Pingfengshan, Mountain summit in Xiulin Township, Taiwan.
Pingfengshan is a mountain summit in the Hehuan range of central Taiwan, rising to around 3,250 meters above sea level. The slopes are covered with arrow bamboo and pine trees, and a small shelter near the top offers sleeping space for hikers who make the ascent.
The original trail from Dayuling Pass was closed in 2022 after landslides made it impassable, and a new route was opened starting from kilometer 111.2 of Highway 8. This alternative path crosses the Taziji River and restored access to the summit from a different direction.
The name Pingfengshan translates roughly to folding screen mountain in Chinese, because the ridgeline looks like a traditional room divider when seen from certain angles below. Naming peaks after everyday objects they resemble is a long-standing habit among the people who have lived near these mountains.
A permit and advance reservation with the national park management are required to secure a place at the mountain shelter before setting out. The trail includes steep rocky sections and wooden ladders, so sturdy footwear and a good level of fitness are strongly recommended.
The trail uses wooden ladders fixed into rocky cliff faces, a feature more often found on via ferrata routes in Europe than on high-altitude trails in Taiwan. These ladders are not a shortcut but a necessary aid on sections where the rock is too steep to climb otherwise.
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