Smangus to Qilan: A Trail Ranging from Easy to Difficult to See Old Trees, Sea of Clouds, Virgin Forest and a Glimpse of 100 Peaks
Disclaimer: Please note some of the following are based on my
personal condition, and I will try to provide the latest and
correct information as possible as I can. Please feel free to let
me know if I make any mistake and thank you for reading. Please
also note that your safety is your own responsibility.
WARNING: This is a trail I will
NOT recommend you hike by yourself, unless you just want to hike
the easy path. If you want to go through the whole trail from
Smangus to Qilan Yilan, which is a 2-day hike, it’s better to go
with hiking associations for your own safety. Some parts of the
trail might even trigger your fear of height.
A Brief History about Smangus and Apply for Permit to Qilan
Smangus
(1,620 meters / 5,315 feet) belongs to Atayal Tribe, and is located
in Jianshih Township, Xinchu City in Taiwan. It was so remote that
Smangus didn’t have electricity till 1979. Therefore, it was once
called
Dark or Black Village. Now, it’s called God’s Village after Smangus has become a tourist
attraction, which suits Smangus way much better than the prejudice
one.
The tribe in this village chooses a different lifestyle by adopting
cooperative community to ensure all the members in this village are
well taken care of, when more and more tourists are visiting. If you
are interest, you can read
Erv’s post
or
Smangus' website
for more details.
If you have some time, I recommend you stay at Smangus village to
have a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy the amazing surroundings
before you start your hike. Located deep in the mountains, Smangus’
tranquility and grit reveal a special quality which is unique among
other indigenous villages. Perhaps the disadvantaged location helps
Smangus perverse her beauty, which makes them one of a kind.
As to Qilan, you'll need to apply
permit
from National Police Agency at least 3 days in advance to enter
Qilan Giant Trees area. The name of the destination is 100林道
(宜蘭-大同鄉). The Google translation on the website is 100 Forest
Road (Yilan County - Datong Township).
Please note that hikers can only take the trailhead from Smangus to Qilan, not the other way around for safety reasons.
How to Get There
Smangus is in a very remote part of Jianshih Township in Xinchu
City. There is no public transportation to Smangus. You have to
drive or hire a car to get there. There are some traffic controls on
the way to Smangus. The car you hire must be familiar with the
traffic to Smangus.
Peaks to Reach
Mt. Xuebai: 雪白山, 2,444 meters
(8,018 feet), no views
Mt. Shichushi: 西丘斯山, 2,427 meters (7,962 feet)
Mt. Shichushi: 西丘斯山, 2,427 meters (7,962 feet)
This hike is very special to me because it boosts my confidence
in taking more challenging hikes and doing solo hikes. It also helps
me discover the beauty of mid-level trails in Taiwan.
The Easy and Very Pleasant Strolling among Smangus Old Trees
Trailhead: 24.577818, 121.337632
I joined Taiwan Mountain LOHAS Association for this hike in early
January 2020. We stayed at a nearby B&B and got up early to get to
the trailhead. It was still early when we arrived in Smangus. The
sky was blue like deep ocean without any cloud, but the early sun
warmed us up in the cold weather.
After letting some of our hiking mates taking photos, our guide Acer
led us pass through the arch. The first things we saw was the
photogenic valleys and beautiful slender bamboo woods, which tempted
some of us want to stop and take photos again.
Part of the trail was accompanied by tall bamboo woods. It's very relaxing to stroll here.
The trail condition was surprising good. It was very flat and easy
to hike. The trail from the entrance to the old tree area was taken
care of by Smangus tribe, and you could tell they had done a
tremendous job, not many annoying uneven stairs and the trail
condition was kept very natural. It was such a delight to stroll
here.
You will see the old tree area approaching when you get close. Those
trees were so tall, huge, and handsome. The oldest one in Smangus,
Yaya Oparung, meaning Mama Big Tree in Atayal language, is the
second oldest one in Taiwan. As you can imagine, Yaya Oparung is the
most popular photo taking spot.
The distance from the trailhead to Yaya Oparung is 5.2 km / 3.2
miles, and you take the same trail back if you don't plan to go to
Qilan.
