Nantou Wild River Hot Spring - Elite Hot Spring Introduction
Today, I traveled to Nantou via National Highway 6 to explore the wild river hot springs. After passing through Puli and Wushe, I took County Road 14乙 towards Lushan. Along the way, I saw a sign for Chunyang Hot Springs and followed the road down to the river valley, where I could see the river trail where tourists were stranded during the last heavy rain and the construction of a red steel bridge. Upon asking nearby residents, I learned that the hot springs have been buried, although there were some small hot springs flowing out from the cliff nearby, and a muddy pool was excavated by a digger nearby. So, I retraced my steps and passed the fork heading to Lushan Hot Springs, continuing on my journey. Not far past the sign for Xibao Tribe, just as I entered the Jheng Ying Village, I noticed a small sign on the right. I took the narrow cement road down, which was only wide enough for one small vehicle to pass. As I passed by a traditional indigenous house, there was a red sign saying this community is a Class A restricted area, requiring permission to enter. The road conditions straight ahead were poor, and vehicles with low ground clearance might have difficulty navigating. I encountered a construction truck coming up, but fortunately, I could reverse to a turn to let it pass. I made my way down to the Lover's Suspension Bridge. I parked at the fork near the Lover's Suspension Bridge, where there was a small clearing that looked like a scenic area under renovation. Later, I found online that someone used to charge a parking fee here, but since it was not a holiday this time, there wasn’t anyone around. Occasionally, construction vehicles would pass by, and it wasn't necessary to park in that clearing, as others online have parked further up the roadside. After parking, we walked upstream to the cliff next to the Lover's Suspension Bridge, where we found two pools enclosed by stones. One pool had hotter water, while the other could be mixed with river water for temperature adjustment. The hot spring had a substantial water flow, and with the beautiful scenery nearby, my classmates quickly got into the pool while I soaked my feet. I was puzzled as to why everyone believed the Jheng Ying Hot Springs had disappeared. After checking online later, I realized there used to be many more pools along the creek, and the largest hot spring pool might have been buried. However, for us, having such a beautiful wild hot spring pool was quite satisfying. I also discovered online that someone had just visited the Jheng Ying Hot Springs recently, but they were soaking in a pool further up, about six hundred meters away. I can explore that area on my next visit.
