A fairy-tale wonderland of breathtaking beauty—stroll along the world’s most stunning forest railway

Text by MOOK Scenic Spots compiled and reported
 
Yilan, in addition to its sweeping seascapes and pastoral landscapes, also conceals rich forest beauty in its mountains, including nature trails that rival those of global renown. These ethereal, otherworldly scenes feel like stepping into the homeland of elves.

Located in Yilan, Taipingshan was once a hub of forestry activity. Numerous forest railways were built around the mountains to transport timber, and the Jianqing Huaihu Trail is a relic of this logging history.

Compared to other forest railways and cableways from the same era, most of which have been lost to time and reclaimed by the mountains, the preserved Jianqing Huaihu Railway feels like a time capsule..

Today, visitors walking along this ancient path can recall the heyday of Taipingshan’s forestry industry and also reflect on the impacts of timber exploitation.

The Jianqing Huaihu Trail stretches 2.35 kilometers in total, though only 0.9 kilometers are currently open to the public. The trail was built using parts of the old timber transport tracks on Taipingshan’s Jianqing Line, beginning with a gravel path lined with long stretches of rail.