SanGuang river 三光溪

journal > 2005 > SanGuang river 三光溪

FuShan 福山 warmup 6/18

We meet at New Garden City 花園新城 in Xindian 新店 leaving by 7:30 AM. We park at the end of the upper road above (east of) Fushan 福山 so we can hike further up the valley where the river will be reasonably navigable. We walk east under overcast weather in lush second growth forest on the Hapen trail 哈盆越嶺. The forest is wet and the trail sometimes muddy from the past week's daily downpours. At 10:00 we drop down to the river. Kitty and Tammy walk back on the trail. Bruce, Jack and Philip head down the river. We are back to the car before 4:00

Fushan area Maps

Kalamoji trail 卡拉莫基步道 (Hapen trail 哈盆越嶺步道)
Fushan area hiking map
2m Landsat of Fushan area

Search for giant waterfall on SanGuang river (三光溪) 7/2

We meet and leave from HsinTian 新店 at 5:30AM. We drive to Dahsi 大溪 in Taoyuan 桃園, taking the 7 北橫 - North Cross island highway east to Baling 巴陵, arriving in Xuanyuan 萱源 by 7:00AM. The weather is clear and we have cloudless views of the Xueshan range 雪山山脈. We take a quick drive further along the 7 toward the trail down to Siling hot springs 四陵溫泉, but don't see any other trails that might bring us down closer to the waterfall.

25k topo map of Sanguang River 三光溪
endangered butterflies in the Xuanyuan 萱源 area
at the Xuanyuan 萱源 trailhead
Crocus Tritonia 觀音蘭 (guān yīn lán) Crocosmia crocosmiiflora
down into the gorge
Bruce and Jack look over the gorge
Bruce on the steep trail down to the Sanguang River 三光溪
almost down to the Sanguang River 三光溪
transition form hiking to tracing
short break before getting in the river
Sanguang River 三光溪

We start hiking down at 8:20. From an open area at the bend in the road near the 57.5k mark, a steep but easy trail heads down to the Sanguang river. About 5 mins in, a trail branches off to the right going westward towards the Hagawan suspension bridge 哈嗄彎吊橋. We take the left fork continuing southward, on the same trail that Bruce and Jack ran into bees on, on the way down, and then ants on the way back up, years ago. After another five minutes, we skirt a large landslide going all the way down to the river to the south. We get to the river at 8:55 and change into river gear and stow or dry hiking gear for the return. We start on our way upstream at 9:15.

a waterfall
Jack on the Sanguang River 三光溪
climbing over a slot
Sanguang River 三光溪
Bruce watches Jack flush down
Sanguang River 三光溪

Jack tests the water in a narrows, bordered by a high shelf. 9:45.

We arrive at a confluence with Galahe 嘎拉賀溪 stream from the south contributing roughly half the river volume at 10:30.

Confluence of Galahe 嘎拉賀溪 and Sanguang 三光溪 streams
Confluence of Galahe 嘎拉賀溪 and Sanguang 三光溪 streams

A disturbed stretch presents challenges. 11:30.

Sanguang River 三光溪

In some areas, the geology is so active, that the canyon face is raining light debris constantly.

Jack crossing on a tree
Bruce
big rocks
Bruce swimming
Sanguang River 三光溪
Sanguang River 三光溪
Sanguang river 三光溪
Sanguang river 三光溪
Swimming at a waterfall and pool
Bruce jumps

Another bend with pool and deep waterfall. 12:35. Though we are approaching our turn-around time and storm clouds are gathering, we decide to push on to find the giant waterfall after consulting our maps.

Sanguang River 三光溪
Tieshan waterfall 鐵柵瀑布
Tieshan waterfall 鐵柵瀑布

At 2:00 PM we arrive at the waterfall which has been reconfigured by geology. The giant pool has been filled in by a landslide and sharp rocks below the waterfall make jumping the waterfall questionable. This would still be a tricky point to hike through. We head back quickly as the thunderstorm approaches. It rains but no very hard. We are back at the bottom of the trail we came down at 5:45.

SanGuang Maps

2m Landsat of Sanguang River 三光溪
Danshui 淡水溪 watershed map
Sanguang River 三光溪 map