Alishan National Forest Recreation Area
A red cypress forest, a narrow-gauge sunrise railway and a sea of clouds over the sacred mountain of Taiwanese tea country
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Duration
- About 1-1.5 hours round trip on the Zhushan Sunrise Trail, or a ride on the sunrise train
- Summit elevation
- 2489 m
Alishan is less a single peak than a mountain region of tea plantations, red cypress forest and a historic narrow-gauge railway built for logging over a century ago and now run for tourism. The short Zhushan Sunrise Trail climbs from Zhaoping Park through cypress groves to the Zhushan viewing platform, timed each morning to catch sunrise over the Central Mountain Range, with a sea of clouds filling the valleys below on many mornings.
Highlights
- Sunrise over the Central Mountain Range from Zhushan viewing platform
- The historic narrow-gauge Alishan Forest Railway
- Ancient red cypress groves, some over a thousand years old
- Cherry blossoms in March and April
Getting there
From Chiayi, take the Alishan Forest Railway (about 3.5 hours) or a bus along the Alishan Highway (about 2.5-3 hours) directly to Alishan Station.
Safety tips
The Zhushan trail itself is short and low-risk, but pre-dawn temperatures at this elevation are cold year-round and the viewing platform gets genuinely crowded for sunrise, so arrive early, dress warmly, and hold onto valuables in the crowd.
What to bring
- A warm jacket for pre-dawn temperatures
- A headlamp if walking rather than riding the sunrise train
- Cash or card for the recreation area and railway tickets
- Comfortable walking shoes for uneven forest paths