Topographic Maps of Taiwan

Travel Taiwan Travel
1

I want to do an extended trip around the island. I’d also like to do some backpacking. Does anyone know of a company and/or the government site/location where I can get the best of what Taiwan has to offer in to-scale topographic maps for the island. This would include maps for the national parks, etc., that would also show exisitng trails, trail heads, etc.

I don’t expect much from Taiwan, as nothing is precise here. I just hope to find whatever agency is doing the best or authoritative job on such maps. In the United States, the equivalent agency would be the United States Geological Survey of the Departement of the Interior. They sell every kind of map thinkable for every square inch of the 50 states. I’ve tried looking at Taiwan’s Ministry of the Inferior, but haven’t found anything.

:help:

2

For about $4000NT (north/south complete set) you can get extremely detailed and accurate topo maps of Taiwan. There is a more affordable version available at Caves at a fraction of the cost. I recommend using the best possible maps available as the police stations which issue the hiking permits at the trail head do not offer them, but you will be required to submit such information to them before you leave. Good for the cops to have as they will be the ones to hike in after your ass when you get lost. You should consider a local guide in unfamiliar areas. For an epic hike I recommend Nantou to Hualien on gorgeous but challenging trails, then a nice trip by train down to Taitung where you can then hike back through the central mountain range to Pingtung. There are several hiker huts/old structures where you can sleep if you choose not to pack a tent. You will need permits issued for two legs of your trip. Plan 10 days for this hike.

3

Do you know where I can get these detailed maps? I don’t think a guide would be very fun, especially for overnight treks. Unless you know something I don’t about Taiwan’s wilderness, Mr. Eagle Scout here has gone through weeks of high adventure training und wilderness survival. Full complement of toys and a full battery of common sense that the average Taiwanese doesn’t have in backpacking. They could even kill themselves in Yangmingshan Mountain.

4

This could be what you’re looking for:
forumosa.com/3/viewtopic.php?p=64363#64363

5

FFTASUCKS are you talking about the Formosan Complete Road Atlas? It is good but not entirely accurate especially where it concerns small roads and trails which are the very things a hiker needs to rely on.

Pinesay

Taiwan is not the States or Europe. Your attitude reminds me of foreigners who refuse to listen to Taiwanese tell them not to swim at beaches they don’t know and not to go to far offshore. “I do this all the time back home.” Yeah, well, back home the ocean doesn’t drop down thousands of feet a mere 100 metres offshore causing fantastic riptides and currents.

Your claim to have a lot of experience and training in the outdoors makes your cavalier attitude toward hiking in an alien environment a little incomprehensible to me. People hire a local guide (for longer trips into the really remote parts of the country) because trails get overgrown easily (this is the tropics) and earthquakes, typhoons, and landslides alter the trails and landscape from season to season. You do know we had a little thing called the 921 earthquake a few years ago which moved a few mountains around? Not all maps have caught up with the changes. Can you judge which ones have and which ones haven’t?

A little quiz.

Afternoon thundershowers are a daily events in which months?
Afternoon inpenetrable fogs are a daily event in which months and at which altitudes.
Betelnut plantations are a hiker’s bane for what reasons?
Wasps are a danger in which months?
Poisonous snakes are a danger in which months and at what altitude?
How many earthquakes strike the island every year?
What is the most common poisonous plant to affect hikers and at which altitude does it grow?
You can expect snow at what elevation and in what months?
What is the typhoon season in Taiwan?
What is the plum rain season?
What is the best season for hiking and climbing?
Describe the various climates from north to south and how do they vary from season to season?
Potable water is available on most long hikes in Taiwan. Yes or no.
What is the minimum amount of water you should drink daily for the altitude you wish to climb? Does it vary season to season and if so by how much?
Are bears a problem in Taiwan? What about snakes? Leeches?

Jean-Marc, the man who runs Fresh Treks is a second generation mountaineer and has said he has found the mountains here to be much more dangerous than those in Europe or America.

Please learn a little more about conditions around the island before you attempt to go into the wilderness. If you want a good long hike try the new Syakaro national hiking trail in Hsinchu County. It’s about 25km long and has recently been redone by the forestry bureau.

taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ … 2003101473

Or join a hiking club.

6

One more point. The government has allocated NT3 billion for trail development. Some places are changing monthly. Old trails are being let to grow over and new ones built in their stead. Don’t trust maps. The situation is not going to clear itself for another 2 years. And even then we’ll always have to content with typhoons and earthquakes changing the landscape.

By the way, can you speak enough Chinese to ask about local conditions before you head out?

You’re not in Kansas anymore.

7

Um Mucha Man … your attitude is a bit … presumptuous. :astonished: My plan is this: I don’t want to get a guide for every 3-10KM loop hike I do while riding my motorcycle thorugh the cross island highway, which has a far greater chance that my head will be turned to mush from the pavement by another galley-gonging driver than being bitten by a snake. I think I can handle day treks, espcially the ones with cell phone reception and 30 minutes to the nearest porta-potty. If I planned to climb Jade Mountian, well, gee, maybe your post would be relevant. But thanks for the warning anyway.

