Give Taipingshan a whole day, or better, a night. It's the best of Yilan's mountains, but it's a long day from Taipei, and the drive up alone takes time. Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area (太平山國家森林遊樂區) covers 12,930 hectares in the mountains of Datong and Nan'ao, run by the Yilan branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency. Timber was cut here from 1915 to 1982, and the old logging rail lines are now its trails. The road climbs from the ticket booth at about 365 meters to the Taipingshan Villa (太平山莊) area at about 1,950 to 2,000 meters, past a hot spring on the way, with Cuifeng Lake further on.
- Hours Weekdays 06:00 to 20:00; weekends, national holidays and summer vacation 04:00 to 20:00. Buy your ticket by 18:00
- Closed Lunar New Year's Eve (and from 12:00 the day before)
- Entry NT$150 weekdays, NT$200 weekends and holidays; NT$100 for Kuo-Kuang 1750 bus riders; parking NT$100 a car
- Getting there Kuo-Kuang 1750 bus from Yilan and Luodong, daily; or drive
- Phone Ticket booth 03-980-9619
- Status Open, with partial closures (see below)
What is open: the October 28, 2026 notice
Parts of the park are closed right now, so check this before you plan your route. This is the park's road and site notice published October 27, 2026 (the "115.10.28" version):
| Site | Status |
|---|---|
| Yizhuan Line 1 (宜專一線) at km 7 | One lane, with traffic lights |
| Bong Bong train (蹦蹦車) | Short run only, to the 1 km point and back |
| Jianqing Historic Trail (見晴懷古步道) | Partly open, to 750 m |
| Maoxing Historic Trail (茂興懷舊步道) | Closed |
| Jiuzhize hot spring area (鳩之澤) | Single-sex nude pools closed; outdoor spa, lodging, restaurant, egg-boiling pools and café open |
Check before you go: the access road and the road inside the park can close in heavy rain or typhoons, sometimes at short notice. In November 2025, for example, the park closed ahead of Typhoon Fung-wong and reopened on November 14. Look at the park's latest news the day before.
The Bong Bong train
The Bong Bong train (蹦蹦車) is a small forest train on an old logging line from Taipingshan Station. Normally it runs 2.6 km to Maoxing. Since October 3, 2026, after inspectors found damage to a bridge deck and slope at km 1.4, it runs only to the 1 km point and back, about 20 minutes. It's a short ride for now, but it's also cheaper.
- Fare: NT$80 per person, any age, during the short run (normally NT$180, or NT$120 for children 3 to 12 and seniors). It's a round trip, and you buy at the station only.
- Times: every half hour from 07:30 to 16:00, 18 trains a day, 81 seats each. Tickets for every train of the day go on sale at 07:00, up to 20 per person, so on a busy day get there early and buy yours first.
- No trains on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (maintenance): November 10 and 24, December 8 and 22, 2026.
- Allow about 1.5 hours from the entrance ticket booth to the train station.
Trails
Jianqing Historic Trail
This is the walk on all the photos, and it's easy enough for anyone. The Jianqing Historic Trail (見晴懷古步道) follows part of the old Jianqing logging railway, with rails, sledges and trolley wheels still in place. It's 0.9 km and flat, at 1,930 meters, at km 23.1 of Yizhuan Line 1. It's often named among the world's most beautiful trails, and it's often in the clouds, which is half the point. Park at the Jianqing parking lot, which has a toilet.
Partly open: to the 750 m point only (park notice, October 27, 2026).
Cuifeng Lake
If you have a car and the time, keep going to the lake. Cuifeng Lake (翠峰湖), at 1,840 meters, is the largest alpine lake in Taiwan, about 25 hectares in the rainy season, and about 40 minutes' drive beyond Taipingshan Villa. The Cuifeng Lake Loop Trail (翠峰湖環山步道) runs 3.95 km on an old logging line through mossy cypress forest, with a viewing platform over the water. In 2022 Quiet Parks International certified it as the world's first "Quiet Trail", so keep your voice down. No drones.
