Taiwan is shining a light on one of its most prized yet overlooked treasures: its mountains. Seventy percent of the island is covered with craggy peaks and there are 286 mountain summits over 3,000m (9,800 ft) above sea level on the island, with Yushan (Jade Mountain) being the tallest mountain in both Taiwan and East Asia.
A list of 100 Peaks of Taiwan was created in 1971, which lists the one hundred mountains over 3,000m for mountaineering on the island. Mountaineering is one of the most popular activities for many Taiwanese and climbing all of the one hundred mountains listed is considered the greatest challenge for Taiwanese climbers.
There are five mountain ranges on the main island of Taiwan, namely:
Central Mountain Range: highest point 3,860m (12,664 ft) - Xiuguluan Mountain
Yushan Range: highest point 3,952m (12,966 ft) - Jade Mountain
Xueshan Range: highest point 3,886m (12,749 ft)- Snow Mountain
Alishan Range: highest point 2,663m (8,737 ft)- Data Mountain
Hai'an Range: highest point 1,682m (5,518 ft)- Xingang Mountain
In the past, red tape made hiking permits tough to come by and now the government has streamlined the application process, and to celebrate, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau collaborated with the Construction and Planning Agency to identify 24 trails that showcase the very best of the island's scenery. This includes the Lake Jiaming National Trail which runs through a hemlock forest, and the Nenggao Cross-Ridge Historical Trail, an ancient trade path used by the indigenous Atayal and Seedig tribes.
