Camping in Pinglin 坪林

Pinglin is on Highway 9. From Xindian 新店 it is 26 km to Pinglin 坪林 and 47 km to Yilan 宜蘭. Allow about 1 hour from Xindian if traveling by scooter. From Taipei go South on Roosevelt Road (羅斯福路 Luósīfú Lù). When you cross the river into Xindian, the name will change to Bei Shin Road but the road remains the same. Where you would turn right to go to Wulai, you will continue straight and the road will become Hwy. 9. Once you are out of Xindian you will start to climb the mountain hills. Roads can have dangerously sharp curves but traffic is not bad as many cars will use the freeway. To get to the campsites in Pinglin take Highway 9 from Xindian towards Pinglin. If you reach the town of Pinglin you have gone a few km too far. Near the 35.5 km road marker there will be a road turning to the right and going downhill. There will be some signs in Chinese only pointing to various attractions. Following the road you will round a bend and cross a bridge with a Chinese arch over it. You will travel for a few minutes and eventually cross a small bridge. On the other side is a T-intersection where you will turn left. There is a paved walking/biking trail on the left, which follows the river. Go for a few more minutes. You will come to a guard station and another T-intersection. If you go to the driveway straight ahead you have reached the first campsite. This site accommodates drive-in camping. Shaded campsites are available with cement bases and fire rings. Bathrooms are relatively clean and have hot water showers. Campsite is on the river. Cost was TWD 330 for 2 people. The campsite had a small store selling Taiwan Beer in a can, Coke, and other essentials. Another option is to turn right at the intersection. You will continue for a few minutes and there will be a driveway on the left hand side which goes downhill. This site is also on the river. There are more campsites on the other side of the Pinglin. If arriving in Pinglin on Highway 9 from Xindian. On the far side of town is highway 北42 (bei3/north 42). The road continues all the way to Taipei entering Muzha, but this is very much a secondary highway. The road is narrow, barely wide enough for two cars to pass and no center line or shoulders. Many of the sharp switchback turns have wide angle mirrors but many do not. It would be a nice country drive if you didn't have to worry about a car around every blind corner. There are several campsites available near the 4, 13, and 15 km markers of 北42. At the 4 km marker there are two campsites. At the 13 km marker there is one campsite and the road to 黑龍潭 hēi lóng tán. At the 15 km marker there is one site. Of the two sites at the 4 km marker, the first has nicer bathroom facilities. The second has nicer riverside campsites, but the toilet and bathing facilites are more rugged. The bathrooms do have hot water showers, but they were a bit dark and dirty. They also have a teahouse with KTV so you may not get to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature in the countryside. At the 13 km marker, there is a small riverside site. There is a lack of shade here but the sites are directly on the riverside. I did not stay here, so don't know about toilet facilities but it looks like they could be questionable. At the 15 km marker campsite the toilet facilities consist of two toilets and one shower for the whole campsite which is fine if it is not crowded. A shower is an additional $30. FYI: Pinglin is famous for Tea which I didn’t bother to try. The actual town of Pinglin serves only as a pit stop where you can refuel your car or scooter, stop at 7-11, and use the ATM. Between Xindian and Pinglin you won’t find any of these three. There are also a handful of restaurants and of course plenty of tea shops. All of the campsites have a small shop selling basic supplies such as charcoal, grills, bottled water, and Taiwan Beer. If you need any specialty items be sure to stock up in town. Here are some links below present additional information and alternate routes. http://taiwan.8m.net/taipeicircuit.html http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana...scenic/pinglin.html originally published 4/7/2006.