How to Conquer Yushan (Jade Mountain), Taiwan’s Tallest Peak

It is truly mind boggling that a small country like Taiwan has such a tall mountain.

Mount Jade (玉山 or Yushan) is the highest peak in Northeast Asia, rising above Mount Fuji or almost exactly the same height as the tallest mountain the Canadian Rockies.

Climbing Yushan Main Peak is relatively easy, but what’s more difficult is all the logistics – when to go, what to bring, how to get the permit, how to book the lodges, what to do with your luggage, and how to get to Yushan National Park + onward to your next destination.

In this article, I’ll cover all of the above in great detail, based on my two experiences tackling this bucket-list peak, most recently in late-March 2025. All photos in this article are my own!

I’ve also got this guide to other hikes in the park that don’t require a permit and my other favorite hikes in Taiwan.

Mount Jade Fast Facts

• Height: 3952 meters (12,966 feet)

• Location: Yushan National Park, roughly at the center of Taiwan’s Central Mountain range, at the intersection of Nantou, Chiayi, Kaohsiung, and Hualien counties. Yushan Main Peak is in Nantou county.

• Cool location fact: Yushan sits almost exactly on the Tropic of Cancer

• Did you know? You can see the sun rising above Yushan from Alishan, Taiwan’s most popular mountain resort. See my Alishan visiting guide.

• Peaks: Yushan Main Peak, Yushan East Peak (3869 m), Yushan North Peak (3858 m), Yushan South Peak (3844 m), Yushan South Peak (3467 m)

• Interesting wildlife: Formosan black bear, flying squirrel, Formosan serow, Reeves’s muntjac, yellow-throated marten, wild boar, 200+ species of butterfly

• Other cool facts:
  – Scientists call Yushan “the ark of Taiwan” due to its abundance of rare species.
  – Yushan National Park is the largest land-based national park in Taiwan.
  – Yushan made the shortlist New7Wonders and is a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site, if Taiwan ever gets any.
  – Yushan is on the TWD 1000 bill and there’s a bank named after it (it’s the bank I use!)

Also read my guide to Snow Mountain (Xueshan), Taiwan’s second-tallest peak.

Yushan Main Peak Trail Facts

• Starting Point: Paiyun Mountaineering Center, just off Highway 18 (from Chiayi & Alishan) before it becomes Highway 21 (to Sun Moon Lake)

• Access: By car or bus from Chiayi/Alishan or Sun Moon Lake

• Hike length: 24.3 km (return) or 19.5 km (if you take the shuttle to/from the trailhead)

• Hiking time: 9 to 15 hours return (depends on walking speed and whether you take the shuttle)

• Typical duration: two days (1 night at Paiyun Lodge)

• Acclimatization: recommended to spend 1 additional night at Dongpu Lodge before hike. Also possible to acclimatize at Alishan.

• Route: Paiyun Mountaineering Center to Trailhead (45 min or shuttle bus), Trailhead to Paiyun Lodge (3-5 hours, sleep there), Paiyun Lodge to Summit for sunrise (2-3 hours), Summit to Paiyun Lodge (1-2 hours, have brunch), Paiyun Lodge to Trailhead (3-4 hours), Trailhead to Paiyun Mountaineering Center (45 min or shuttle bus)

• Difficulty: Moderate to difficult. Anyone in decent shape can do it with some advance training. Children about 10+ can do it if they have sufficient hiking experience.

When to Hike Yushan

April and November are the two best months for hiking Yushan. These months have mild weather, no snow, and lower chance of rain (rain is still possible in any month, though).

May to September have a higher chance of rain, while a typhoon could potentially cancel your hike from July to October. If you can accept the possibility of rain or small risk of cancellation due to typhoon, then May to October are otherwise good months, too.

Hiking Yushan in winter (mid-December to end-March) is more difficult and potentially dangerous.

Multiple trekkers have fallen and died due to heavy snow and icy conditions at the peak, including one couple just a week before I did the hike.

You will be required to bring a helmet, ice axe, and crampons, and know how to use them.

How Many Days to Budget

I recommend setting aside three days (two nights) for your Yushan hike.

On the first day, you will travel by car or bus to Yushan National Park and spend the night at Dongpu Lodge to acclimatize to the elevation. It’s also possible (but not quite as good due to lower elevation) to acclimatize at Alishan.

On day two, you’ll check in at Paiyun Mountaineering Center (Yushan National Park Visitor’s Center), do 1-3 of these other hikes in the park (optional), then hike to Paiyun Lodge, and sleep there.

On day three, you’ll hike to the summit for sunrise, hike back down the mountain, and drive or take the bus onward to your next destination.

Experienced hikers can do Yushan Main Peak as a single-day hike, taking about 10-12 hours. For this option, the permit is easier to get.