Taiwan beech trail, in autumn
From mid-October to mid-November the beech leaves turn gold, and this is the busiest the mountain gets. The Taiwan Beech Trail (台灣山毛櫸步道) starts at the end of the Cuifeng scenic road. It's 3.8 km each way, out and back, about 3 hours round trip, with a steep 100-meter climb between km 2.5 and 3. The golden stretch starts at about km 3.2, so you have to earn it. Phone signal is weak after km 2, and there are no toilets on the trail. Don't start after 14:00: fog comes in most afternoons.
Weekend car limit: on weekends from October 24 to November 22, 2026, only 200 cars at a time are let onto the Cuifeng scenic road (翠峰景觀道路), and 1,000 into the whole park every day when it's busy. On sunny weekends the cap is usually reached by 10:00 to 11:00, so leave very early or come on a weekday. Nine-seat vans, Cuifeng Mountain Lodge guests, scooters and bicycles don't count. The scenic road is open 05:00 to 16:00 from October to March. The paid shuttle from earlier years isn't running in 2026.
Jiuzhize Hot Spring
Stop here on the way down: a soak after a cold day on the mountain is the right way to end it. Jiuzhize Hot Spring (鳩之澤溫泉), at km 4.1 of Yizhuan Line 1 and 520 meters, is a weakly alkaline spring that comes up at about 140°C and is cooled to 38 to 42°C for the pools. Bring eggs, or buy them: two pools are there for boiling them in the spring water. Since August 1, 2025 a private operator, Hatono (鳩之澤凱渡溫泉酒店), has run it, phone 03-977-0766.
- Hours: 09:00 to 19:00 (egg pools too). Buy your park ticket at the entrance by 18:00.
- Starlight ticket: after 16:00 (on sale until 18:00), NT$50 gets you into the park for the hot spring area; parking and bathing fees are extra. Not during Lunar New Year.
- The nude pools are closed as of October 28, 2026, but the outdoor spa pools are open, so pack a swimsuit.
- The Jiuzhize Nature Trail across the river is 1.2 km, about an hour there and back.
Weather and altitude
Expect to get wet. Taipingshan gets rain or fog on more than half the days of the year, and humidity averages over 85%. At 2,000 meters it's much colder than the plain, even when Yilan City is warm, so bring rain gear, a warm layer and shoes with grip: the trails are often wet and muddy. Snow is possible in winter. The CWA has a forecast for Taipingshan.
Getting there
- 1750 Kuo-Kuang 1750, daily, about 2.5 hours: leaves Yilan 07:40 and Luodong 08:00, arrives at Taipingshan 10:30. Back: from Taipingshan Villa at 14:30, Jianqing Trail 14:30, Jiuzhize 16:10; arrives Luodong 17:30, Yilan 17:50. Riders pay the NT$100 half-price entry. See local buses.
- CAR From Taipei, Freeway 5 to the Yilan or Luodong exit, then Highway 7 and Highway 7A to km 3.7, then Yizhuan Line 1 (宜專一線) up through Tuchang and Jiuzhize. From the ticket booth to the beech trail is about 39 km, about 70 minutes with no fog or traffic.
- No car and the bus times don't suit you? The park lists partner travel agencies that run tours and transfers.
To stay the night inside the park, at Taipingshan Villa or Cuifeng Mountain Lodge, book on the park's room booking site.
→ The log pond in Luodong where the timber went · More things to do · Sanxing and Datong · Hot and cold springs · Three days in Yilan · Hiring a driver for the day
Sources: Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area (Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, Yilan Branch): road and site status, October 27, 2026, Bong Bong train short run, October 2, 2026, Bong Bong train tickets and maintenance days, 2026 beech season car limits, hours, fees, transport, about the park, Jianqing trail, Cuifeng Lake trail, Jiuzhize; Commercial Times on the November 2025 closure. Checked November 2026.