Happy Hour Over and Here Comes the Challenging Hike
After Yaya Oparung, our happy hour was over, and the trail condition
became more rugged as we started going uphill. The rugged terrains
are very common on the trails in Taiwan, especially among Mid-level
Mountain Trails 中級山.
The tree roots were intertwined with each other and we had to get a
hold of the roots to lift ourselves up. I could almost hear my
quadriceps muscles whining. Even though the trail was not easy, the
beautiful woods and great weather still could give me some comfort.
After around one hour, we reached a creek and it was time for lunch.
I sat on a big rock to boil some water. While waiting for my hot
chocolate, I looked at the surrounding. It seemed we were the only group on that day, which was great. At that time, I was thinking, if the whole hike was like this, it wasn’t too bad. I could manage
this. Little did I know how wrong it was.
Perhaps it wasn't a bad idea just sitting here all day.
The trail condition became steeper, and we had to pass several big
slopes paved with fallen rocks. Our guide Acer took some time to
teach us how to recognize the ridges and what we should do if we get
lost in the woods.
There were many big trees on the trail. Although those were not as
famous as others in Taiwan, I was still in awe, imaging all those
years they’ve been there and all those sunshine and storms they have
been trough.
Scary Sidehill Trail That Brought Back My Nightmare
Then we made a turn to a very narrow sidehill trail. Hiking on a
narrow sidehill trail isn’t anything new to me, but what made me
panic was it was on a very steep slope without many trees to grab.
In July 2017, I fell off a sidehill trail and landed hard on the
riverbank, a story I'll share later. I was lucky to survive only
with nasty bruises and little scrape, but this experience has
haunted me ever since.
While hiking on this sidehill trail, I leaned to the slope closer
and closer and I could feel my heartbeat faster than normal. I was
too scared to stand upright, so I gradually squatted down and used
my left hand to keep my balance instead of my tracking poles.
I was so slow that I had to let my hiking mates pass me, and I ended
up being the last hiker in the group. The guide who acted as a
keeper was very nice and kept me company. I thought about taking
more photos of this part of the trail, but I was too panic to do
that.
Finally, we reached our campsite, Xuebai campsite 雪白營地 (2,139
meters / 7,017 feet), and we started to pitch our tents and tarps.
This campsite probably could accommodate 40 people. There was a
water source nearby, and the round trip took around 20 minutes. I
didn’t go because I had brought enough water.
After some rest, we headed to Mt. Xuebai 雪白山, (2,444 meters /
8,018 feet), which was in between Taoyuan and Hsinchu, and also the
highest peak in Taoyuan. But I turned back after a few meters. I
guess I was still in shock after the scary slope and nothing much to
see on the peak also deterred me. So, the keeper guide and I got
back to the campsite to enjoy the quiet moment and got some rest.
The Second Day: One of the Most Wonderful Sunrises Waiting for Us
We got up around 3:30 am and headed to Mt. Shichushi 西丘斯山 (2,427
meters /7,962 feet) around 4:10 am to see the sunset, only carrying
the essentials. I guess we accidentally woke bees up and there
weren’t very happy about that. As a result, several of us got stung
by the bees. I got stung on my left cheek and it hurt so much that I
could feel one teardrop rolling down on my cheek. If you ask me, I
will tell you leeches are way much cuter than bees and other bugs on
the trails.
Some part of the trail shared the same one to Mt. Xuebai, which was
a very steep, and I had to put up with the pain of the bee sting. By
the time we almost got to the peak of Mt. Shichushi, I could see the
sky was getting brighter through the trees. I was so nervous that we
would miss the sunrise. Luckily, we arrived on time. When we reached
the cliff, the most astonishing nature wonder was presented in front
of us.
And the sea of clouds.
When I was soaking in and trying to enjoy this stunning view
quietly, my excited hiking mates kept talking loudly and sharing
food. This is one of the drawbacks to hike with a group. Looking on
the bright side, at least, we were the only group on the peak,
otherwise we would have to take turns to sit there.
I found a small trail in the bushes near the cliff so I decided to explore. Then, this was what I saw.
Please note that the location to see the sunrise wasn’t exact the
peak of Mt. Shichushi. We had to move toward the cliff a little bit to
enjoy the stunning views.
When I turned around, our guides told us the Holly Ridge Trail
聖稜線, including Mt. Xue 雪山 (3,886 meters / 12,749 feet) and Mt.