Yushan Trail Maps

While the trail to Yushan Main Peak is well-signed and it’s easy to find the way, I still suggest using a hiking app like AllTrails. I use the paid version (about $30 per year).

This allows me to download any hiking map so that it will still work when I don’t have a signal. This means at any point during the hike, I can see exactly where I am on the trail map, thanks to the GPS in every phone. Some hikers in Taiwan prefer maps.me, which is similar.

Here are other apps I recommend for traveling in Taiwan.

If you want a traditional map, here’s the most detailed map of the area or a simpler interactive map of Day 1 and Day 2 of the hike.

How to Apply for the Permit (Or Join a Tour)

The 2D1N Yushan Main Peak trail is by far the most popular route and has extremely high demand.

Luckily for us, there are 24 spots per day (Sunday to Thursday only) reserved for foreigners, including visiting tourists and residents (ARC-holders). This is called the Foreign Advanced Application.

From September 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026, this number will be reduced to 18 due to renovations at Paiyun Lodge.

To get one of these spots, you need to apply four months in advance. If they fill up, you’ll have to apply the same way all Taiwanese do, 60 days in advance. Because so many locals apply, you’ll be entered into a draw and have a lower chance of getting a spot, especially on weekends.

The Foreign Advanced Application process is quite complicated, with many steps and things to know. That’s why I’ve published a separate guide to applying for the permit.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble, you can join a group hike with Parkbus Taiwan or hire a private guide with Taiwan Outdoors and they will arrange everything for you. You need to apply around 6 months in advance.

Equipment/Packing Checklist

Outside of winter season, the things you’ll need for your Yushan hike are no different than any other high mountain trek. These include:

• Good hiking shoes
• Layers of clothing, including summer-like clothing (start of trail can be quite hot) and warm, wind-proof clothing for the summit (check summit temperature, keep in mind you’ll be standing up there for about an hour and it will be very windy)
• Rain jacket or poncho (in my photo above, I’m wearing a rain jacket/pants that Taiwanese use when riding scooters)
• Sun protection and mosquito repellant
• Smartphone (for GPS and hiking app like AllTrails) and battery pack (the lodges say no charging available but I did see some people charging)
• Headlamp (for early hike to sunrise)
• Helmet (not required but all guided groups wear them)
• Hiking pole(s)
• Water bottle (drinking water available at Visitor’s Center and lodges)
• Pillow (none offered at Paiyun Lodge)
• Snacks (dinner, breakfast, and brunch/lunch offered at Paiyun Lodge, no food offered at Dongpu Lodge or anywhere else in the area)
• Sleeping mask and earplugs (for loud snoring in the lodges)
• Toilet paper (not available in all restrooms)
• First aid, diarrhea and other medications (just in case)
• Diamox (for reducing chance of altitude sickness)

In winter (mid-December to end-March), there is a possibility of snow and/or icy conditions at the summit. Even though it’s not always the case, conditions can change overnight, so you will be required to bring:

• Crampons (with long spikes, not little microspikes/ice cleats – the one in my photo is actually not considered good enough, but better than nothing)
• Ice axe
• Helmet

These can be rented here in Beitou district of Taipei city. If you live in Taiwan, you can order these items on Shopee for a very reasonable price – ask a local to help if needed. Note that the park doesn’t actually check if you have these items.

Because I was flying in from Canada, I asked my sister-in-law in Taiwan to order them for me, then I mailed them back to her using 7-Eleven’s parcel service after my hike.

For my late-winter hike (it was literally the last few days of the season), I debated not getting the items because there hadn’t been snow for weeks.

But then, there was suddenly a cold spell right before I went, with lots of new snow and ice at the peak, and two deaths, so I was very happy I prepared the items (even though I didn’t need to use them in the end). Better safe than sorry!

Elevation and Altitude Sickness

If you travel directly from Chiayi, Sun Moon Lake, or anywhere else lower in Taiwan directly to Yushan and start the hike, there’s a good chance you will acute mountain sickness while staying at Paiyun Lodge.

I’ve heard of many people not being able to summit Yushan because they got altitude sickness, including one member of a couple I met at Paiyun Lodge. The woman unfortunately had to wait at the lodge while her partner hiked to the peak. In worse case scenarios, you could get very sick or even die.

There’s no way to know whether you will be sensitive to altitude sickness or not. It varies by person and doesn’t depend on your fitness level.

For me, I know from person experience (Tibet, Peru, Yunnan) that I’m sensitive to elevation (I experience it anywhere above 2800 meters if I go there directly and stay more than a few hours). However, I met people on the hike who traveled directly to Yushan and didn’t have any issue.

