Lalashan Forest Reserve

Lalashan protects a stand of Taiwan red cypress on a ridge at around fifteen hundred metres, with a numbered trail running past two dozen of the largest trees, several of them over forty metres and estimated at more than a thousand years. The forest is wet and often in cloud, with moss and ferns on everything. The surrounding Fuxing district is Atayal country and grows peaches on the slopes below the reserve.

What you actually see

• The cypress grove - numbered giant trees, several over a thousand years old.
• The cloud forest - moss, ferns and epiphytes in near-permanent damp.
• The ridge trail - the loop path linking the numbered trees.
• The peach orchards - Atayal-farmed slopes on the approach roads.

When to go

March to November is the season, and autumn is clearest. The forest is in cloud much of the time in any month. Winter is cold and the roads can be icy.

Honest expectations

The mountain roads in are narrow, winding and slow, taking well over two hours from Taoyuan. Rain is frequent and the trail is slippery. Weekend crowding on the access road is heavy.

Nearby

Smangus is west across the ridges, and Daxi is down towards the plain.