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Many people probably have heard of Alishan, one of the most beautiful attractions in southern Taiwan. Zhizhong and Tefuye Trail are right next to Alishan and close to each other, but Zhizhong is in Nantou County and Tefuye Historical Trail is located in Alishan.

The total length of Tefuye Historical Trail (aka Tefuye Ancient Trail) is 6.32 km (3.93 miles), and it used to be a hunting trail for indigenous the Cou (or Tsou) people 鄒族, who have resided in Alishan for generations. During Japanese occupation, Japan government rebuit this trail for timber tansport.

Mt. Zhizhong used to be named after the fourth of Japanese Governor-General 總督, Kodama Gentaro 兒玉源太郎, called Mt. Eryu. Later, President Chiang Kai-shek changed the name after General Zhang Zhizhong, who fought hard during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Aside from the history, the peak of Mt. Zhizhong is a great place to see Mt. Yu ridgeline.

This is a point-to-point route and you can find toilets on both sides of trailhead. It's easier to hike from Zhizhong side, which is flat. There are wood stairs on the other side. There are many tall Japanese Cedar Threes here. Walking on the old rail track and being surrounded by those tall beautiful trees is very relaxing.

There’s only one bus to get here, Yuanlin Bus 6739, and this bus runs between Sun Moon Lake and Alishan. If you plan to visit Sun Moon Lake and have some extra days, it will be great to put Tefuye and Alishan in your itinerary.

After getting off at Zhizhong Stop, you will find the trailhead of Tefuye Historical Trail and public toilets. Some hikers camp near the old police station building so they can see the sunrise or start the hike to Mt. Zhizhong early.

Mt. Zhizhong, aka Mt. Eryu: 自忠山 or 兒玉山, Zhizhong Shan, 2,606 meters (8,550 feet). Views are very good on the peak.
Mt. Beixia: 北霞山, Beixia Shan, 2,472 meters (8,110 feet). No views.
Mt. Dongsui: 東水山, Dongsui Shan, 2,611 meters (8,566 feet). No views.

See the map and itinerary first

We left Taipei at 8:00 pm on the previous evening and stayed at the hotel where was around two hours to the trailhead of Tefuye Historical Trail on the Zhizhong side.

The first thing caught my eye was the layers of mountains in the valley. Our guide told us this was a great spot to see the beautiful sunrise if you camp nearby. If the clear sky and the mountains we witnessed at that moment was already astonishing, I couldn’t imagine how stunning it would be if I could get a chance to see the sunrise.

The entrance of Tefuye Historical Trail was very easy to recognize and there was an old railway track going all the way inside this area. All you have to do is just follow the railway track. There were many cedar trees and the trail was very flat.

After a few meters, our happy time was over, because we had to go to Mt. Zhizhong from here. To demonstrate its authority, the trail gave us a very sharp steep beginning. A little warning before you decide to take this trail: this trail is considered as a high altitude hike, and the high altitude will make the breathing a little bit more difficult if you aren't used to it.

I learned this lesson in the hard way during this hike. Our group left Taipei late on the previous evening, and by the time we got to our B&B, it was 1 am already. We had to get up at 5 am, which means we only had less than 4 hours to sleep. But sometimes your sacrifice will pay off. When we were about to leave our B&B, I realized we were surrounded by mountains and Mt. Yu was one of them.

I wasn’t feeling well on that week already. So, those things together made my hike even more miserable.

Our first peak was Mt. Zhizhong, 2,606 meters (8,550 feet). The trail condition was quite rugged but not too bad, because most parts were covered by pine needles. We reached a place that was big enough for all of us to take a rest, and left our backpacks here before climbing up to Mt. Zhizhong.

Just when I thought the previous sections of trail were steep enough, it was even steeper on the way to Mt. Zhizhong. Luckily, it didn’t take us long to get there.

I looked the other side from the peak and our guide told us that that was the highest mountain in Taiwan, Mt. Yu, 3,952 meters (12,966 feet). The stunning view made me feel instantly better for a few minutes.

The view from the opposite side of Mt. Yu was also spectacular. I stood there for a while to admire the landscape around me.

We still had several peaks to go. Our next stop was Mt. Dongshui. The trail became steeper again, and my excitement soon was replaced by fatigue. I noticed that the higher altitude we hiked, the more amazing trees we saw. Our guide reminded us that logging was the main business in Tefuye many decades ago.

I’m no expert of vegetation, but you still can tell the forest was mixed with pines and subtropical trees, which was quite normal in higher attitude mountains in Taiwan. They just blended together so well.

While hiking on the trail and enjoying the beautiful trees, I noticed some big trees were brutally chopped down and there were signs on them. I went up close to check out those signs. The signs said those trees were the victims of illegal logging, and those crimes were under investigation. This wasn't my first time seeing this. Illegal logging is still a serious issue in Taiwan. The government promises they will relax the restrictions on hiking in Taiwan and encourage hikers to report poachers if seeing them. I truly hope this will help reduce illegal logging.