If you’re feeling fine during your night at Paiyun Lodge, you’ll be fine for the summit, since you’re just going up for a short time then coming back down.

Here’s a table of the relevant elevations for your Yushan hike:

Location	Elevation
Sun Moon Lake	748 m (2454 ft)
Alishan	2200 m (7218 ft)
Dongpu Lodge	2580 m (8465)
Yushan Trailhead	2610 m (8563)
Paiyun Lodge	3402 m (11,161 ft)
Yushan Main Peak	3952 meters (12,966 ft)

The best way to avoid altitude sickness is to acclimatize before the hike. You can do this by staying one night at Alishan or even better at Dongpu Lodge before the hike. As someone who is sensitive to elevation, staying at Dongpu Lodge worked for me.

Taking Diamox starting one day before you go to higher elevation can also help with the symptoms. Note that taking Diamox is not a substitute for acclimatizing – I always do both.

I ask my doctor for a Diamox prescription before I visit anywhere above 2800 meters, hiking or not, including every time I’ve hiked in Yushan or Hehuanshan, another high mountain region in Taiwan.

Getting to Yushan National Park

There are five ways you can get to Yushan: by car, by private driver, by tour, by park shuttle, or by bus. If you join a tour, transportation will be included.

Driving from Chiayi/Alishan

The easiest and most flexible way to get to Yushan is to rent a car and drive there. This also means you can leave your luggage in your car.

For my recent hike, I rented a car from IWS at Chiayi HSR station, which I booked here on Klook. IWS offers English email service. The rental office is a few minutes’ drive from the HSR station and they offer free pick-up/drop-off.

Here’s more information about renting a car and driving in Taiwan.

It took me about three hours to drive from Chiayi HSR station to Shangdongpu Parking Lot, the main parking lot for Yushan National Park and Dongpu Lodge.

As for possible scenic stops on the way, I passed Eryanping and Shizhuo (famous for their tea plantation hikes). You could make a brief stop if interested. If you just want a quick tea plantation view with space to park, stop here.

Then I passed Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, where you could potentially make a stop there for a few hours (entrance TWD 300 per adult + 100 parking fee).

Because I drove up in the late afternoon, I managed to catch a beautiful sunset at this lookout point on the highway just past Alishan. After that, it was just 30 minutes to Yushan.

Highway 18 from Chiayi & Alishan to Yushan is well-paved, incredibly scenic, but very winding. This highway is open 24 hours.

Driving from Sun Moon Lake

Another option is to drive from Sun Moon Lake to Yushan, which takes two hours. If you did this, you’d most likely start by renting a car in Taichung. See my recommended Sun Moon Lake itinerary for planning your time there.

Highway 21 from Sun Moon Lake area to Yushan is also well-paved, highly scenic, and winding. The upper section of it is only open from 7 AM to 5:30 PM, so you’ll need to pass through before it closes.

If you’re looking for possible stops or scenic detours along this route, there are many.

Scenic detours could include Shuiyuan Rainbow Suspension Bridge (budget three hours driving and visiting time), Checheng Old Street for lunch (1-2 hours), Jiji Wuchang Temple (destroyed by 921 Earthquake, 1 hour).

If you don’t want to make any detours, there aren’t so many stops. Caopingtou (草坪頭) has some nice tea plantations and cherry blossoms – click the link for blooming times.

This viewpoint is one of the few spots you can see Yushan from the highway.

Parking

Shangdongpu Parking Lot (here) at the main entrance to Yushan National Park is free and has plenty of spaces stretching along the highway. It also has 24-hour restrooms. Some locals spend the night in their car here before climbing Yushan.

If you spend your first night at Dongpu Lodge to acclimatize, as I did and recommend, there’s no parking right next to the lodge, so don’t drive down the small road to it.

Instead, park at the northern end of Shangdongpu parking lot (just a little north past this pin), where you’ll find a wooden staircase going down through the forest to the lodge (5 minutes).

If you park at the southern end of the parking lot around the bus stop, you can walk down the small car road to the lodge.

From Shangdongpu Parking Lot or bus stop, it’s a five-minute uphill walk along a car road (see photo above) to Tataka Police Station and Paiyun Mountaineering Center (Yushan Visitor’s Center), where you’ll check in for the hike.

From Dongpu Lodge, it would be a 10-15 minute uphill walk or you can take the park shuttle, which goes from the Dongpu Lodge to the Visitor’s Center to the Yushan Trailhead (TWD 100).

By Private Driver

If you can’t or don’t want to drive, you can also arrange a private vehicle from Chiayi, Alishan, Sun Moon Lake, or anywhere else in Taiwan to Yushan.

I recommend using Tripool (can book up to 6 PM of day before) or contacting one of my recommended drivers for a quote.

