XUESHAN SACRED TREE TRAIL (雪山神木)

/ taiwantrailsandtales

Xueshan sacred tree is a giant tree is a century-old giant Formosan cypress that sits deep within Daxueshan National Park. It stands in a small clearing, accessible via a 1.5-kilometre stroll down an old track, and — thanks to the fact that there used to be a carpark down here — you can stand back and take in the whole tree.

Distance: 3.3 kilometres

Time: 1½-2 hours or slightly longer if you combine it with a little loop of the nearby Heavenly Pond.

Total ascent: About 140 metres.

Difficulty (regular Taiwan hiker): 1/10 — It’s just a slightly hilly stroll.

Difficulty (new Taiwan hiker): 2/10 — We passed a couple of birders who obviously weren’t hikers who seemed non-plussed by the idea of having to climb 1.5km up a slope, but honestly, this is a very easy trail. The route follows a paved track all the way down to the giant tree, and the remaining (optional loop) only has a few steps.

Risks and dangers: On the rare occasions that this part of the world gets icy, I would probably want to avoid this trail, but otherwise it’s about as safe as they come.

Water: I took 0.5L on a cool February and drank about half of it. The nearest water source is the water dispenser in Xiaoxueshan Visitor Information Centre.

Shade: There’s dappled shade for most of this walk, but it’s still worth taking sun protection on account of the higher levels of UV radiation up at this elevation.

Mobile network: My signal was weak but consistent on this trail.

Enjoyment: Out of all the giant trees I’ve encountered in my travels in Taiwan, this tree is the only one that really allows you to observe it

Bathroom facilities: There are toilets nearish the start at the Xiaoxueshan carpark and at the bottom of the trail, close to the tree.

Route type: Mostly there-and-back with a small loop.

Permit: None needed, but you do need to buy a ticket to get into the park

Jump to the bottom of this post for a trail map and GPX file.

There’s a large dedicated carpark just for this trail and when we arrived, there was just us and one other group there. Maybe it’s busier on weekends, but weekdays are super quiet.

A track heads downhill, mostly not too steeply, but we certainly felt the incline on the way up.

The first sighting of the tree isn’t its best side, but it’s still mighty impressive. There’s this huge, almost perfectly circular wart on the side facing you as you walk down, and if you walk around to the other side, there’s an information board that explains this tree would be more accurately described as nine trees (apparently they grew together over the past millennium through a process called inosculation).

Near the tree, you’ll find a little trail that cuts a loop past a toilet block and a memorial stele.

The stele sits under the shade of a pagoda in a clearing surrounded by dead stumps. The pagoda is a memorial to workers who have died in the park over the years and the fallen stumps are a kind of poignant secondary memorial.

The trail loops back to rejoin the track at the far end of the old carpark and from here…

…you get a splendid view of the tree. I really don’t think I’ve ever seen one that that you can view from so far away that you can see it from ground to tip — it’s one of the first times I’ve been able to wrap my head around the scale.

How to get to Daxueshan Sacred Tree

Google Maps address: This walk starts at Xiaoxueshan Tourist Centre and you’ll find plenty of parking spaces here.

GPS location: N24 16.970 E121 01.770

Public transport: Daxueshan National Forest Recreation Area is accessible by bus from Fengyuan Transfer Station. The 889 Taiwan Tourist Shuttle runs several times a day and takes about 90 minutes to reach the park and to do the walk featured here, you’d need to alight at Xiaoxueshan Tourist Centre.

Nearby trails:

Daxueshan Sacred Tree Trail Map

GPX file available here on Outdoor Active. (Account needed, but the free one works just fine.)

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