- What it is Sanxing Township (三星鄉), the farming country at the western corner of the plain, and Datong Township (大同鄉), the mountains beyond it up the Lanyang River.
- Getting there car No railway. Drive, hire a driver, or take a taxi from Luodong Station. County buses run toward Sanxing from the Luodong Transfer Station, but not often. → Taxis and drivers · Local buses
- Status Mingchi and Qilan forest recreation areas, and the Qilan giant tree area, have been closed since 1 March 2026. The operator expects to reopen them fully by 29 April 2028.
Sanxing: scallion country (三星)
This is the side of Yilan to do with a car and a free day. Drive out through the scallion fields of Sanxing, walk around Changpi Lake, and watch the steam rise off the riverbed at Qingshui. If you're going up to Taipingshan, all three are on the way. Without a car, it's hard going, so pick one stop and take a taxi from Luodong.
Sanxing is the western corner of the Lanyang Plain, where the fields meet the mountains. It's best known for Sanxing scallions (三星蔥), the township's signature crop. The township's four farm specialties are scallions, white garlic, Shangjiang pears (上將梨) and silver willow (銀柳). → What to eat
- Sanxing Scallion Culture Hall (三星青蔥文化館). The farmers' association turned an old granary into a small museum of the scallion in 2002, with a shop of scallion oil, sauces and snacks behind it. Monday to Friday 08:30 to 17:00, weekends 09:00 to 18:00. At No. 41, Zhongshan Road Section 2, in the township centre.
- Tiansongpi Station (天送埤車站). A pale blue wooden station of 1921 to 1924 on the plain section of the Taipingshan forest railway, where logs came down out of the mountains on their way to Luodong. It's a county historic building, with its waiting room, ticket window and gate intact. Open all day.
- Sinbow Scallion Experience Farm (星寶蔥體驗農場). The place to get into the scallion fields yourself: a guide takes you out to pull and wash scallions, you make a scallion pie, and then there are mini donkeys, goats and deer to feed. Sessions every 30 minutes, 10:00 to 16:00; book ahead at weekends. At No. 7-5, Dongxing Road. → Yilan with kids
- Zhang Mei Ama's Farm (張美阿嬤農場). A family farm with capybaras, deer, sheep and DIY classes using Sanxing produce, around a Japanese-style garden. Open 09:00 to 17:00, at No. 161, Xingjianxi 1st Road Section 2. A second farm using the Zhang Mei name has opened nearby, so give your driver the address.
Changpi Lake (長埤湖)
Changpi Lake is a long, narrow lake ringed by forested hills off Highway 7C, with a free path around the shore, open 09:00 to 17:00. It's a natural stop on the way to Qingshui or Taipingshan, by car or taxi from Luodong Station. → Changpi Lake and Yilan's other mountain lakes
Qingshui Geothermal Park (清水地熱公園)
A little further up the valley, in Datong, Qingshui Geothermal Park sits on a riverbed where alkaline geothermal water comes up at around 95°C, sending steam across the stones. People come to cook food in the hot water. Free, open 09:00 to 17:00, with a car park.
Getting there: car or taxi from Luodong Station. It's off Highway 7C past Changpi Lake.
Jiuzhize Hot Spring, on the way to Taipingshan (鳩之澤溫泉)
The road to Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area climbs from the park gate at Tuchang (土場), about 365 m up, to the old logging settlement at about 2,000 m. Halfway is Jiuzhize, once a logging depot known as Renze (仁澤) or "hot water" (燒水) for its springs, and renamed in 2004. The spring comes from about 2,200 m underground at up to 140°C and is cooled to 38 to 42°C in the bathing pools. It's clear, odourless sodium bicarbonate water, like Jiaoxi's. Across the Duowang River, a flat nature trail of about 1.2 km follows the old logging railway. Jiuzhize is part of the recreation area, not a separate stop.
The Taipingshan page has the tickets, the road and bus, and the current status. → Taipingshan
Highway 7: Qilan and Mingchi (棲蘭, 明池)
Highway 7, the Northern Cross-Island Highway (北橫), follows the Lanyang River up through Datong toward Taoyuan. Two forest recreation areas lie on it:
- Qilan Forest Recreation Area (棲蘭森林遊樂區), about 38 km from Yilan City and Luodong at the junction of Highway 7 and its Yilan branch (7A), with a tree nursery, forest paths, cherry and plum blossom in spring, and the old Chiang Kai-shek lodge. From here, booked shuttle tours go up a forest road to the Qilan giant tree area (棲蘭神木園區), a grove of 51 ancient red cypress and Taiwan cypress at about 1,500 m, each named after a figure from Chinese history; the oldest, "Confucius", is put at about 2,500 years.
- Mingchi Forest Recreation Area (明池森林遊樂區), higher up at about 1,150 to 1,700 m on the border with Taoyuan, around a misty mountain lake known as the "pearl of the Northern Cross-Island Highway", with gardens and a 1,500-year-old giant tree.
Closed: Qilan (including the giant tree area) and Mingchi closed on 1 March 2026, when the previous operator's contract ended. Leofoo took them over under a build-operate-transfer contract from 30 April 2026, and in a notice of 3 July 2026 the Veterans Affairs Council's Wuling Farm said all three areas are closed for renovation and expected to reopen fully by 29 April 2028. Leofoo says they will reopen in stages as the works finish.
Road status: Highway 7 through Datong closes after landslides. In January 2026 a slip of about 600 cubic metres at km 68.7 near Mingchi closed the road overnight. Check the Directorate General of Highways before you drive it, and avoid mountain roads in heavy rain.
Atayal Life Museum (泰雅生活館)
Datong is home to Atayal communities. In the Lunpi community, the Atayal Life Museum shows Atayal weaving. It's the only museum in Taiwan whose exhibits are presented in the Indigenous language, and local craftspeople teach hands-on sessions at weekends, so a weekend visit is the one to aim for. Tuesday to Sunday, 08:00 to 17:00, at No. 60, Chaoyang (朝陽), Datong. Car or taxi from Luodong.
→ Luodong, the base for the valley · Waterfalls and hikes · Yilan's other areas
Sources: Yilan County tourism (宜蘭勁好玩): Sanxing Scallion Culture Hall, Tiansongpi Station, Changpi Lake, Qingshui Geothermal Park, Jiuzhize Hot Spring, Jiuzhize Nature Trail, Taipingshan, Qilan, Qilan giant trees, Mingchi, Atayal Life Museum; Sinbow Scallion Experience Farm; Zhang Mei Ama's Farm; Taiwan Tourism Administration, Qilan; Wuling Farm (VAC) closure notice, 3 July 2026; Leofoo on Qilan and Mingchi; Liberty Times on the Highway 7 landslide (13 January 2026). Checked November 2026.