Expect to pay about TWD 6000 from Chiayi HSR to Yushan or 5000 from Sun Moon Lake to Yushan, and the same to go back.

In order to acclimatize for your hike, I recommend that you get dropped off at Dongpu Lodge and sleep there before doing your hike the next day.

If you only need to go from Alishan to Yushan (30 minutes), you can usually find taxis outside the main Alishan park entrance gate, but it’s not guaranteed.

By Tour

If you join group hike with Parkbus Taiwan or hire a private guide with Taiwan Outdoors, transportation to/from Yushan will be provided. They will usually depart from Taipei, but pickup from other cities may be possible – just ask.

You need to apply for these around 6 months in advance so they have time to prepare and apply for the permits for you.

By Shuttle

Dongpu Lodge has a pickup/drop-off service from Alishan or Shuili to Dongpu Lodge (Yushan).

The price per vehicle (van size) is TWD 1200 from Alishan or 3500 from Shuili. The latter is near Sun Moon Lake and has bus connections to it.

You can book the shuttle here on the Dongpu website.

By Public Transportation (Bus 6739)

Here’s a table of all the buses from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan, with the time for Shangdongpu (Yushan stop). Note that the times for Shangdongpu can vary a little according to traffic conditions.

Sun Moon Lake	Shangdongpu (Yushan)	Alishan
8 AM	10:30	11:00
8:30 AM (Sat/Sun only)	11:00	11:30
9:30 AM (weekdays only)	12:00	12:30

Alishan	Shangdongpu (Yushan)	Sun Moon Lake
1 PM	1:30 PM	4:00 PM
2 PM (Sat/Sun only)	2:30 PM	5:00 PM
2:30 PM (weekdays only)	3:00 PM	5:30 PM

If you plan to reach Yushan by bus from Chiayi/Alishan or Sun Moon Lake, you’ll need to watch the times carefully.

You may want to reserve your seat on the bus. This is a popular bus route between two major tourist attractions in Taiwan (Alishan and Sun Moon Lake) so it often fills up at the departure point.

The new bus reservation website only allows your to book the full trip (Sun Moon Lake to Alishan or Alishan to Sun Moon Lake), even if you plan to get off at Shangdongpu. Alternatively, you can just show up and swipe EasyCard, but in the case that all seats are reserved or taken, you’d have to stand in the aisle the whole way (not too long if coming from Alishan, but quite long from Sun Moon Lake).

Due to the various bus times and acclimatization considerations, my most recommended way for travelers is:

• Stay at Sun Moon Lake first
• Leave your luggage in a hotel there
• Take either morning bus to Shangdongpu (Yushan)
• Use your first day to do the three non-permit hikes in the park
• Sleep at Dongpu Lodge to acclimatize (guests also have option to leave luggage here)
• Hike to Yushan (with one night at Paiyun Lodge)
• Take the bus back to Sun Moon Lake to retrieve your luggage the next day (if you left it there), then bus to Taichung and onward to your next destination.
• OR take the 12:00 bus from Yushan onward to Alishan. If you hike down quickly, you should have no problem catching this bus after sunrise.

Sun Moon Lake to Yushan

First, to get to Sun Moon Lake, take a regular train (2 hours) or HSR (1 hour) from Taipei to Taichung, then take this bus to Sun Moon Lake (90 minutes). See my train and HSR booking guide.

You can swipe EasyCard or reserve a seat online. Swiping EasyCard is always a bit of a risk, as the bus can actually totally sell out at popular times. The fare is 292 from Taichung to Sun Moon Lake, so if you plan to swipe EasyCard, make sure you have enough on there.

Next, Bus 6739 (Sun Moon Lake to Alishan) departs from this bus stop in Shuishe village, the same stop where you’d arrive from Taichung. Here’s how to book it online.

It departs at 8 AM daily (with a second one at 8:30 on weekdays or 9:30 on weekends) and reaches Shangdongpu Bus Stop (here) in Yushan National Park around 10:30 AM Or 11:00/11:30 for the later bus).

Note that the buses sometimes arrive a bit later than the official times, depending on traffic conditions.

Since you will arrive at Yushan in the late morning, in theory that’s plenty of time for hiking to Paiyun Lodge. However, you’d run the risk of altitude sickness because you didn’t acclimatize.

Therefore, you have two main options here:

• Option 1 (safer): Spend a night at Dongpu Lodge first, then hike to Paiyun Lodge the next day. To fill your Day 1, you can do the three hikes in Yushan National Park that don’t require permits. This is my most recommended way, as it will help you acclimatizer AND prepare you physically for the next day.

