Taiwan-wide Maple Leaf Hunting: Explore Mountain Forests and Indigenous Villages

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team
 

Autumn is the perfect season for travel, and right now Taiwan is ablaze with fiery colors. Invite your friends to explore the maple leaves across various regions. The crimson and golden foliage in Taiwan's mountains and forests will be on full display from late January to mid-to-late December, creating a breathtaking contrast of reds and yellows. There are delightful maple leaf viewing spots all over the island. Below is a curated selection of mountain and indigenous village maple tours compiled by the [Chinese Green Lifestyle Leisure Development Association], inviting everyone to seize the opportunity for a magnificent and beautiful maple leaf adventure!

● Mountain Forests
&(1) Eastern Taiwan:
◎ Taiping Mountain - Jianqing Huai Gu Trail
At an altitude of nearly 2,000 meters, Taiping Mountain boasts diverse landscapes including primeval forests, planted forests, hot springs, streams, waterfalls, and alpine lakes, as well as a rich variety of wildlife, birds, and insects. The area around Taiping Mountain and Cui Feng Lake features precious primeval cypress, hemlock, hinoki, and fir coniferous forests, offering an exceptionally rich and intact forest composition. The golden maples of Taiping Mountain in autumn are especially stunning—come explore the beauty of Taiping Mountain this fall.

◎ Mingchi
"Mingchi" is shrouded in mist year-round and is known as the "Pearl of the Northern Cross-Island Highway." The park is home to abundant flora and fauna, primeval cypress forests, birds, and butterflies. In autumn, admiring the red maples by Mingchi Lake feels like stepping into an idyllic, tranquil paradise untouched by the outside world.
 
(2) Northern Taiwan:
◎ Tagang Canyon
The Maliko Bay Stream is a hidden gem for maple leaf enthusiasts, presenting a vibrant, colorful wonderland. From Xiuluan and Yufeng to Sanguang, along the banks of the Maliko Bay Stream lies a rarely visited secret maple viewing trail, a favorite spot for photographers. As the seasons change, the splendid, dreamlike flames of maple leaves take center stage in nature, leading the seasonal spectacle.

◎ Xuebang Sea of Clouds - Wild Horse Overlook

Sunrises, sea of clouds, mountain ranges, mist, forests, sunsets, and starry skies intertwine to create a grand and magnificent mountainous landscape. Walking into the forest, the mountain mist frolics among the trees, while birdsong and insect chirps compose a natural symphony.

(3) Central Taiwan:
◎ Daxueshan
Spanning altitudes from 2,000 to 2,996 meters, the area is named "Daxueshan" (Great Snow Mountain) because a stretch of grassland resembles the Great Snow Mountain of Hokkaido, Japan. After autumn arrives in the Daxueshan Forest Recreation Area, the small membrane ferns on the cypress trees also don their autumn attire, greeting the "season of autumn feelings" with vibrant reds and yellows, showcasing a stunning tapestry of fall hues.