For years I longed to make a trip to Alishan (阿里山) National Forest but time and opportunity always seemed to evade until this spring. For those who spend most of their time in the big Taipei metropolis the journey to Alishan requires some legwork, but I can now say from experience that it is worth the effort ten times over!
Popular for its rugged mountains, panoramic sunsets, colorful spring cherry blossoms, majestic cloud seas, and timeless cypress and cedar woodlands, Alishan rivals any of the world’s most awe-inspiring old growth forests such as the Redwood National Park in California and Białowieża Forest in Poland and Belarus. As I walked through this enchanting forest gazing at its multiple 2,000+ year-old trees I couldn’t help but stand in awe as I realized they sprouted at about the same time Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, the Roman Empire cast its expansive reach, and Buddhism was making its first entry into the newly-formed Han dynasty of China. It was amazing to gaze at something that has been living that long!
The cooler temperatures and mountain scene of the park sitting at an elevation of 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) made for the exact respite from city life I was looking for in this trip, and the numerous hiking trails provided many hours of much-needed peace and tranquility in my escape from the hustle, bustle, and routine. Up to this point in my life I had already traveled across most of Taiwan so I was expecting more of the same. Instead I was pleasantly surprised how different it felt at Alishan with its temperate and subtropical highland climate. It was about 10 degrees F cooler than the lowlands, and 10 times more peaceful!
The area was first inhabited by Tsou aborigines. From the early 1900s until 1964 Alishan was the scene of major logging operations first started by the Japanese colonial government and continued under Taiwan’s own government. Intricate railways were built by the Japanese to access the lumber resources that were discovered in the area. Today it is a national park, protected space, and the trees are considered sacred by many. The park offers a range of options for visitors to experience the forest including hiking, train rides, tea drinking, sunrise and sunset viewing, stargazing, firefly viewing, and informative museums.
In typical Taiwan fashion the hiking trails up the mountains are mainly stairs… and by “stairs” I mean *lots* and *lots* of stairs. It is rare to see a switchback on the trails, so hiking here involves mainly going straight up the mountain and getting a ton of stair-stepping exercise!
After arriving to Alishan I started my excursion by dropping most of my belongings off at my hotel in the park village so I didn’t have to lug it all up the mountains. I knew I had a full day of stair-climb hiking ahead of me. Then I went to the visitor information center to pick up a paper copy of maps in both Chinese and English. They wanted me to take a picture of one but I asked for paper copy instead which meant I had to pay a nominal fee to purchase. Then I ventured off into the Forest Trail and the Cherry Blossom elevated walkway trail to start. Although I missed the peak season for cherry blossoms I was delighted to still see many along the way.
I decided to tackle the big hike to the peak of Ta Shan first since the temperatures in the morning are cooler and thunderstorms can develop by mid-day or afternoon. It was at the beginning of this hike that I first started realizing how incredible this forest really is as I passed several large rootstocks and massive trees that were wider than a car! Part of the hike involved walking along the old logging railroad before getting to the steep stairs. The forest was unlike any other I had seen in Taiwan. The old growth and shaded floor meant very little underbrush, bamboo, or other vegetation could grow beneath the forest canopy which yields very open forests that are more easily traversed and that you typically won’t see in Taiwan.
I was one of the first hikers up the mountain and kept wondering when the stairs would end! Unfortunately I did not see much wildlife despite my relative isolation, but the sounds of nature to include the especially intriguing bird calls in the area were captivating. After over an hour of exhausting stair climbing I finally made it to the peak! The view from the top at about 8,150 ft (2,484 m) was breathtaking, and not just because of the high altitude and intense stair climbing. The whole Alishan Park valley was visible as well as rugged Formosan mountains stretching as far as the eye could see north and south of the peak. After getting some peaceful rest and soaking in the mountain breeze for several minutes I started making my way back down to the park after noticing some clouds rapidly building nearby.
After reaching the bottom of the Ta Shan trail I worked my way through several trails passing Sister Ponds and some ornate flower gardens. Upon reaching the Shouzhen Temple I encountered the loud banging of drums and dragon dancing in front of the temple’s entrance.
Next was another significant walk as I explored the Giant Tree boardwalks meandering through forest possessing over 20 Cypress trees that are 1,000+ and even 2,000+ years-old. The sheer size of their trunks was truly a sight to behold not unlike that of California’s Giant Sequoias. I started at the Three Generation Tree and worked my way to Giant Tree #28, a Formosan Red Cypress that is estimated to be over 2,000 years old! This magnificent creation boasts a massive and imposing trunk that made the people standing next to it on the walkway ahead of me appear miniature in comparison!
I wrapped up my hiking for the day walking in wonder through the rest of the Giant Tree trail, visiting the Alishan Museum, and yes, climbing more stairs. By dinner time I had seen everything I was hoping to see on the first day so I rested up with hydration, some beef noodle soup, and some snacks back at the main park village area closer to the park entrance. Several hotels, gift shops, a 7-11 convenience store, and a few restaurants are situated in the village. Most of the sit-down restaurants only cater to groups doing hot pot dinners so if you are a solo traveller or a couple you might want to try dinner at the few small noodle and dumpling shops in the building west of the visitor information center and across the parking lot north of the other restaurants and gift shops. Before sunset a sea of clouds rolled into the area presenting scenes of mountain peaks and clouds that were strikingly similar to what you would see in traditional Chinese landscape paintings.
After sunset I crashed hard to sleep in the hotel and woke up the next morning for a more leisurely stroll. Had I woken at about 4:30 in the morning I could have caught the train to see the sunrise as is so popular here, but I opted to save that experience for when I tackle the higher Yu Shan peak someday…or at least that’s what I told my very tired, sleepy self! So instead I took a train ride from the Alishan village to Chaoping station which was a pleasant experience, especially since I was surrounded by many Taiwanese children on a camp outing who were happily singing songs together in Mandarin on the way up! Shuishan Giant Tree offered a nice leisurely walk starting near Chaoping train station following a rail road with minimal elevation change and terminating at yet another 2,000+ year old (possibly 2,700 years old) giant Formosan Cypress tree.
I walked back to the hotel, packed up, and was forcefully jolted by a sudden and explosive double-BOOM! Not knowing where this explosion came from and what caused it I looked out the window and then stepped outside to see if I could figure out what happened. Nothing seemed out of ordinary and everyone was going about their business as usual but I did hear the sound of a jet aircraft after the boom sounded, so I surmised it may have been the sonic boom of an aircraft. I went to the visitor center to talk with a park ranger and indeed he confirmed it was a sonic boom and that these do occur in this area sometimes.
Confirming my life was in fact not in danger I took bus rides back home to Taipei passing through Chiayi and Taichung. As I reflect on the experience I definitely would rank it in the top-3 of my favorite places to visit in Taiwan, right up there with Taroko Gorge. If anyone reading this hopes to visit and would like more info or would like to ask me questions or get some help with planning I am always willing to help out another explorer so just shoot me a message. Alishan is an incredible experience and I hope you get a chance to experience it for yourself!