• Option 2 (riskier): As soon as you get off the bus, start your hike to Paiyun Lodge. For me, I know that I get altitude sickness if I travel directly from sea level to anywhere above 2800 meters, so I would never do this. However, I know that some people can actually handle it. Only do this if you’ve done something similar before, so you know your body can handle it. And please note that elevation sensitivity is not related to general fitness.

Yushan back to Sun Moon Lake

After your hike, the same bus (6739) departs Alishan at 1 PM, passes Shangdongpu (Yushan) around 1:30, and reaches Sun Moon Lake around 4 PM or slightly later. There’s one more later in the afternoon – good as a back-up plan, but you most likely won’t want to stay that long.

When I did the hike in late March, sunrise was at 6 AM, I left the peak at 6:30, had brunch at Paiyun Lodge, hiked quickly down the mountain, and got back to Shangdongpu at 11:30.

If you plan to catch this bus at 1:30 PM, that gives you enough time to hike down the mountain without rushing, and pick up your luggage from Dongpu Lodge if you need to.

Simply swipe your EasyCard when you board. Again, make sure your EasyCard has enough money on it to get back (TWD 269).

Chiayi/Alishan to Yushan

As I said before, going to Yushan from Chiayi/Alishan (and back) is less ideal due to the bus times in both directions. But I’ll still include the information for anyone who is considering it.

You’ll first need to take a bus from Chiayi station (in the city center) or Chiayi HSR station (outside the city center) to Alishan Bus Station (here) in Alishan National Forest Recreation Area.

Here are the bus times and how to book the bus online (recommended because this bus is always packed with tourists heading to Alishan).

If you book the bus ticket online, you’ll need to pick up the ticket at any FamilyMart in Taiwan. Note: there’s no FamilyMart at Chiayi HSR station or in Alishan.

You could potentially spend the night in Alishan before continuing to Yushan. It’s high enough (2200m) to help you acclimatize. Then you won’t have to spend a night at Dongpu Lodge. Here’s my recommended itinerary for visiting Alishan.

Next, you’ll need to ride bus 6739 (Alishan to Sun Moon Lake) from Alishan Bus Station for 30 minutes to Shangdongpu Bus Stop (here) in Yushan National Park. The bus departs at 1 PM, with a second one at 2:00/2:30 PM on weekends/weekdays.

The timing here is awkward. The 1 PM bus gets you to Shangdongpu at 1:30 PM, but that’s barely enough time to reach Paiyun Lodge before dark and dinner (5-7 PM).

You also need to factor in sunset time (you’d have less time in winter but more time in summer), luggage storage, and acclimatization.

There are four possible ways you could navigate this:

• Option 1 (Slow and leisurely): Take bus from Chiayi to Alishan and spend a night there to acclimatize. Enjoy the trails and famous sunrise the next morning. Then take the 1:30 or later bus to Shangdongpu, sleep at Dongpu Lodge (2580 m) to further acclimatize, and start your hike the next day.

• Option 2 (acclimatize in Alishan, less recommended): Take bus from Chiayi to Alishan and spend the night there to acclimatize. Leave your luggage in a locker in Alishan Bus Station Train Station. Take the 1:30 bus from Alishan to Yushan and start the hike as soon as you arrive. If you hike quickly, you can reach Paiyun Lodge before dark, especially in summer, though it would be tighter in winter. This would be my less recommended choice because Alishan is not quite high enough to be ideal for acclimatization before this hike.

• Option 3 (acclimatize at Dongpu, most recommended): Take a morning bus from Chiayi to Alishan. Leave luggage in a locker then transfer to the 1 PM (or later) bus to Shangdongpu. Sleep at Dongpu Lodge to acclimatize and start your hike the next day. You could also leave your luggage at Dongpu Lodge, but you’d need to add an extra 30 minutes to do that before starting the hike.

• Option 4 (Fastest but risk of altitude sickness): Take a morning bus from Chiayi to Alishan. Leave luggage in a locker then transfer to the 1 PM bus to Shangdongpu. Start the hike as soon as you arrive. Only do this if you have previous experience with traveling directly to higher elevations and know that your body can handle it.

If you plan to come back via Alishan, you can store your luggage in an Owl Locker in Alishan Bus Station for up to 72 hours. You can only store luggage at Dongpu Lodge if you are a guest. See my Taiwan luggage storage guide.

Yushan back to Alishan/Chiayi

The first bus from Shangdongpu back to Alishan is quite early, so I only recommend trying to catch it if you are a very fast hiker and going in summer, when sunrise is earlier (5 AM at peak of summer, vs. 7 AM at peak of winter).

The bus departs Sun Moon Lake at 8 AM, arrives at Shangdongpu around 10:30, and Alishan around 11:00.

When I did the hike in late March, sunrise was at 6 AM, I left the peak at 6:30, had brunch at Paiyun Lodge, hiked quickly down the mountain, and got back to Shangdongpu at 11:30. I would have missed the bus.

