A Day Trip Through the Mountains - A Recomendation

[FolkGuitar]

Nice cool weather with plenty of sunshine, we decided to take a ride for a few hours, and get out of the city. Perfect for a motorcycle ride, but this route will be pleasant in a car as well.

 

We rode up Rt.118, which, once you clear the city becomes a very nice slide through the countryside, all the way up past the Mae Kachan Hot Springs (interesting rebuilt Temple just beside it) to the turn-off west on to Rt.1150 towards  the town of Phrao. This is a VERY twisty, windy road, going over high mountains with great views. We stopped often for photos, and even with the haze, still enjoyed what we were seeing. This road continues through Phrao (gas station and 7-Eleven in Phrao for a fill-up if needed,) for more high mountain roads and scenic views. Rt.1150 eventually runs into Rt.107 just north of Chiang Dao. If you begin your ride at 10am, you'll hit Chiang Dao just in time for lunch. And what better place in Chiang Dao for lunch than the 'Chiang Dao Nest.'  It's a good idea to call ahead for reservations, especially if you are with a group of other riders. You can't beat the food and ambiance of this restaurant, sitting right at the base of Chiang Dao mountain! Then back on Rt.107 for an hour's ride back to town.  Home by 3:30pm with smiles all around... a perfect day trip through the mountains!

 

 

[orang37]

Sounds like a wonderful trip !  I think that Angkor knock-off near the springs is a commercial property of some sort.

 

Have you visited Wat Tham Tap Tao north of Chiang Dao towards Chai Prakarn ? Wonderful caves, one with a remarkable at least 20 meter high Buddha statue around six-hundred years old (stucco/concrete over brick) in the Chieng Rung classic style.

 

cheers, ~o:37;

[Genericnic]

@FolkGuitar

 

Thanks for the good description of the route. I set up a Google Map for it and will be making a GPS route map for my Garmin. I may wait until after burning season to do the ride though. Hot is ok, smoke not so much.

 

David

 

 

[chingmai331]

Plz.  No more photos of dead fish on a plate covered with spaghetti sauce.

[metisdead]

A post of a commercial nature has been removed. 

[FolkGuitar]

23 minutes ago, Genericnic said:

@FolkGuitar

 

Thanks for the good description of the route. I set up a Google Map for it and will be making a GPS route map for my Garmin. I may wait until after burning season to do the ride though. Hot is ok, smoke not so much.

 

David

 

 

David, this is one of those routes that are just about impossible to get lost on!  It's straight along Rt.118 (about 125k ) to Rt.1150. Turn left and go straight all the way to Rt.107 and turn right. No other turns along the way except for a gazillion twists and curves on the 1150.  

 

BUT.... I just noticed that I wrote in an incorrect timing for this ride. You will need to leave Chiang Mai around 9am, not 10am in order to arrive at Chiang Dao in time for lunch.

[Genericnic]

2 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

 

David, this is one of those routes that are just about impossible to get lost on!  It's straight along Rt.118 (about 125k ) to Rt.1150. Turn left and go straight all the way to Rt.107 and turn right. No other turns along the way except for a gazillion twists and curves on the 1150.  

 

BUT.... I just noticed that I wrote in an incorrect timing for this ride. You will need to leave Chiang Mai around 9am, not 10am in order to arrive at Chiang Dao in time for lunch.

Agree that the route is pretty straightforward. The GPS track adds in things like gas stations, sights to see, places to eat, etc. When you build your own, you can add in alerts that will tell you when something is with a distance you set.

 

David

[FolkGuitar]

1 hour ago, Genericnic said:

Agree that the route is pretty straightforward. The GPS track adds in things like gas stations, sights to see, places to eat, etc. When you build your own, you can add in alerts that will tell you when something is with a distance you set.

 

David

 

Are you using Garmin's  'BaseCamp' to set up your routings?  I use it to program my Garmin Zumo on longer rides, and it works out very nicely. The Zumo's voice prompts transmit directly into our helmet communicators via Bluetooth.

[xr399]

Except programming basecamp is not very intuitive... never sucessfully completed a route!

[Justfine]

13 hours ago, orang37 said:

Sounds like a wonderful trip !  I think that Angkor knock-off near the springs is a commercial property of some sort.

 

Have you visited Wat Tham Tap Tao north of Chiang Dao towards Chai Prakarn ? Wonderful caves, one with a remarkable at least 20 meter high Buddha statue around six-hundred years old (stucco/concrete over brick) in the Chieng Rung classic style.

