Qualla: Hehuanshan https://qualla.com/hehuanshan en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:38 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/w/s/q/1/hehuanshan-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Hehuanshan https://qualla.com/hehuanshan Hehuanshan: Introduction https://qualla.com/hehuanshan/ Photo credit 潘麗峰, CC BY-SA 4.0. Somewhere above 3,000 meters, the subtropical vegetation gives way to alpine grassland, and Taiwan looks like an entirely different country. Mount Hehuan -- known in Chinese as "Joy Mountain" -- rises to 3,416 meters in central Taiwan, straddling the border between Nantou and Hualien counties within the western reaches of Taroko National Park. What makes it remarkable among Taiwan's high peaks is not its height (the east peak at 3,421 meters and north peak at 3,422 meters are both taller) but its accessibility. A wide, paved trail leads to the summit in roughly 90 minutes round trip, making Hehuanshan the rare 3,000-meter peak you can conquer in sneakers. On a clear day, the 360-degree panorama from the top encompasses the full sweep of the Central Mountain Range, one of the most dramatic geological formations in East Asia.

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Image: 潘麗峰 | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/s/q/1/hehuanshan-wp/wsq1-hehuanshan-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Hehuanshan: The Highest Road in Taiwan https://qualla.com/hehuanshan/ Photo credit Kailing3 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5. Highway 14 climbs through some of the most spectacular terrain on the island, connecting the town of Puli through Wushe and Qingjing Farm to the Wuling pass, a saddle between the main peak and east peak of Hehuanshan. At 3,275 meters, Wuling is the highest point in Taiwan accessi...

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Image: Kailing3 at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 2.5

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/s/q/1/hehuanshan-wp/wsq1-hehuanshan-the-highest-road-in-taiwan.mp3 0:06 2 full Hehuanshan: A Deadly Survey https://qualla.com/hehuanshan/ Photo credit Kailing3 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5. In March 1913, a Japanese surveyor led an expedition to scale Hehuanshan and map the surrounding terrain. The mountains had other plans. A storm caught the party on the exposed slopes, and 89 Taiwanese members of the team perished -- the deadliest mountaineering disaster in Taiwa...

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Image: Kailing3 at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 2.5

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/s/q/1/hehuanshan-wp/wsq1-hehuanshan-a-deadly-survey.mp3 0:06 3 full Hehuanshan: The Ghost Ski Lift https://qualla.com/hehuanshan/ Photo credit Kailing3 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5. Hikers on the east peak trail sometimes notice something unexpected: the rusting remains of a ski lift mechanism, half-hidden in the alpine grass. During Taiwan's martial law period, which lasted from 1949 to 1987, a ski area operated on the mountain's slopes -- but it was report...

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Image: Kailing3 at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 2.5

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/s/q/1/hehuanshan-wp/wsq1-hehuanshan-the-ghost-ski-lift.mp3 0:06 4 full Hehuanshan: Dark Skies, Bright Stars https://qualla.com/hehuanshan/ Photo credit Kailing3 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5. In 2019, Hehuanshan was designated an International Dark Sky Park, a recognition that its elevation, remoteness, and distance from major light sources make it one of the finest stargazing locations in East Asia. At the summit, a weather station sits where the trail ends, but the ...

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Image: Kailing3 at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 2.5

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/s/q/1/hehuanshan-wp/wsq1-hehuanshan-dark-skies-bright-stars.mp3 0:06 5 full