Shuifagou Trail (Nine Frogs) Introduction
Shuibao Head Trail is located between Dazhu Lake and Ita Thao. The entrance features a frog sculpture and a small parking lot for cars. The trail is 500 meters long with an elevation change of about 60 meters, constructed as an elevated boardwalk. Walking along the path through bamboo forests, the trail ends with a circular pathway by the water. It passes through a Moso bamboo forest with beautiful scenery and rich native trees and ferns. Several wood orchids grow along the path, blooming white flowers in summer, which are highly valued for their aesthetic appeal. Along the way, visitors can observe vibrant ecosystems with dancing butterflies, flying birds, leaping fish, and jumping frogs. By the pond is the "Frog Stacking" bronze sculpture, which vividly narrates the origin of the place name and serves as an indicator for monitoring water level changes. The story behind the "Nine Frogs Stacking" originates from the original design commissioned to Mr. Lu Zhaoliang of Qingjing Company before the 921 earthquake, in planning the Shuibao Head Nature Trail. The renowned artist Mr. Shen Zhengying from the Sun Moon Lake area was asked to sculpt the prototype. The plan was to place a frog sculpture at the end of the trail on the water surface to enhance the impression of the name "Shuibao Head." The image of the nine frogs stacking highlights the interesting phenomenon of nearly two meters of daily water level fluctuation due to pumped storage hydroelectric power generation at Sun Moon Lake. Visitors during different times of the day or on different visits may notice varying numbers of frogs above the water surface, thus discovering the significant role of pumped storage hydropower at Sun Moon Lake. The water level represented by the top of each frog's head in the "Nine Frogs Stacking": - 748.48 meters above sea level (height of the top frog) - 748.31 meters - 748.14 meters - 747.81 meters - 747.51 meters - 747.16 meters - 746.82 meters - 746.38 meters - 745.90 meters above sea level (height of the bottom frog)