 

cheers, ~o:37;

Chiang Dao cave is good.

[FolkGuitar]

8 hours ago, xr399 said:

Except programming basecamp is not very intuitive... never sucessfully completed a route!

 

Very true!  Not only 'not intuitive,' 'BaseCamp' can be a real pain in the neck, depending upon the maps being used. Often I'm unable to follow a specific road as BaseCamp forces me onto a completely different path. 'BaseCamp' is the horrible replacement for 'MapSource,' which was a really nice, easy to use, program, but no longer supported.  However, you can still download a copy at:  https://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=209

[Genericnic]

 
Are you using Garmin's  'BaseCamp' to set up your routings?  I use it to program my Garmin Zumo on longer rides, and it works out very nicely. The Zumo's voice prompts transmit directly into our helmet communicators via Bluetooth.

Yes, once you get the flow down on Basecamp it is pretty straightforward. I'm actually working on a small tutorial to help folks navigate the process.

David

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[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 4:14 PM, orang37 said:

Sounds like a wonderful trip !  I think that Angkor knock-off near the springs is a commercial property of some sort.

 

Have you visited Wat Tham Tap Tao north of Chiang Dao towards Chai Prakarn ? Wonderful caves, one with a remarkable at least 20 meter high Buddha statue around six-hundred years old (stucco/concrete over brick) in the Chieng Rung classic style.

 

cheers, ~o:37;

If it's what I'm thinking it is, the "temple" is not a real one. It's just some sort of commercial venture ( as you say ), and appears to have failed for some reason ( run out of money? ).

You spell Wat Tap Tao ( I know it as Tub Tao ) differently, but if we are talking about the same place it beats the Chang Dao caves hands down, IMO. Easy to miss the turn off from the main road though.

[thaibeachlovers]

Re eating at Chiang Dao, why pay large for food when the far more reasonably priced Malee's is right next door, with the same ambiance.

Loads of food places right by the cave, too.

Anyway, I scorn any Chiang Dao eatery when one can eat at Mae Ngad Dam, up the 3038 a short way. Takes a few minutes longer to go there and back, but worth it.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Talking of trips through mountains, few would beat driving from Phrae ( off the 101 ) along the 1022 and 1163 to connect with the 1045 before Sirikit dam.

Thais living up there do it on m'bikes, but a normal car would be insane and better a 4x4 or at least a winch if going 2 wheel drive.

Even the Thais at Phrae were dubious about us going that route- hours of driving in first and second gear on mud, but one of my best trips for scenery.

[FolkGuitar]

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Re eating at Chiang Dao, why pay large for food when the far more reasonably priced Malee's is right next door, with the same ambiance.

Loads of food places right by the cave, too.

Anyway, I scorn any Chiang Dao eatery when one can eat at Mae Ngad Dam, up the 3038 a short way. Takes a few minutes longer to go there and back, but worth it.

 

 

For that matter, there are plenty of food vendor carts you can eat at too, standing up beneath the trees at the base of the mountain and save even more money.  But I think we'll stick with the Chiang Dao Nest. The food is quite simply out of this world, and the two of us ate a delicious lunch for around four hundred baht.

 

But this thread is about a Day Trip through the Mountains, rather than good restaurants found along the roads or on a lake. Let's save that for another thread, rather than hijack this one.

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

 

For that matter, there are plenty of food vendor carts you can eat at too, standing up beneath the trees at the base of the mountain and save even more money.  But I think we'll stick with the Chiang Dao Nest. The food is quite simply out of this world, and the two of us ate a delicious lunch for around four hundred baht.

 

But this thread is about a Day Trip through the Mountains, rather than good restaurants found along the roads or on a lake. Let's save that for another thread, rather than hijack this one.

Hmmmm. This forum is for the sharing of information, and it was you that included restaurants in the OP- if it's in the OP it's on topic. 

BTW, not just people that think 400 baht is worth spending on food read this thread and it is within the topic to discuss alternatives if the OP includes food.

In short, once on the forum it is open for anyone to contribute a valid reply.

 

plenty of food vendor carts you can eat at too, standing up beneath the trees at the base of the mountain and save even more money. 

Nonsense. There are plenty of tables in the area to sit at while eating, and I'll warrant the food just as delicious as anything they sell at the Nest.

 

[FolkGuitar]

Mods, as the OP, I request that this thread be closed.

It's getting off topic.

Thanks.

[metisdead]

As per the OP's request: