Climbing Taiwan’s Tallest Mountain: Jade Mountain 玉山
The peak of Jade Mountain (Yushan, 玉山) 12,966 feet at 5:45 am on September 17, 2020.
On September 16 & 17th, 2020, I finally challenged myself to hike Taiwan’s tallest mountain at 12,966 feet (3952 m). Jade Mountain, or Yushan, is one of the most difficult mountains to get a permit for, and you must get a permit to hike. It is often a two-day hike, with an overnight stay at Paiyun Lodge (about 2 hours away from the peak). It takes approximately four hours from the base of Jade Mountain to hike to Paiyun Lodge.
We actually stayed in the Alishan area the day before to get used to the altitude. (Check out previous post for pictures from Alishan)
This post does not go into detail about how to apply for the permits as the process is pretty straightforward on their website in English - applying for a permit on a weekday has the highest probability of success but you can also use the foreigner quota if you have a foreign passport or a friend that does. There is also the option of applying for a one day hike permit which is apparently easier to get, but it is a difficult hike to do in one full day and you are not able to take the shuttle to the entrance of the hike. You will also have to pass Paiyun Lodge before 10 am or you will not be able to head to the peak.
Where to Stay
Dongpu Lodge (night before you start) 300 NT per person ($10 USD) and Paiyun Lodge (night of, two hours from the peak) 480 NT per person ($16 USD)
Dongpu’s owners are changing as of September 28, 2020. Please check their website or call their reservation line for more information (049)270-2213 or 0932-807-268
Both lodges are shared accommodation - bring an eye mask and earplugs. Dongpu provides a pillow and blanket, Paiyun provides a sleeping bag. All meals are provided, no need for utensils or bowls
Day One: September 15 - Day before the hike
We checked into Dongpu Lodge in the early evening of September 15 and settled in for dinner. Don’t miss the sunset - it’s an incredible sight to see as it peeks through the trees surrounding the lodge. Grabbed an eye mask and ear plugs and tried my best to sleep early right after dinner so we could wake up early to begin the hike. A group of day hikers set out around 12 AM midnight with headlights to presumably reach the peak before sunset - setting off around midnight would take them about 6 hours or so to reach the top, so they would get there right as the sun rose. It can get loud due to snoring and other movements, so don’t forget the earplugs. They did assign us to rooms based on our itinerary, which was a smart idea as most of us in the room were planning to start out at a more reasonable hour of 9 AM.
Check out the gorgeous sunset from Dongpu Lodge and a few photos of dinner and breakfast the next morning (not including the instant coffee I brought along that I drank out of a bowl haha)
Day Two: September 16 - Day of the hike!
And so it begins! We first set off by heading to the police station to drop off the police permit before jumping on the shuttle that drove us directly to the beginning of the trail. This costs 100 NT per person but it saves time and energy that otherwise is kind of wasted on a non-scenic paved walk from the police station to the trailhead.
We began around 9 AM or so and started the journey to Paiyun Lodge. We brought a few snacks and lunch from 7-11 and ate it along the way. I think getting used to the heavy backpack at first was the most challenging part - the trail itself was very nicely marked and well-maintained so that wasn’t an issue at all. I don’t think it’s possible to get lost, and we definitely didn’t need a guide to take us as many people recommend. We both went on guided hikes for Xueshan, Snow Mountain but they’re quite expensive. Definitely great to have a guide in case of emergency or for help if you experience altitude sickness, but otherwise doable without one.
My friend Josh and I have hiked around a good handful of hikes around Taiwan, I wouldn’t say we’re pro by any means but we’re often looking for new hikes to take on. Besides Xueshan, we’ve both done Teapot, Sandiaoling, Huangdidian, etc. On this trail, we encountered so many aunties and uncles who were so friendly and encouraging. It was awesome to meet a 70 year old who was able to hire a porter to carry her things up the mountain - so inspiring! I hope to be able to continue hiking when I’m her age :)
Me with my lovely “Jade 38” backpack from Gregory Packs
Josh on the trail!
We were so lucky, we had beautiful weather the entire hike. No need for rain pants or ponchos! We both just wore a t-shirt and hiking pants during the majority of the hike.
