Autumn Leaves Viewing: A Lazy Guide to Taiwan’s Maple Spotting

By / MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team
 

As the weather cools and autumn approaches, maple leaves are about to turn into a fiery red to welcome visitors. Below is a curated list of the most beautiful maple viewing spots across Taiwan, so you can start preparing for the season early.

◎ Taipei Aowanda
Nestled within the Jing Mountain community in Yangmingshan, “Taipei Aowanda,” renowned across northern Taiwan for its European-style garden landscaping, boasts stunning red maples in both spring and autumn. Unlike typical maple viewing sites, Taipei Aowanda’s foliage season is concentrated between October and December. Due to the Japanese varieties grafted onto its maple trees, visitors can also enjoy brilliant red leaves from March to April.
 
◎ Xizhi Gongbei Temple

Located on Sanxiu Mountain in Xizhi, Gongbei Temple has a history of nearly a hundred years. Around December each year, the surrounding maples and maples turn red, and the combination of the ancient temple with the beautiful forests and mountains makes it a favorite among photography enthusiasts.

◎ Xiongkong Tea Garden
Nestled among the mountains of New Taipei City’s Sanxia District, visit the cool and comfortable Xiongkong Tea Garden. The tea valleys beneath the ridgelines come into view, along with azure skies and fresh air. It’s like Taipei’s hidden backyard—secluded and beautiful, and truly captivating.
 
◎ Shimen Reservoir

Shimen Reservoir holds an annual “Shimen Reservoir Maple Viewing Month” event at the end of each year and the beginning of the next. Aside from admiring the leaves, visitors can also learn about water resource knowledge, making it both educational and fun. Families can spend quality time here during holidays, and even enjoy delicious live fish dishes at nearby restaurants—making a trip to Shimen Reservoir in Taoyuan both playful and delicious.

◎ Taoyuan Fairy Valley
Covering over 200 hectares, Taoyuan Fairy Valley is home to tens of thousands of golden maples that turn golden yellow from mid-October to mid-November. There’s also a beautiful field of lilies, allowing visitors to enjoy floral beauty alongside the maple spectacle.

◎ Smangus

The Smangus tribe is located high in the mountains of Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County, at an altitude of 1,500 meters. Long ago, a group led by Marcus settled near Dongtai Yehan Mountain on the eastern ridge of Snow Mountain and established the village. To commemorate him, later generations named the tribe “Smangus,” which is how the name came about.

◎ Guanwu National Forest Recreation Area
Guanwu Forest Recreation Area is shrouded in mist, exuding a mysterious and romantic atmosphere. The scenery of fog, sunrise, and sunset is a must-see climatic spectacle. In autumn, vast areas of maple forests along the Dalu Forest Road and Cypress Mountain Trail, enveloped in mist, resemble a maiden adorned with enchanting makeup but veiled in white gauze, attracting many visitors and becoming one of the best maple viewing spots in recent years.

◎ Fushoushan Farm
Fushoushan Farm covers a vast area and experiences distinct seasons, offering different landscapes to admire in each period. Hence the saying: “January’s snowy flights, February’s praised peach blooms, March’s dancing cherry blossoms, April’s laughing pears, May’s plucked tea fragrance, June’s shimmering chrysanthemums, July’s sought-after peach scents, August’s sampled pear sweetness, September’s harvested joy, October’s bountiful autumn, November’s brilliant maple, December’s frosted descent.” This rich, seasonally changing landscape has made Fushoushan a highly popular destination.