Located on the west side of Taiwan's Central Mountain range, Big Snow Mountain Forest is not one of the Island's most popular tourist destinations. Lacking five star hotels and aboriginal dance performances, the park does not generate the traffic (or revenue) of more well known places. The road from Tung Shih to just below the peak of Big Snow Mountain (48 Kilometers away and 3000 meters up) was a lonely place on the Sunday afternoon that I was there. Besides one tour bus, a few cars, and a group of teenage joy riders, nobody passed me by in the three hours I walked along it.
The forest lacks one other thing that abounds in Taiwan—Litter. With the exception of one empty Mr. Brown can (which I picked up and deposited in Taichung), there was nothing in the streams but rocks, fish, and water, and nothing on the ground that Nature didn't put there. I found this as remarkable as anything else.
Having mentioned all the things that I didn't see, It's time to talk about the things I did. First and foremost, The park is known as a veritable paradise for birds and people who watch them. Taiwan's geographical position has made it a resting point for migrant birds from all over East Asia, and Big Snow Mountain is known to bird aficionados as one of the best places to catch a glimpse of visiting migrants and the many birds that are native to Taiwan, such as the Taiwan laughing thrush and the Mikado pheasant.
Also stunning is the abundance of old growth trees nestled among the newer pines and evergreens of the higher elevations. Although there are not as many left as there once were, the ones that are left are not difficult to find. If you want to take a bit of a hike off the main trail, you can ask one of the park rangers can point you in the direction of the trail that leads to the "Sacred Tree", which is said to be nearly a thousand years old.
The park itself is pretty spread out, and I spent most of my time walking around and eating wild raspberries (which were abundant in early October, but might not be at other times). There were a few traditional wooden houses being rented to visitors, but I camped out close to the peak of the mountain. The ranger at the park gate told me that camping wasn't really allowed, but as long as there were no fires nobody would bother us.
The nicest thing about Big Snow Mountain is the atmosphere of serenity that hangs over the place…Having become used to being surrounded by people in Taiwan, I had almost forgotten that there were places where you could go and simply be alone for a while. I've visited many of Taiwan's most scenic places but few where I could just sit down and listen to birds without hearing a distant motorcycle or seeing a group of hikers marching past. Even at on Sunday morning on the peak of Big Snow Mountain there were only a few people beside me watching as the dawn illuminated the ocean of clouds that spilled through the valleys below. Over to the east I could see Jade mountain, and I imagined all the people sitting outside their tour buses watching the view from it's peak. On top of Big snow, there were just about five people, including me, and I can't say that I missed the crowd.
Getting there is easy. From Taichung, take rt.3 north to Feng Yuan, and hop on the central cross island highway just a few miles to a medium sized town called Tung Shih. From there, just look for the sign (in Chinese) to Big Snow Mountain and follow the road. A few words of advice for the wise: Bring warm clothes. As the name might suggest, Big Snow Mountain can get cold. Also, I was surprised to find myself feeling a bit light-headed most of the time I was there. Not only was the population thin, but the oxygen was too. Be prepared to breath a bit more and savour each breath. Bon Voyage…
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