8

I haven’t been “presumptuous” at all. It was obvious from your post you have little or no experience hiking in Taiwan. And it was clear from mine I was neither trying to pick a fight nor be superior.

I made a strong case that both high and low mountains, long and short trails present difficulties that the average hiker may not be aware of. If you take that as “presumption” I can’t help that.

And yes, you won’t have to worry about snakes on much of the Cross-Central as one, it is not open yet, and two, there are no snakes at the higher elevations. But you knew all this didn’t you? :unamused:

9

Yes, yes and yes to everything Mucha man posted. Climbing and trekking here is not like anything I’ve done elsewhere in many parts of the world, from Scottish crags to the Baltoro glacier. The same rules do not apply. And I’m afraid that for many of the bigger hikes, a guide is required by law and they WILL forbid you from going if you don’t have one.
BTW, maybe you’ve perused the thread about a certain Fred Frontier, who was by all accounts an expert and experienced outdoorsman.

10

Well, yes. I do have a healthy respect for Taiwan, and that’s after years and years of experience. Nauture here is as erradic as the people are. A blessed marriage. I remember going to a place as seemingly benign as Fulong Beach and didn’t wear sunscreen for a while. I got burned to a crisp, so bad that I couldn’t walk for two weeks and had to be bed serviced. My skin skipped third degree burns and went straight to coming off like glue. It was horrible, and many told me that the sun’s radiation is more instense nearer the equator that where I’m from. Don’t know if it is true, but I did just assume I could run around a bit without sunscreen … I could do it back home, right?

However, on the flip side. A lot of what I’ve done and achieved has been directly in the face of friends, family and Taiwanese all telling me, “mei ban fa” or “tai wei xian”. Some examples:

  • Packing up and moving to Tawian.
  • Riding a scooter in Taiwan.
  • Getting married to an overseas woman.
  • Getting married to a woman who doesn’t speak English.
  • Starting a business in Taiwan.
  • Invading Iraq … Oh, wait. Those were the Germans and French.

No, I didn’t know that. I knew that it ‘was’ closed after the earthquake, but many have told me that it is now reopened. I’ve learned not to trust what people ‘say’, as it is usually wrong in this country. I’ve since ridden a motor bike up through a certain part of it past Tianxiang, so even if it is closed at some point, I can still appreciate part of it. Besides, I’m on vacation. If you have any athoritative source I can turn to in knowing which of the Northern and Southern Cross-Island Highways are open/closed, that would be helpful. Otherwise, I’ll just have to turn around and enjoy the scenery on the way back.

11

Another more relevant question … Who makes Taiwan road maps? For example, if I wanted to plan the safest route by motorbike to Gaoxiong, what kind of authoritative road map would I trust? I used to get these maps anywhere at gas stations in the States. I’ve bought street by steet map books of cities (which have been relatively accurate)… are there more macro foldout maps for intercity roads in Taiwan?

12

Actually, I don’t think you are required to have a guide anymore. We climbed Yushan last year without a guide and with a permit. I don’t think that was possible before.

The guides I have hiked with here in that past have been great. They carried most of the food,cooked, helped out with people who got lost or exhausted, and showed me places that I would have never found otherwise. And all that with a great attitude as well.

Unless you have more that 10 people, a guide is probably too expensive.

13

[quote=“Mucha (Muzha) Man”]FIf you want a good long hike try the new Syakaro national hiking trail in Hsinchu (Xinzhu) County. It’s about 25km long and has recently been redone by the forestry bureau.
.[/quote]

I highly recommend this hike. I did it last month in two days. If you had vehicle support on both ends, you could do it one day easily.

It’s actually 22.9 km. from trailhead to trailhead. We did it from the Qingquan side. The first three km. are pretty steep, but after that the trail is mostly flat. It’s very clearly marked and well-maintained. We camped at the Baishi suspension bridge @ 13 km (one of the most beautiful I’ve seen in Taiwan) but larger groups (>4) will probably want to camp at the Baishi Police Station (@ 8 km). Perfect for new hikers or folks who could be in better shape.

The only downside is that there is some garbage on the trail. My firm may sponsor a cleanup trip in the next few months. All in all, a great beginning for Taiwan’s National Trail System.

14

I’ll be up for that. Keep us posted.

15

That breaks my heart. Why anyone would make an appointment to go see the “unspoiled” countryside, and then thow their trash around is beyond excuse or explanation. :bluemad: Taiwanese lack the excuse of poor “education”. The people who hike such trails should know better.

I wonder what they teach the Boy Scouts here in Taiwan. I really wonder. For me in the States it was ‘conservationism’ … (not to be confused with the liberal religion of ‘environmentalism’). We were taught to ‘conserve’ by leaving a camp site or trail as if we were never there OR to leave it in better condition than we found it. I can’t imagine seeing kids really taking such things to heart. Tell me it isn’t so.

16

I went to the agency that sells the Ministry of the Interior Topo Maps:

Xinyi Rd., Sec. 3, No. 43, 2F
02-2704-3344
courant.com.tw/chinese/map_sale.htm

They have two kinds (in the topo variety):
1:25,000 and 1:50,000

The 1:25,000 are useful for people who actually want to see stuff in detail for hiking purpoes. Trails, roads and points of interest are marked as well. If you go, ask to see the master grid of Taiwan. Each map is loosely broken up into counties.

Each map costs NT$300 … or at least that is what they charged me.

The “Page One” bookstore on the top floor of Taipei 101 has a decent selection of urban maps and map books. I didn’t know how much really existed.

17

That breaks my heart. Why anyone would make an appointment to go see the “unspoiled” countryside, and then thow their trash around is beyond excuse or explanation. :bluemad: Taiwanese lack the excuse of poor “education”. The people who hike such trails should know better.
[/quote]

The trail became part of the national trail system only recently. I suspect most of the trash comes from people living in the area who hunt, trap, or farm and have to use the trail for access. This is especially obvious on the Xiuluan side of the trail. The work crews who rebuilt the trail probably also contributed.

There is not really that much garbage though. A cleanup would make a significant impact on what there is.

18

It didn’t just become part of the trail system recently in the sense that they just added an existing trail to the network. The forestry bureau has been working on this for two years. The trail was an experiment to see how best to revitalize the old trail system. The result is supposed to be a guideline for the next 4 old trails they are going to fix up over the next couple years.

This is why the presence of garbage is so disheartening. If it came from the crews who rebuilt the trail that is inexcusable. If it’s from the last month of hiking traffic this is also inexcusable. They really need forestry people on the trails everyday, or at least weekends, and talking to people. It’s one thing to have a sign telling you not to litter. It’s another to have someone in your face telling you to respect the environment around you. “Did you litter today, sir? I hoep not.”

Write to the bureau and complain: service@forest.gov.tw
Also write to the tourism bureau: tbroc@tbroc.gov.tw
They are quite receptive to complaints and suggestions these days.

The Cross Central is still closed between Guguan and Lishan. The North Cross and South Cross are both open. Personally I think the north and south are more interesting roads. Much more to do on them. Besides magestic scenery, the Cross Central is lacking attractions though you can camp at Tienchi now and the Bahsianshan Forest Reserve near Guguan has some good trails.

For road maps, regular large fold out maps of all of Taiwan are usually fine to give you the larger routes. There aren’t that many major roads in Taiwan so you can get around even with the most basic of maps. For more local details, tourist maps available at regional tourist offices are often very useful as they are often in English. Or use the Formosan Complete Road Atlas by Sunriver. It’s all in Chinese but if I can use it with my poor reading skills you can too.

Anyway, it seems you’ve found some good maps. But where are you planning to go? I just did a big tour of Taiwan not two months ago.

I had to laugh about your sunburn story. I went out to Wulai today to go swimming in the river and while I wore sunscreen there, I forgot that the water would wash it off. I’m no crisp but my neck and shoulders are a little sore.

Part of the trail I was on today leads from Wulai to Sansia, a total of 20km. It’s a beautiful path. Not wide but clear of underbrush and clean!

Feiren, you mention that you camped overnight on the Syakaro national hiking trail. Are there designated camping sites? Developed or just cleared land? Also, you said you could do it in one day. How many hours hiking do you reckon? I walk at a good clip.

19

…I knew that it ‘was’ closed after the earthquake, but many have told me that it is now reopened. I’ve learned not to trust what people ‘say’, as it is usually wrong in this country. I’ve since ridden a motor bike up through a certain part of it past Tianxiang, so even if it is closed at some point, I can still appreciate part of it. Besides, I’m on vacation. If you have any authoritative source I can turn to in knowing which of the Northern and Southern Cross-Island Highways are open/closed, that would be helpful. Otherwise, I’ll just have to turn around and enjoy the scenery on the way back.[/quote]You can go by road across the centre, but you have to go Puli-Wushe-Hehuanshan-Dayuling rather than Guguan-Deji-Lishan-Dayuling. Last time I was up at Guguan (in the autumn I think) I rode up further to the road barrier and security guard post. I pleaded with them to let me go through and have a look but they said no way – if a rock fell on my head they’d be responsible. Anyway I saw quite a few earth-moving machines up there so looks as if they’re working on it.

If you want a sketch map of the old (broken) and new routes, look here;
mcttw.tripod.com/introduction.htm
Some photos of the new route here;
mcttw.tripod.com/9.htm
and here;
mcttw.tripod.com/wushe-tianxiang.htm

[quote=“Mucha (Muzha) Man”]The Cross Central is still closed between Guguan and Lishan. The North Cross and South Cross are both open.[/quote]Don’t they call the stretch from Puli over Hehuanshan to Dayuling the “New Central Cross-Island Highway?” I’m a bit fed up of that though and looking forward to the time when they finally reopen the Guguan-Lishan route. Does anyone have any more news on when that will be? I heard this summer.

20

Yeah, they call that route the New Cross Central but the real Cross Central is slated to reopen this June or July. I used to have the link to the highway department website where they claim this, but I can’t find it.