Taipingshan Forest Area

Taipingshan was one of the great logging areas of Taiwan, and what makes it worth the long drive now is that the infrastructure was left behind and repurposed. The Jiancing Historic Trail runs level for a couple of kilometres on the sleepers of an old timber railway, through cypress forest so damp that the rails, the ties and the stumps are all upholstered in moss. A short open train, the Bong Bong, runs a restored section of line through the trees. Higher up, Cuifeng Lake sits in a shallow basin as the largest alpine lake on the island, usually half hidden in cloud. Down in a side valley, Jiuzhize hot spring runs hot enough that people cook eggs in it.

What you actually see

• The Jiancing Historic Trail - a level walk on mossed-over railway sleepers through cypress forest.
• The Bong Bong forest train - a small open train on a restored section of the logging line.
• Cuifeng Lake - a shallow alpine lake in a high basin, usually under moving cloud.
• Jiuzhize hot spring - a riverside spring hot enough that eggs are cooked in the outflow.

When to go

Autumn and winter give the clearest conditions and the maples colour late in the year; spring brings rhododendron. Cloud and rain are the norm at this altitude in any season, and the moss depends on it. The mountain road takes about two hours each way, so an overnight at the lodge or in Yilan is close to essential. Book accommodation early.

Honest expectations

The access road is long, narrow and full of switchbacks, and car sickness is common. Fog can reduce the lake to a white wall, and Cuifeng Lake needs a further drive plus a walk on top of everything else. The lodge has limited beds and books out well ahead. Everything is charged separately and adds up, and the trail boards are slick when wet.

Nearby

Yilan city and the Jiaoxi hot spring town are the nearest bases on the plain below.