Dabajian 大霸尖山 (3,490 meters / 11,450 feet), was on the other
side. The morning sunshine casted an orange hue on Mt. Dabajian and
nearby mountains, and it was so spectacular. It's difficult for me
to find words to describe what I witnessed at that moment.
The wonderful view made me want to stay here much longer, but we
still had a long way to go. We got back to our campsite, took our
gear, and continued the rest our hike. Then, the reality struck
again. The rest part of the trail was more demanding than the
previous ones.
Tree Cemetery
Other than those tall standing trees, those fallen ones lying on the
trail were so big and the number of them was so many in an
astonishing way that I felt like crying whenever I had to climb over
or crawl underneath them. From time to time, I was questioning
myself why I put myself in this situation.
Our guide told us that this area was nicknamed as Taiwan Cypress
cemetery. From those fallen trees, it was indeed a tree cemetery.
Some fallen trees were very big and blocked the whole sidehill we
had to pass. Some of them were very thick, I had to bear hug the
tree trunk with my arms and legs stretching out as much as I could,
let my toe of my right foot touch the other side of the trail,
shifted my weight over there and landed myself safely. I thought
about asking Fion, who was on the other siding helping me, to take
photos of me hugging the tree in a funny way, but I changed my mind
because it might be dangerous for her.
Expansive Valley Covered by Clouds
After the sidehill trail, we turned up to an even much higher
sidehill without trees, but the scenery totally opened up with
mountains circling the valley. Those mountains were Holly Ridge
Trail again. Instead of the orange hue in the early morning, the
Holly Ridge Trail stood there with the ocean like blue sky in the
background, hugging the valley and the sea of cotton-like white
clouds above it. I was in awe. Our guide Acer knew we wanted to
savor this moment, so he let us take a break.
Although it was January and we were on high altitude, the sun still
made us feel like it was summer.
After getting our feet back on the trail, we passed a fork, and the
other trial would lead us to a famous spot called
Lake Yuanyang 鴛鴦湖. If you Google hiking Lake Yuanyang in Chinese, you will see many
posts about it. However, this lake is preserved as an ecological
research station called Yuanyang Lake Nature Reserve, and you have
to apply for another permit to enter Lake Yuanyang.
Into the Mystic World
Lake Yuanyang was not on our itinerary, so we took the one ahead and continued our journey. I was not sure when we passed the fork,
because I was tired. After that, we turned into a totally different
terrain which was covered by thick ferns, and the weather became
cloudier. The bright sunny weather turned into a cloudy one. And, I was getting really exhausted.
Some people say this area looks like the jungle scene in the movie
Avatar. I can’t comment because I never saw that movie. Whether it’s
like the scene in Avatar or not, to me, this is Taiwan. It doesn’t
need to look like something else to prove its worth.
It might look dreamy to hike here, but this mushy and wet terrain
also made my legs feel heavier. I was getting out of breath and
hiking on the wet and slippery terrain was making it more difficult.
If I weren’t this tired, I would love to take more photos. During
our previous break, I checked my feet and found a blister. I tended
it with bandit hoping it would make it till the end of our hike.
Obviously, I didn’t do a good job and I could feel the burning
sensation.
One more photo about this amazing plant.
To make things worse, the downhill was steeper and more slippery,
and my knees were not happy about that. By the time I thought I
couldn’t take it anymore, we reached the trailhead. From that point,
we just needed to walk on logging road to our hired bus, only extra
2 km left...
Other Things: Three of Us fell or Almost Fell off the Slopes
This trail isn’t labeled as mid-level trail for no reasons. Some of
our hiking mates injured during the hike. The first slipped on one
slope with the big tree blocking the sidehill. Luckily, she was
stopped by trees below and managed to climb up.
The second incident was the young man in front of me. We were
descending on some wooden stairs and for some unknown reason he lost
his footing and tilted to the right, which was a big slope. I was
shocked by his sudden losing balance and squatted down trying to
grab his backpack. But the distance between him and me was longer
than my arm length, I could only barely pinch his backpack raincover and
dragged his raincover to the left as much as I could. Surprisingly, he
moved back to the left and regained his balance. We continued our
hike.