However, luckily, they have now added a second later one. On weekdays, when you are likely hiking, it departs Sun Moon Lake at 9:30, Shangdongpu at 12:00, and arrives in Alishan at 12:30. This bus would have been perfect for me.

Keep in mind that in summer, you’ll have a little more time due to earlier sunrise.

Also remember, if you need to retrieve your luggage from Dongpu Lodge before catching the bus, that would add another 20-30 minutes, so make sure to factor that in.

My Experience Hiking Yushan

I’m now going to cover the whole hike in detail, including my walking times and tons of photos, starting from my night at Dongpu Lodge.

Staying at Dongpu Lodge

I arrived at Shangdongpu Parking Lot by car around 7 PM, so it was already totally dark (I shot the below photo the next day).

From the parking lot, I found the staircase down through the forest to the lodge. It’s opposite and just north of the turnoff into the national park, just past one of the restroom buildings.

When I arrived at Dongpu Lodge (東埔山莊), there was still a staff member on site. The lodge has hot water for drinks or instant noodles and hot showers until 8 PM.

If you plan to arrive at Dongpu Lodge after 6 PM you are supposed to let them know, and after 8 PM there will be no staff on site so they will give you instructions for self-check-in.

I was asked to leave my bag and all my gear on the racks in the common room and not take it into the sleeping room. Also note: there’s no trash disposal – you must carry your trash out – and no alcohol.

The bunk beds in the common room come with a mattress, blanket and pillow. I was pleased to find they now how little curtains between and at the front of the bunks.

This made a huge difference for me, as I felt I had some privacy in my own little pod, even though there was someone sleeping next to me. Lights go out at 8:30 PM. I had a great sleep.

The next morning, I walked back up the staircase to my car to leave some things, and then up the car road into the national park.

It took me about 15 minutes to walk (uphill, I was breathing hard already) from Dongpu Lodge to Tataka Police Station and Paiyun Mountaineering Center to check in for my hike (see my Yushan permit guide for what you need to do here).

There’s also a park shuttle from Dongpu Lodge to Paiyun Mountaineering Center to the hike trailhead (TWD 100, 6:30 AM to 5 PM). You can also request it anytime after those hours for TWD 150.

The Three Non-Permit Hikes

Because I had such an early start to my day after staying at Dongpu Lodge, I was in no major rush to hike to Paiyun Lodge (it takes 3-5 hours from trailhead to lodge).

Therefore, I decided to try the three connected hikes (Lulinshan, Lulinqianshan, and Linzhishan) in Yushan National Park before hiking the main trail to Paiyun Lodge. These three hikes don’t require a permit. I cover them in far more detail here.

These three hikes also start from Paiyun Mountaineering Center, and if you plan it properly, you can finish them at Yushan Main Peak trailhead.

If you’re arriving on the 8 AM bus from Sun Moon Lake and spending your first night at Dongpu Lodge, then these would be perfect for your first day. It would help you to acclimatize and get ready for your main hike the next day.

To be totally honest, these three hikes are no joke. By starting my day with those, I was already tired by the time I started the main trail to Yushan, and totally exhausted by the time I made it to Paiyun Lodge.

I should mention that I’m not a regular hiker, but I’m in moderate shape and did do some training in the months before my hike, including hiking Mianyue Line in Alishan (a full day hike) a few days before.

So, I only recommend doing these three hikes + hiking to Paiyun Lodge on the same day if you’re in good shape and experienced at hiking. A compromise would be to only do one of them (Linzhishan), not all three, but even that comes with lots of stairs.

The hikes do have some nice views, including views of Yushan, but honestly, the views of Yushan are better on the main trail to Yushan.

In total, starting from Paiyun Mountaineering Center (after I checked in for my Yushan hike, see next section), these three connecting hikes took me 4.5 hours – I left Paiyun at 8 AM and arrived at the Yushan trailhead at 12:30.

It would then take me 5 hours to hike to Paiyun Lodge (I was slow due to being tired), just in time for dinner. In other words, I did 9.5 hours of hiking in one day, much of it uphill, which is a lot for me.

If you only did one of these hikes, Linzhishan, it would only take about 1.5 hours.

Essentially, instead of walking the car road from Paiyun Mountaineering Center to Yushan Trailhead (45 minutes) or taking the shuttle (5 minutes), you would be walking up a small mountain (Linzhishan) to the right of the car road, enjoying a view of Yushan from the top, then walking steeply down the other side of it to finish at the Yushan trailhead.

Paiyun Mountaineering Center to Trailhead

At Paiyun Mountaineering Center (Yushan National Park Visitor’s Center), I started my day by checking in for the hike (after having applied four months earlier and gone through the whole application process), looking at the displays inside, filling up on water, and using the restroom.

