Short on time? Do Wufengqi Waterfall, then go for a soak. Want a real walk? Do the Paoma Historic Trail for the view of Guishan Island. The best short walks in Yilan are all on the edge of the plain above Jiaoxi: a three-tier waterfall, a stream trail along an old irrigation channel, and an old cross-mountain road. All three are stops on the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Jiaoxi Line A from Jiaoxi Station, so you don't need a car.
Check before you go: trails in Yilan close after typhoons and heavy rain, and slopes stay unstable for days afterward. The status below is as of November 1, 2026. Look at the trail's official page the day before, and skip these walks in or just after heavy rain.
| Walk | Length | Status, November 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Wufengqi Waterfall | About 1 km to the third tier, 30 to 40 min one way | Open since February 2026 |
| Linmei Shipan Trail | 1.7 km | Partly open: first 0.9 km only |
| Paoma Historic Trail | 5 km | Fully open |
Wufengqi Waterfall
Wufengqi Waterfall (五峰旗瀑布) is the closest of the three to town and the easiest win: three tiers of falls down a valley just west of Jiaoxi, inside the Wufengqi scenic area run by Yilan County. The trail climbs past the lower falls to the third tier, about 1 km from the trailhead and 30 to 40 minutes one way. Then head back down to Jiaoxi for a hot spring.
- Length About 1 km to the third-tier waterfall, 30 to 40 minutes one way
- Status Open. Rockfall after Typhoon Kong-rey closed the trail in November 2024; after slope repairs it reopened in early February 2026 (Liberty Times, February 3, 2026)
- Getting there A Tourist Shuttle Jiaoxi Line A to Wufengqi Scenic Area (五峰旗風景特定區); or a taxi from Jiaoxi Station
Linmei Shipan Trail
The Linmei Shipan Trail (林美石磐步道) follows an old irrigation channel up a shady low-altitude stream valley, past small waterfalls, pools and gorges. That's why people call it Yilan's "little Taroko". It's wide and gentle, a good one with kids, and named for Linmei village and the Shipan waterfall. Only the first half is open at the moment, so it's a short outing for now.
- Length 1.7 km
- Status Partly open: only the first 0.9 km. The rest is closed because of unstable slopes (agency notice, in force from September 11, 2026 to December 11, 2027)
- Getting there A Tourist Shuttle Jiaoxi Line A to Linmei Shipan Trail (林美石磐步道)
Paoma Historic Trail
The Paoma Historic Trail (跑馬古道) crosses the hills between Jiaoxi and Pinglin in New Taipei, and it's the one to pick for a proper walk. Porters once carried goods over it and Japanese-era patrols used it, and some of the old log sleepers and wooden sledges are still there. Today it's wide, mostly gravel and gently graded, through cool forest past old mine openings and orchards. Keep going to the 2.6 km viewpoint: that's where you look out over the Lanyang plain to Guishan Island.
- Length 5 km
- Status Fully open (Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency trail page, November 1, 2026)
- Getting there A Tourist Shuttle Jiaoxi Line A to Paoma Historic Trail (跑馬古道)
- Side trail The Sidu branch (四堵段) is 1.4 km, about 100 minutes there and back, from Shipai (石牌), the top of the Beiyi Highway
The Tourist Shuttle Jiaoxi Line A
Jiaoxi Line A of the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle runs from Jiaoxi Station and the Jiaoxi Transfer Station past the Hot Spring Park, Tangweigou, the Paoma trail and Wufengqi, then on to Linmei and Fo Guang University. This is what catches people out: it runs only a few times a day. Check the timetable and plan your walk back to the bus. See local buses.
The Caoling Historic Trail
Want something longer? The Caoling Historic Trail (草嶺古道), over the hills from Dali in Toucheng to Gongliao in New Taipei, is the best-known long walk on the northeast coast. We cover it with the coast north of Yilan: → Northeast coast day trip.
→ More things to do · Jiaoxi · Hot and cold springs
Sources: Liberty Times on the Wufengqi reopening, February 3, 2026; CNA on the November 2024 closure; Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency: Linmei Shipan Trail, Paoma Historic Trail; Taiwan Tourist Shuttle, Jiaoxi Line A. Checked November 2026.