Text / Compiled and reported by the editorial team of MOOK Travel Life Network
With temperatures dropping sharply, it’s the perfect time for maple leaves to change color. Especially now, it’s the best time to visit Daxueshan to admire the maple foliage. The maple leaves are at their peak in mid-December, along with other color-changing plants such as Taiwan Acer morrisonense, Acer serrulatum, Liquidambar formosana, and Acer kawakamii, which transform the once lush green forest into a mountain covered in golden and crimson hues.
Until mid-December is the best time to admire the maple foliage in Daxueshan. (Photo source / Dongshi Forest District Office)
The lush green mountains are painted in gold and crimson. (Photo source / Dongshi Forest District Office)
Daxueshan Forest Recreation Area is located in Heping District, Taichung City. A one-hour drive from Dongshi allows you to enjoy the blazing red leaves covering the mountains. The color-changing plants across the mountain begin to change gradually from December, with current transformation rates reaching up to 30% depending on the area. With the arrival of this week’s cold front, the scenery is becoming even more vibrant and colorful.
The lush green mountains are painted in gold and crimson. (Photo source / Dongshi Forest District Office)
Daxueshan has many hidden maple-viewing forest trails waiting for visitors to capture the beautiful maple scenery. (Photo source / Dongshi Forest District Office)
Starting from the 20-kilometer point of the Daxueshan Forest Road, layers of crimson maple leaves dot the road. At the 35-kilometer toll station, the Xiaolai Mountain Trail, the 43-kilometer Visitor Center, and the 49-kilometer Little Snow Mountain area, the vivid red maple scenery is especially delightful. In addition, it’s currently the cloud sea season in Daxueshan. The drifting clouds over the mountain ridges surge and shift constantly. The touch of red from the maple leaves contrasts beautifully with the sea of clouds and the sunset glow. This poetic and picturesque romantic view is waiting for visitors to capture.
In autumn, the sunrise, sea of clouds, and maple red in the Daxueshan Forest Recreation Area create a fairy-tale-like beautiful scene. (Photo source / conservation.forest)