I also saw there were many acorns on the trail. Our guide told us those were acorns of Ring-cupped Oak trees 青剛櫟. Those seeds are one of Formosan Black Bears' favorite foods. But you don't need to worry that you will run into those bears. Formosan Black Bears are endangered species in Taiwan. It's very difficult to see them on the trails. Seeing those also reminded me of Scrat in the movie, Ice Age.

It took us around one hour to reach Mt. Dongshui, 2,611 meters (8,566 feet), but there was no view near the triangulation stone, so we headed to our next peak, Mt. Beixia. After Mt. Beixia, we had to take the same route back to Mt. Donshui again.

Mt. Beixia, 2,472 meters (8,110 feet), was lower than Mt. Dongshui, and the round trip from Mt. Dongshui to Mt. Beixia took me 4 hours to finish. This section wasn't an exciting hike without many beautiful views even though there was a Class 3 Triangulation Stone. My pace was getting slower and slower, especially during the ascending.

Before my first arrival at Mt. Dongshui, I found myself huffing and puffing, and I had to stop almost every few meters to catch my breath. A very friendly guide, Fion, was very kind to keep company with me. I even asked Fion whether there was any exit on the trail so I could leave the trail early. Unfortunately, no.

On the way back to Mt. Dongshui, I was so exhausted that I had to stop every three steps. I did difficult hikes before, but i never experienced things like this. I was dead tired. I got disoriented sometimes that I missed the trail. So, Fion decided to take the lead.

Fion was in a much better condition than mine, and I felt so terrible for her that she had to slow down for me. I remember I even fell asleep within seconds during a break when I leaned on my backpack. When opening my eyes again, I was amazed by the beautiful sunshines dancing in the woods. So, I took this picture.

There was still a long way to go and we had to move fast, so I didn't take many photos afterwards. By the time we finally left the rugged terrains, it was already dark. Luckily, we also reached Tefuye Historical Trail again and it was easier to hike. It was pity that I didn’t get to see this part of the trail in the broad daylight, but it didn’t matter at that moment. It started raining and we just wanted to get back to our bus.

We put on our headlamps and continued to hike. We still had the final 2 km (1.2 miles) to reach the trailhead. It was almost pitch dark and the only thing I could see was the rain drops flying through my headlamp.

This final section took me almost one hour to finish, but it felt like forever. Although I was very slow, I wasn’t the last one to finish our first-day hike. There were around 7 people behind us, and it took them another two hours to finish the hike. For me, I was glad that I could call it a day.

It's a shame that I didn't get to see those trees on the easy part of the trail. From the photos taken by my hiking mates, those trees were gorgeous. For those who just want to enjoy strolling without too much stress, you can find some information at Tefuye Historical Trail from Forestry Bureau website.

I will do this hike again, but I will also change the route to make the hike more enjoyable.

First, I will leave Taipei earlier if possible. We left Taipei at 8 pm and we arrived at our B&B around 1 am, which took us around 6 hours to Alishan area.

Second, I will camp at old Zhizhong Police Station, a red building next to the Tefuye trailhead, to reduce the commuting time. Sorry I didn't take the photo. The policemen no long station here. Some hikers camp here to save time. It took us almost 2 hours from our B&B to Tefuye Old Trail. If we could camp there, we could have slept more and even seen the sunrise. Our guides arranged B&B for us hoping that we could sleep better, but we could only sleep around 4 hours, which didn’t help much.

Third, I probably will skip Mt. Beixia, make it a point-to-point route, and take the same route back to where we start, and spend more time to enjoy Tefuye Old Trail.

Fourth, during our hike, I saw many maple leaves on the trail, and the color was still amazing. If you enjoy seeing the rare fall foliage in Taiwan, I think you can arrange this hike in autumn.

I still highly recommend this trail, as long you can avoid my mistakes, or just take the easy one and enjoy the unique landscapes and the history behind the trail. After this, you can also visit Alishan and see more spectacular views over there.

Here's my second day hike from this trip.

Have you been to Alishan? Are you also looking for other places to visit in Alishan? If so, Tefuye is for you. Please leave comments below and subscribe to newsletters for more amazing trails in Taiwan.

Chinese only:
Mark Choo: 過年假期阿里山之旅4-3，十字路社區、特富野古道、自忠山、東水山、水山
Hiking Biji: 自忠山、東水山、特富野古道
Waytogo: Tefuye Historical Trail 特富野古道

English posts:
Alishan National Scenia Area: Tefuye trail
Alishan 阿里山
The Ultimate Guide to Sun Moon Lake 日月潭極限指南
SUN MOON LAKE FULL CYCLE LOOP

The Highest Peak in Alishan: Mt. Data
Mt. Dabajian
Smangus
Syakaro Trail
Hunters Trail in Wangxiang