alishan Magnolia Garden

Wulai tour

Wun Chang Elementary School

Bishanyan

Sanzhi Sansei Trail

Sakura Series - Taiwan

Nei Cuo Stream

Orange Garden Cafe

Sansei Trail

Tenglong Sakura Farm

Yangming Park Cherry Stream

Yangming Park Fountain

Flower Test Center

Broadwood Park

New Garden City

Yinghua Park

Pingjing St. Lane 42

Yangmingshan Visitor Center

Taipei 101

Tianyuan Palace backyard

Sakura Series - Japan

Kamonyama Park

Near the Nippon Maru Memorial Park

Shinko Park

Minato-mirai 21 area

Tokyo Tech Suzukakedai Campus

Onda River

Tenryuji

Byodoin

Kiyomizudera

Himuro shrine and Yakushi-ji Temple

Hōryū-ji Temple

Nara Park attractions

Tokyo Tech Ookayama Campus

Sumida River

Tsuruma Park

Gion

Maple Series

Taipei Aowanda

Shimen Dam

Alishan

Aowanda

Shanlinxi

Taoyuan Valley Garden

Fushoushan Farm

Yehliu to Jiufen? Yehliu to Shifen? Cheaper than yellow taxis

The "Taipei kong mahal" (My beloved Taipei)

Always in my heart

MRT birdman

Valentine's Day

Tulips Festival

2018 Taipei Lantern Festival

City of Azaleas

Linji Huguo Temple

Nanjichang Night Market

Gudetama Chef restaurant

Dalongdong Bao'an Temple

Shilin hollyhocks

Ningxia Night Market

Ximending graffiti

Discovery Center of Taipei

Chunghwa Postal Museum

Double-Decker Bus

Shilin Cold Balls

Jingimoo

GomanMango

mud volcanic ice

Fire and Ice Dumpling

Opium Fen-Yuan

Ichiran Ramen

Liu Shandong Beef Noodles

hydrangea flowers

National Palace Museum

Other attractions in Taipei

Taipei on a budget

Japanese buildings

Dāoxiāomiàn beef noodles

Presidential Office Building

Yongkang St. and Elephant Mountain

CKS and SYS Hall

City tour

Beitou ramen

MRT Monopoly Game

Winter city tour

Zhicheng Park

Shilin Plum Blossom

Art museums

Shopping in Taipei

Summer desserts

Qingtiangang

Qixingshan hiking

2015 Calla lily

2016 Calla lily

Beitou tour

Beitou-Zhuzihu tour

NTU

Confucius Temple

2015 Dadaocheng Festival

Puppet Museum

Fantasy Ice World

2016 Bread Show

Strawberry picking

2015 Rose Garden

Modern Toilet

Shilin Night Market

NASA Exhibit

Raohe Night Market

Longshan Temple

2013 Taipei Zoo

Maokong Gondola

Lupin flowers

Taipei 101 day visit

Taipei 101 night visit

Tiger Mountain

Din Tai Fung

Taipei Story House

2014 Flower Show

Chrysanthemum Show

Miramar Ferris wheel

Miniatures Museum

Archery

1600 Pandas

Wulaoguo hot pot

Upside Down House

2016 101 Fireworks

New Taipei

Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival

Elephant Rock SUP/kayaking

Meteor Garden school

Tamsui Pumpkin Tunnel

Shifen Waterfall

2017 Sand Sculpture

Dragon Caves

New Taipei tour

2016 Kite Festival

Pingxi Crags

Bitou Cape

2016 Sand Sculpture

2015 Christmasland

Juming - Jinshan

Houtong - Pingxi

Sandiaoling Waterfall

Jiufen foodtrip

Guanyinshan hike

Yehliu Ocean World

2014 Kite Festival

Pingxi Rail tour

Jinguashi tour

Vigor Kobo Pineapple

British Consulate

Yehliu Geopark

2014 Sand Sculpture

Paragliding

2014 Christmasland

2014 Pingxi Lantern

firefly watching

Yingge Ceramics Street

Jiufen tour