I didn’t have to visit Tataka Police Station because I had already applied for my Mountain Entry Permit online, but if you need to, it’s right next door.

You have the option to walk or take the shuttle (TWD 100) to the Yushan Trailhead (here). Since I was doing the three non-permit hikes first, I walked. The turnoff for them is halfway up the road to Yushan trailhead.

The walk to the trailhead takes about 45 minutes. It follows a paved car road through the forest with no mountain views, so you aren’t missing much if you just take the shuttle.

The walk is gently uphill until Giant Taiwan Hemlock (大鐵杉), a giant tree here.

Next to the giant tree, there’s a restroom and the turnoff (another paved car road) to Lulinshan, Lulinqianshan, and Linzhishan (the three non-permit hikes).

The second half of the walk to the Yushan Trailhead is gently downhill.

Trailhead to Paiyun Lodge

Yushan trailhead (2610 m) sits in Tataka Saddle (塔塔加鞍部) between Lizhishan to the south and another mountain to the north.  

I shot the below photo from Linzhishan, looking down on the saddle and start of the trail (left side), which you can see going across the mountain.

At the trailhead, I saw a round direction marker on the ground, stone slab with the characters 玉山登山口  (Yushan Trailhead) carved into it, an Yushan (E.Sun) bank advertisement, and a view of Yushan Main Peak.

Looking up at the peak so far away, it was hard to believe I would standing on top of it the next morning!

If you take the shuttle from Dongpu Lodge or Paiyun Mountaineering Center, you’ll get dropped off here, and you’d also wait here to go back. There’s no schedule for the shuttle – they go when they want to.

From the trailhead, the trail starts to the left. The trail went up steadily, and I was soon huffing and puffing.

After 25 minutes, I crossed a small wooden bridge over a landslide down the mountain, which I had seen earlier from Linzhishan.

Looking back from there, I could see the start of the hike at Tataka Saddle and a small car road that plunges down into the valley below.

As I continued along, I caught glimpses of the Yushan massif ahead, and stunning mountain/valley views to my right, which would continue to be the case for much of the hike.

Just under an hour and 1.6 km into my hike, I reached Monroe Pavilion (孟祿亭, 2838 m), which is named after an American who died here. It’s just a small rest stop with no view and a restroom just past it.

An hour and a half (2.7 km) into my hike, I reached the turnoff to Yushan Front Peak, where there are many huge boulders strewn about the trail and slope of the mountain to the left.

Yushan Front Peak is a tough, 2 to 2.5 hour return hike, so I don’t recommend it unless you’ve planned the time (and energy!) for it.

This mid-section of the hike was more gradual in elevation gain, but at this point I was already becoming quite tired after having done those three extra hikes to start my day. I was moving slowly and taking many little breaks.

Nevertheless, the views looking ahead to Yushan, which was getting closer and closer with every step, were breathtaking.

About halfway to Paiyun Lodge (2.5 hours or 5 km into the hike), many hikers take a longer break at White Forest Observation Deck (白木林觀景台, also called Yushan West Peak Lookout, 3096 m, here).

In fact, when I arrived here, I was surprised to find multiple hikers sleeping on the pavilion. And I don’t mean just a little nap – several people were sprawled out and snoring loudly!

The name “White Forest” comes from the fact that a forest fire has left some trees visible from here bare, so only their white trunks remain (see photo below).

I thought the view from this lookout pavilion is one of the best on the whole hike, so I spent about 20 minutes here resting, snacking, and taking it all in.  

Shortly after the pavilion, I hiked along a cliff with some chains that weren’t necessary to use. The trail then passed through a particularly beautiful forest of hemlock and fir trees. This section was mostly flat.

Four hours or 6.5 km into my hike, or one hour after White Forest Observation Deck, I reached Yushan Great Cliff (玉山大峭壁, also called Daciaobi (The Great Precipice), here).

The trail passes along the bottom of an enormous cliff face, created by the collision of the Eurasian and Philippine sea plates.

It was around here that I saw the first patch of snow on my hike (Related: here are some of the best places to see snow in Taiwan!)

Soon after, the trail rounded a corner into a valley that leads up to Yushan Main Peak. The trail entered the forest, for a final push up to Paiyun Lodge.

My first glimpse of the orange lodge through the trees was an enormous relief. I was totally exhausted!

I arrived at Paiyun Lodge five hours after I’d started from the trailhead. I hiked slowly with many breaks. I’ve heard that experienced hikers can do it in only 3-4 hours.

Staying at Paiyun Lodge

As soon as I arrived at Paiyun Lodge (排雲山莊, 3402 m), I checked in at the front desk and received my sleeping bag. I found my bunk in a room on the second floor, with a cubby outside the room to place my belongings.

