Chinchu 馬武督探索森林（Mawudu forest ），2 waterfalls on Trail.
馬武督探索森林（Mawudu forest ） in Hsinchu is rich in forests, with cedar trees, maples, plum trees, and a variety of ferns. Walking into the Discovery Forest Park, you can find two hidden waterfalls through the trees, Mawudu Falls and Hongqiao Falls, and the Green Light Elementary School, which was used as a filming location for the early idol drama Green Light Forest, is a popular photo spot in the park.
Table of Contents
Greenlight Primary School(綠光小學)
You can see the entrance sign of Greenlight Elementary School when you enter next to the Visitor Center, and the woodwork blends in well with the forest scene.
The Green Forest is a drama that I watched when I was a child, but I had forgotten the scenes for so long that I had to watch it before I left to reminisce about the plot. Whether or not it was once a filming location for a drama, the wooden buildings in the forest always give people a unique sense of place!
The small platform at the back of the classroom, surrounded by a circle of wooden chairs, is perfect for group recreation activities.
It takes more than half an hour just to take pictures of the tiny Greenlight Elementary School, and many tourists come here just for the sake of it.
Yuanqi Trail（元氣步道）
The Mawutu Trail circles around the Discovery Forest Park. If you go to the Green Light Primary School first, you can continue to walk inward, and the trail at the beginning is the Yuanqi Trail, so you can go around the park in a counterclockwise direction.
The Genki Trail begins with cedar trees and low broadleaf bushes.
There are two waterfalls on the Yuan Qi Trail, so the humidity is also the heaviest, and some of the rocks have moss on them, so be careful when walking. This kind of environment is relatively rare in this kind of cedar forest, which is generally more dry and cold.
Before the first waterfall, you can see a small cabin, which is said to be the filming location of the TV series “Your Child is Not Your Child”, which I have never heard of, and the inside of the cabin is off-limits!
In front of the cabin, there is a chair for a dozen people, and behind the chair, there is a neatly arranged Gupta yam and an upright tree, which is very suitable for a group photo.
At the beginning, the weather was half cloudy and half sunny, and occasionally there was light hitting the trees, but by the time I got here it was completely cloudy, and the forest was much quieter, with not many tourists, and only the sound of birds chirping.
Rainbow Bridge Waterfall(虹橋瀑布)
The season I was there was not yet full of rain (end of March), and there was not much water flowing down the Rainbow Bridge Falls (the rock wall on the left was slightly wet). The plants growing between the boulders and crevices under the waterfall were spectacular!
At Hongqiao, you will find that the forest looks very different and there is no trace of cedar trees at all, probably because the plants have changed to broadleaf trees near the water source.
Just after leaving the Rainbow Bridge, I found a small snake in the middle of the screen with a protective color, so it might not be easy to see it if you don’t move.
The area is rich in ecological resources and snakes are often found here, so be careful when walking!
maple dance floor(舞楓池)
From Hongqiao Falls to Mavutu Falls, there is a fork in the road that leads to the Maple Pond, it’s not too far away so I went here first to check it out.
During the dry season, only a small puddle can be seen in the lower center of the photo.
There is a huge boulder here, which is bigger than Hongqiao Waterfall and it is quite spectacular. If you continue walking here, you can join the Yangmei Trail, but I didn’t go to take pictures of Mawudu Falls, so I went back the way I came to look for the waterfalls~!
Mavutu Falls(馬武督瀑布)
After a short walk, you will arrive at the red color pavilion. Take the opportunity to have lunch here and rest for a while.
Standing on the bridge in front of the waterfall, I think it’s the most beautiful angle here!
The waterfall itself is surrounded by trees, which is a rare sight. It would have been nice if the water flow could have been bigger that day.
Continue to the highest point of the Energizer Trail.
At the top of the Genki Trail is an oversized bowl-shaped boulder with trees climbing on it. This is the most impressive place in the park, and the trail passes underneath the boulder, creating a sense of compression… When you’re at the Maple Dance Pool, you can see the boulder if you look up.
Yangmei Trail(楊梅步道)
After going from the boulder to the Maple Pond again, you can then take the Yangmei Trail, which is the first lookout point of the Yangmei Trail.
The tree in front of the observation deck is the Yangmei grandma mentioned in the map of the park. It is said to be the biggest Yangmei tree found so far, with an age of about 500 years.
The Yangmei Trail is the only wooden pallet trail in the park.
A short climb will bring you to the second lookout.
The Yangmei grandmothers and grandmothers are the two oldest Yangmei trees in the park, just one male and one female.
My favorite place in the park is the Yangmei Trail. The forest is made up of many small leaves, which makes it look delicate and textured, and you can occasionally find new leaves that are slightly reddish, making it a must-go section in Mawudu!
bamboo walkway(竹林步道)
After reaching the top of the Yangmei Trail, you can continue on the Bamboo Trail, which offers a wide view at the beginning.
Although the name of the trail is Bamboo Forest Trail, I hardly saw any bamboos along the way, instead, there were mostly maple trees, and the view on the left and right sides was dominated by trees, which would be very nice if the maple was red in the fall.
The cedar trees are gradually appearing, this is the turning point to the No.2 parking lot, the promised bamboo forest is really gone.
Finally, the ramp in front of the parking lot was full of maple trees. I wondered why I hadn’t seen any photos of maple red on the internet, so I had to wait until the fall season to come back and see for myself. Walking to the second parking lot, you can go back to the visitor center.
Route Map of the Park
Google Map:
- Opening hours: 9:00~17:00
Taiwan car rental
（high speed railway station pick up the car）
