Shihpan Valley Trail Introduction
Warning: The road section is damaged, and the entire trail is closed. Please pay attention to safety! Shihpan Valley in Fengshan is surrounded by mountains, with cliffs and massive rocks dotting the landscape. It features a tiered valley topography, with the Dry Pit Creek flowing through it, creating numerous waterfalls and pools. There are a total of six waterfalls to explore from bottom to top, each with its own unique scenery. It is an unmissable destination for travelers who love primitive flavors and natural adventures. The planned trail is divided into two sections. The first section runs from the parking lot to the Shihpan Valley rest pavilion, with a route that includes a suspension bridge and stone paths, offering magnificent views along the way. The view from the bridge allows visitors to fully experience the awe of the towering rocks. The area around the rest pavilion is designed like an aerial garden, with towering trees, singing birds, and fragrant flowers. There are also orchids and crab orchids planted on the camphor maple, along with wild herbs and plants like mountain ferns and agar-agar, climbing on the mountain's yellow cypress and maples, creating a fresh and beautiful scenery. Beneath the trees, several artificial ponds reflect the greenery of the mountains and provide a water source for birds. The birdwatching is quite good here; in the early morning, one can frequently see species like the red-headed mountain finch, bush warbler, gray-throated martinet, crowned bulbul, and various tit species calling to each other. The second section of the trail starts from the rest pavilion, allowing visitors to ascend to the Shihpan Valley waterfall group to admire the beauty of the towering cliffs and waterfalls. For those with good stamina, continuing on to the Maple Valley waterfall is recommended. Along the way, the trail is mixed with bamboo forests, secondary forests, and primitive forests, with increasingly original and magnificent views the deeper one goes. The birdwatching also improves, passing through natural bamboo leaf forests, the Jiujiong Art Forest, and the towering cliffs. The bamboo leaf forest, also known as wild pig ear or spider egg, emits the fragrance of zongzi, and it is the real bamboo leaf of Taiwan. Locals often use these leaves to wrap zongzi. The Jiujiong Art Forest features several oddly shaped Jiujiong, creating a natural art landscape resembling grasshoppers, centipedes, deer antlers, flying ants, and spider kings, which is quite fascinating. The towering cliff drops vertically for dozens of meters and includes ropes for climbing. The Maple Valley waterfall, the final stop of this journey, features wild maple trees in the valley, which turn red and fall into the creek during late autumn, creating the most beautiful scenery, hence the name Maple Valley waterfall. The round trip from the parking lot to the Maple Valley waterfall takes approximately 3 to 4 hours.
