Easily one of Taiwan's best hikes...
If I had to pick one waterfall trail to do in Taiwan I'd recommend Sandiaoling Falls. Similarly, if I had to recommend one hiking trail in Taiwan it would be this one. Luckily they aren't that far away from each other either.
To get to the trail you take a bus into this sort of rundown village near the river. The entrance to the trail is fairly small, but you'll know you're there when you see a waterfall that runs across a big set of stairs.
The trail can be a little rough after a storm or typhoon, and there's actually a road that lets you avoid this part of the trail, but if taking a bus as most people do it tacks on a bit of extra time. After this part of the trail there's a clearing where you'll cross a road and then head into the main head of the trail with nice looking stairs covered in lush foliage.
After a bit you'll reach the base of all the crags. There are some trails that have been decommissioned, but make for pretty nice photos like the one below...
I usually go for the trail on the left because it's the shortest and best hike. It rains pretty often here and the rocks get slippery so if I have to choose only one crag to climb for the day it would be this one.
You climb up and around the rock until eventually you reach this really fun ladder. Unfortunately I don't have any great pics of this part except this pretty bad Photoshop composite I made a few years ago. It's pretty easy to tell this photo is fake and I didn't come here at night.
After reaching the top of the crag you can get a pretty good of the landscape and the other nearby crags.
Once you've fully taken in the view you can head down and try another one. They don't take too long to climb. Each time I've visited this place I visited 3 of them at least. Each one provides unique opportunities for photos and scenic views.
I think my photos here are decent, but still they don't really do this place justice. I highly highly recommend you visit this place for yourself and climb as many crags as you can. The hikes don't take too long, the views are epic, and it's really easy to grab a bite to eat in town afterwards. What else could you want?
📍 Address: 226, New Taipei City, Pingxi District, 石底街24號.