Later, I asked him what happened. He said he lost his footing. Then I
asked him how he got his balance back. He told me “a move” in
English. I asked again: Did you feel I was pinching your backpack
raincover? He gave me a look mixed with realization and confusion at the
same time. Anyway, he was safe, which is the most important thing.
The third incident was that a girl who wore a helmet and hiking
boots slipped off a log when we were trying to pass a gutter. She
fell off about one meter and landed on her right side. I think her
helmet prevented her from possible head injury. She was shocked but
suffered no visible harm. Most of us wore rainboots. There's nothing
wrong with wearing hiking boots, of course, but it’s easier to hike
in Taiwan with the rainboots. Luckily, she was doing okay.
Some Thoughts about This Hike:
If you can arrange a transportation, Smangus is a great delight to
visit, whether you take the easy strolling or the challenging trail
all the way to Qilan, Yilan. If I want to take the easy trail, I
will stay at least 2 days to enjoy this peaceful indigenous village,
taking my time and absorbing the fresh air.
If you opt for adventures, the trail from Smangus to Qilan will
certainly not disappoint you. But there are many forks on this
trail, I don’t recommend you do it alone. It's better to hire an
experienced local guide to take you there. Going with a group might
be a good option because you don’t have to worry about driving or
hiring a car.
Before you go, please remember this is a physically demanding trail.
I know I tend to choose hikes that are beyond my ability, but I
think this one really kicks my butt not just because of the scary
slopes, but also the treacherous terrains. As I said, there are
dangers on some parts of the trail. Please be cautious when you
proceed.
Overall, we were very lucky to stay safe and enjoyed a lot. We saw
the most amazing views and see the mystic virgin woods. I highly
recommend people who are fit and not afraid of height to take on the
point-to-point trail, and to hike it with experienced guides. If you
ask me whether I want to hike it again, to be honest, the easy one
to see the old trees? That’s for sure. The one from Smangus to
Qilan? Uh... maybe once is enough. But who knows?
Map and Itinerary
Group Hike or Solo Hike: Group hike with
Taiwan Mountain LOHAS Association (LOHAS)
Date of Hike: January 4, 2020
Date of Hike: January 4, 2020
Route map for Smangus To Qilan: Day 1 by Anusha Lee on plotaroute.com
Date of Hike: January 5, 2020
Route map for Smangus To Qilan: Day 2 by Anusha Lee on plotaroute.com
Click Menu in the map to download,
print or share the map.
Click
to change the speed to meet your condition.
Note:
Due to GPS accuracy setting, there may be some difference between my GPS tracking and the exact distance. Please check the infographic above for the more accurate data.
Click
to change the speed to meet your condition.
Note:
Due to GPS accuracy setting, there may be some difference between my GPS tracking and the exact distance. Please check the infographic above for the more accurate data.
Day 1, based on my hike on January 4, 2020
07:20
Arrived at trailhead from our B&B
08:11
Arrived at Big Trees Trail trailhead
10:02
Arrived at Big Trees Area
10:15
Arrived at Yaya Qparung
10:26
Resumed the hike
11:26
Arrived at the creek and had lunch
12:12
Resumed the hike
13:10
Reached the big falling rock slope
13:26
Reached another big tree area
13:57
Arrived at Xuebai campsite, drew water, pitched tents. Some
headed to Mt. Xuebai
Total time:
6 hours and 14 minutes, including breaks
Day 2, based on my hike on January 5, 2020
03:30
Got up
04:10
Headed to Mt. Shichushi to see sunrise. We left our tents and
backpacks at the campsite
06:04
Saw the sunrise near Mt. Shichushi and took photos
06:53
Reached the real summit of Mt. Shichushi
07:30
Got back to Xuibai campsite, cooked breakfast, and got ready
for the hike
08:00
Left the campsite
09:25
Reached fallen tree area
10:40
Arrived the sidehill where the video was taken to see sea of
clouds and the Holly Ridge Trail and had a break
11:39
Arrived at another fallen tree area and had lunch
13:56
Reached the virgin forest after passing the fork to Lake
Yuanyang
16:50
Reached the end of the trail and exited
Total time:
12 hours 40 minutes, including breaks
Recommended Blogs and Resources:
Chinese only:
Hiking Biji: 司馬庫斯古道越嶺鴛鴦湖
Hiking Biji: 司馬庫斯古道越嶺鴛鴦湖