Xueshan (Snow Mountain)
Taiwan's second-highest peak, a demanding two-day climb through forest and alpine scree to a wide summit ridge
- Difficulty
- Expert
- Duration
- 2 days via 369 Cabin, though some experienced hikers push the round trip in 1 long day
- Summit elevation
- 3886 m
At 3,886 metres, Xueshan is Taiwan's second-highest peak and one of its classic multi-day climbs. The 21.8-kilometre round trip climbs steadily through cypress and juniper forest to 369 Cabin, a mountain hut roughly two-thirds of the way up, before a pre-dawn push across the exposed Black Forest scree slope to the broad, gently sloped summit ridge.
Highlights
- The Black Forest scree slope on the pre-dawn summit push
- Cypress and juniper old-growth forest on the lower trail
- A broad, gently sloped summit ridge unlike Yushan's narrow crest
- Rare Formosan landlocked salmon habitat protected within the national park
Getting there
From Taichung, take a bus or private transfer (about 2.5-3 hours) to the Wuling Farm area, where the Xue Mountain trailhead begins near the Wuling police checkpoint.
Safety tips
The Black Forest section before the summit is exposed scree with real fall consequences in poor visibility, and altitude affects most climbers to some degree above 3,500 metres; a steady, acclimatised pace and a willingness to turn back in bad weather matter more than speed.
What to bring
- Full layered clothing for a wide temperature range
- Sturdy trekking boots with ankle support
- Headlamp and trekking poles for the pre-dawn scree crossing
- Sleeping bag and enough food for the 369 Cabin overnight