Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you arrive early at Paiyun Lodge and still have energy to spare, you can tackle
Yushan West Peak
(Yùshān Dōngfēng; elevation 3518m). The trail starts to the left of
the cabin.
The next day most hikers get a 3am start in order to reach the summit by daylight. It's
switchback after switchback until a loose gravel slope. At the top of the slope hikers
enter a steel cage, exit onto a tiny rocky pass, and then make a final scramble up the
roughest and most exposed section of the trail to the ingot-shaped peak.
On the way up, watch for the hemlock and spruce forest giving way to fields of rhodo-
dendron and stands of juniper, at first tall and straight and then twisted and dwarfed. At
the highest elevations, lichens and tenacious alpine flowers clinging to the windswept
rocks are about all the life you'll find. This is also when the views start to chill you to the
bone.
After resting on the summit and taking in the views, hikers return to Paiyun Lodge to
gather their stuff and hike back to Tatajia.
If the weather is clear, consider hiking across to
Yushan North Peak
(Yùshān Běi-
fēng; elevation 3858m). The way is obvious and the view from the weather station on the
peak shows the sweeping ridgeline of Yushan that's portrayed on the NT$1000 note.
If tackling the southern set of peaks that include
Yushan South Peak
(Yùshān Nán-
fēng; elevation 3844m) and
Dongsiaonan Shan
(Yùshān Dōngxiǎonán Shān; elevation
3744m), hikers stay at the lofty
Yuanfong Cabin
(Yuánfēng Yíngdì; elevation 3752m),
about 2.5km (1½ hours) south off the main trail. You'll need a couple more days to bag
these extras.
Other Hikes
For strong hikers, there are several spectacular treks in the national park, like the 90km
Japanese Occupation Era Batongguan Traversing Route
(Bātōngguān Rìjù Yuèdào Xiàn)
and the 63.5km
Southern Section 2 Trail
(Nán Èrduàn Xiàn)
. Both involve seven to eight
days of trekking through Yushan. They're among the best hikes in Taiwan but the trails
are yet to be restored after typhoon and earthquake damage in 2013. Keep an eye out for
updates on the national park website (
http://mountain.ysnp.gov.tw
).
Bird- & Butterfly-Watching
About 150 bird species can be sighted in the park. Rusty laughing thrush and Yushan
Yuhina are commonly seen on the trails. At Tatajia Saddle the endemic mikado pheasant
can be spotted as often as not.
Butterflies can be found all over the park, but Tatajia is the funnel point of a remark-
able and little-understood butterfly corridor. In late spring, winds from Puli sweep the
