An Easy Hike on the Laomei Qingshan Waterfall Trail | A Popular Attraction on the North Coast of New Taipei City (Shimen District)

Qingshan Waterfall is located upstream of the Laomei River in Shimen Township, New Taipei City, Taiwan, Republic of China. It belongs to the northern foot of the Datun Volcano Group, at an elevation of about 310 meters. It is a beautiful waterfall discovered about a decade ago by the Qingshan Team of the Taipei Mountaineering Association, guided by local residents.

The deepest part of Qingshan Waterfall’s plunge pool reaches over 1.5 meters, with a total width approaching 8 meters. It is a beginner-to-intermediate-sized waterfall loved by many visitors.

Starting from the trailhead by the roadside and climbing the stone steps, there is an irrigation channel beside the trail. The gurgling sound of water is clear enough to see the bottom, making one feel relaxed and refreshed.

Climbing along the gentle slope, the trail is shaded by trees overhead. Even when visiting in midsummer, you will not feel overly exhausted.

After the trail turns into a stream valley terrain, you walk along the stream stepping on stones, and the cool stream water soaks into the soles of your feet. This section of the route has slate trails maintained by the township office, making the walk easy and pleasant.

After passing through the mid-to-rear Laomei rock wall area, you arrive at Laomei Qingshan Waterfall. The stream stones around the waterfall are gentle, so you can dine, shower under the waterfall, or soak in the water. It is a great place for summer leisure on the North Coast.

From the trailhead to the waterfall, the total length is about 1.3 kilometers, taking about 40 minutes for those who are not strong hikers. Mizuc once used the fast-walking technique of the Mizuc Step Method to challenge the fastest time, and it still took about ten-plus minutes.

Aside from the hundred-odd steps right at the trailhead, the first half is almost entirely under tree shade along the irrigation channel path. Upon reaching a shallow pool, you turn left into the second half. Although the second half has greater terrain undulation, it is still quite easy to walk.

Therefore, as long as you overcome the initial stairs, there is basically nothing to worry about in the second half — just walk steadily. However, relatively speaking, a few sections require a very small amount of mountaineering skill, which is still a challenge for those with limited mobility.

The Ecology of Qingshan Waterfall

From the trailhead, the stone steps connect to the irrigation channel. When walking along the channel, be careful of snakes such as water snakes and green bamboo pit vipers. After about twenty to thirty minutes of walking, you reach the Laomei River valley. Here there is the bubbling “Jianshanhu Cold Spring” (which requires taking another untrodden path deep into the mountains to reach), and you can see the protected species, the Chinese tiger dragonfly.

The trail winds along the mountainside, offering an unobstructed view of high mountains and deep valleys. The variety of plants on both sides is abundant, making it a great place to observe natural ecology. There are 77 species of ferns, with the Asplenium family being more numerous, such as 9 species of spleenworts including the large bird’s-nest fern, one-sided, marginal-spored, cut-leaf, and clustered… In addition, due to terrain factors, there are stream-type ferns such as the lace fern and the three-forked starburst fern, as well as northward-descending ferns such as the Korean holly fern; the most special is the climbing fern, rarely seen in low-altitude areas of Taipei.

The landscape of Qingshan Waterfall has undergone many changes over the decades I can remember, mainly caused by natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes. It is still a fairly young attraction, and perhaps the next time you visit, it will present yet another different scene.

The plunge pool area. After the terrain was changed by a typhoon, it has been filled with the right-bank rock wall and upstream soil and rocks (digital camera: DC-350).

[![The viewing platform beside the plunge pool, in its undamaged form, built of wood; the forest and rock area behind it is the same location as the image below (Nikon FM2).

Shooting time: August 20, 2002, 16:00 ~ 17:00.](./Tamsui_Qingshan_waterfall_03.jpg)](/north-coast-tourism-taipei-shimen-qingshan-waterfall-and-trail//tamsui_qingshan_waterfall_03)The viewing platform beside the plunge pool, in its undamaged form, built of wood; the forest and rock area behind it is the same location as the image below (Nikon FM2).

Shooting time: August 20, 2002, 16:00 ~ 17:00.

The right-bank rock wall of Qingshan Waterfall before renovation. Its original appearance is as shown behind the image above; it has now been reinforced with sprayed concrete (online image).

The original waterfall viewing platform, reduced to ruins after a typhoon (online image).

Transportation Routes to Laomei Qingshan Waterfall

Qingshan Waterfall is located in Laomei, Shimen District, New Taipei City. You can drive north along Provincial Highway 2. When passing through the Laomei settlement (at the 26.3-kilometer mark of the provincial highway), you will see a pedestrian overpass, which is the only one in the surrounding area and very easy to recognize.

Turn right under the bridge onto a country lane (sign: “Zhucaotan”), then keep going along the asphalt road (County Road 19).

Along this leisurely country road, you will encounter three obvious forks. At the first fork, turning left leads to Liuhe Villa, so we take the right line.

The second fork is located within the village; the left and right turns are of similar width, and here you should go along the left side.

After passing the “Water Treatment Plant” and “Zhucaotan Bridge” in sequence, at the third fork (about the 4.4-kilometer mark) you will see a small bridge (a T-shaped narrow bridge). Turning left here leads to a continuous uphill section, and after driving for about five more minutes you will arrive at the trailhead.

The entrance to Qingshan Waterfall (online image).

Mizuc does not recommend taking public transportation to get there, because the bus only goes as far as under the pedestrian overpass on the main road of Provincial Highway 2 outside. Just walking to the trailhead may take an extra one or two hours.

A real view of the Qingshan Waterfall viewing platform. Due to the summer dry season, the water volume is slightly smaller (digital camera: DC-350).

Basic Information on Laomei Qingshan Waterfall

• Elevation: 310 meters.
• Total trail length: 1.3 kilometers (trailhead → Qingshan Waterfall).
• Location: Shimen District, New Taipei City (Laomei Community).
• Classification: Suburban mountain trail.
• Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆.

Originally written on: August 24, 2002