Around 1:45 PM in the afternoon, we reached Paiyun Lodge and settled in for the night. We checked in, got our assigned bunk beds (whoo hoo! our own spaces!), fought for the one charger in the entire room and grabbed our sleeping bags. I would recommend bringing a spare battery (or two) just to make sure you have enough battery for the next day in case you can’t get access to the limited chargers in the lodge.
We sat outside and watched the clouds roll in as we sunbathed and rested from the day’s work. Unfortunately, my phone didn’t have any network access even though Far EasTone Telecom 遠傳電信 was the sponsor for a lot of the signage and stuff on the trails. Chunghwa is the way to go! Thanks Josh for letting me tether through your phone.
At dinner, we were assigned meal tickets - Josh went with the pork rib and I went with the chicken leg. Quite delicious considering everything had to be hand-carried up by those working and living at the lodge. Amazing. Turned in for an early night around 6 pm as we had to be up at 1:30 AM to start hiking up to the peak to catch the sunrise.
Unfortunately, my body is not used to 6 PM bedtimes so I rolled around a bit but finally got a few hours of shuteye before the rude 1:30 AM wakeup. It’s hard to sleep through that time as everyone else around you is preparing to leave at the same time, so I wouldn’t worry about setting an alarm unless you really really need one.
On to day three! (day two of hiking)
The stunning sunset from Paiyun Lodge at 3402 m
Day Three: To the peak we go!
1:30 AM @ Paiyun Lodge - Chloe is not awake and her eyes are still open but somehow she is moving her body towards the hot milk tea and the strange cucumber breakfast sandwiches that are oddly reminiscent of the afternoon tea cucumber cream cheese sandwiches that she loves.
Breakfast at 1:30 AM
Well, time for breakfast I guess. The milk tea was fantastic, lol!
We started off with the rest of the pack with all of our layers on and our headlamps. We also brought along our hiking sticks just in case, as well as working gloves.
We reach the peak a bit earlier than the rest of the group at around 4:45 AM and notice that the wind is blowing like crazy (of course) and it’s freezing. I mean, freezing. I wore five layers on top (light thermal, t-shirt, long-sleeve, fleece layer and rain jacket and two on the bottom (tights, hiking pants), one pair of sock and gloves and it was a mistake. A big mistake. We had to wait around an hour for the sunrise and it seemed like forever, so we found a nice large rock to shield us from the wind and prayed to God that He would spare us from hypothermia. (no joke) Definitely did not prepare for the long wait and the wind. Did a few little leg exercises when I felt my toes and fingers start to tingle and tried moving about so I wouldn’t get stiff. You also don’t want to fall off of the peak, so running around and so forth is not really an option.
Also, my heat pack did not work. Maybe it expired? Lol. So sad.
Me at around 3:30 AM - not a pretty sight let me tell you
FINALLY 5:30-5:45 AM rolls around and the sun starts doing its thing. Ok, breathtaking. Definitely worth the almost-hypothermia. I tried taking my phone out for a few photos and to sacrifice myself for a good instagram but it was just too much to handle. Quickly put hands back into pockets. Tried again a few minutes later. The results are below!
We headed back down to the lodge for a mini breakfast (soup) after almost being pushed off the peak by aunties that were vying for the most photogenic spot. It was kind of insane looking down and seeing what you climbed afterwards because it looked incredibly dangerous. Amazing how the experience completely changes once your mind takes in all of the potential risks.
@5 AM when we were screaming at the sun to quickly make its entrance
Me again! Rock says Yushan - Jade Mountain 3952 m (12,966 feet)
I made it!
What we had climbed in the dark - whew!
It was at this time that I started running down the mountain saying “ok get me off!” as we started talking about In-N-Out and how much we missed food back home. (Home as in California / USA) We reached the end at about 12 PM, about four hours after we had left Paiyun. Didn’t actually shave that much time off going down as we had anticipated because the trails were still really rocky and there were some parts that were still uphill. But it was all worth it when we jumped back into the car, saw these cute monkeys on the streets near Alishan and grabbed a bite to eat at the famous Smart Fish restaurant in Chiayi, made famous by the Netflix Street Food special.
That’s all for Jade Mountain, hope you enjoyed hearing about my experience. Thanks for stopping by!