Dinner is served at Paiyun Lodge from 5 to 7 PM. I had ordered a vegetarian meal, and they said that I should eat right away as it was ready. Make sure to see my Yushan permit guide for how to order your meals and sleeping bag.

It’s not possible to see Yushan from the lodge, but the large balcony faces the direction of sunset.

I had an OK but not great sleep here. The bunks are very hard, so bring a mattress if you have space for it. There’s no pillow, either, so I used my backpack and jacket as a pillow.

Luckily I didn’t have any snorers in my room, but I definitely recommend ear plugs as there are usually many.

I set my alarm for 2 AM, had breakfast (served 2-3, or 1:30-2:30 in summer), and left the lodge at 3 AM to reach the peak for 6 AM sunrise.

Paiyun Lodge to Main Peak for Sunrise

It was of course pitch black when I left the lodge, so my headlamp was definitely needed. There was some snow on the trail in the forest above the lodge, too.

I took a wrong turn shortly after departing the lodge – a quick check on my AllTrails map got me back in the right direction. Most of the way, the trail is very easy to follow and it’s hard to get lost.

I followed the trail steeply through the forest until it rose above the tree line onto scree slope. The sky was filled with stars above me and I could barely make out some city lights on the plain far below.

At 4:30 AM, I reached the metal cage section, which had been badly damaged by a landslide just a couple weeks earlier.

Several damaged metal beams were blocking the trail, with just enough space to squeeze past them (by the time you read this, it is most likely fixed). It was still dark, so I wouldn’t get many photos of this part of the hike until I came back down (we’ll get to that below).

Feeling much more energized than the day before and hiking quickly, I reached the peak earlier than I’d expected, at 5 AM (only two hours after departing the lodge). There was only one other person ahead of me, a young man from Scotland.

Not many others followed – it was the end of the winter (low) season, plus I think some hikers had been scared off by the news of a couple who had died just one week before. There were only a handful of people on the peak for sunrise.

It was a very different experience than my Yushan hike about 15 years ago, when nearly the full quota of hikers were crowded onto the summit at sunrise (see below photo).

This time, having arrived too early and being the first ones there, we spent a whole hour on the peak waiting for the sunrise.

The sky gradually lightened and changed colors, with layers of peaks and valleys filled with seas of clouds becoming visible far below.

The summit temperature was near freezing and very windy, but I was dressed warm enough to handle it. I could only take my gloves off for a few minutes to take photos before my fingers would start to hurt from the cold.

After an epic sunrise at 6 AM, I stayed on the peak another 30 minutes taking photos, including mandatory shots with the summit marker.

Going Down the Mountain

I departed the peak at 6:30 AM. With the sun now up, I was able to get better photos on the way down.

I passed a group of people who were still coming up, so they didn’t make it to the sunrise in time.

When passing one group of people resting at a turnoff, I was more focused on the people resting there, didn’t notice the sign, and made the stupid mistake of taking the turnoff to Yushan North Peak.

The trail went very steeply downhill, with lots gravel, chunks of ice, and a chain to hold onto. This is actually the spot when a couple had fallen and died only a week earlier, when it had been much totally covered in ice.

I didn’t notice for a minute because everything looks different when coming down in the light compared to going up in the dark.

I quickly realized my mistake and hiked back up. Yikes!

After I returned and went the correct way, I soon reached the cage section, which looked even cooler now in the light, including the part damaged by a recent landslide.

From there, I continued my descent through the scree section and down into the forest above Paiyun Lodge.

Looking down from the mountain, I could now see the buildings on the Chiayi plain far below in the light. You can see them in the third photo below.

Overall, it was a relatively easy descent back to Paiyun Lodge and only took me one hour and 15 minutes in total from summit to lodge, even with my little detour.

I collected the items I’d left there, had a brunch of rice noodle soup (served 7:30 to 10:30), and then left the lodge at 8:30.

For the remainder of my hike down the mountain, I hiked quickly and only took a few breaks and photos of the nicest views, such as:

I find going downhill significantly easier, so I was practically jogging down at points. But also, I was eager to get back to my car to drive to my next destination (Shuiyuan Rainbow Suspension Bridge near Sun Moon Lake) before it closed that day.

I reached the Yushan trailhead around 11 AM and decided to wait for the shuttle back to the Visitor’s Center.

It took a while for one to come. Then I was back at the Visitor’s Center and my car by 11:30 AM – 5.5 hours after I’d left the summit and three hours after I’d left Paiyun Lodge.

After I finished my hike, I received one final email from the National Park, asking me to submit a “Leaving the Park” report – basically confirming that I was still alive and had finished the hike.