Central Taiwan is straight out of a mountaineer’s fantasy. It boasts a rural expanse of mountains and valleys as it sits between pockets of dense population on its west coast and picturesque bluffs in the east. Quiet and remote, the region is still accessible via the winding coast-to-coast Cross Island Highway. 

Covering an area of over 260,000 acres — two-thirds of which is over 2,000 meters above sea level, or roughly 6,500 feet — Yushan National Park is known for its great hiking trails. Yushan, the most famous of the area’s mountain peaks and the namesake of the national park, attracts climbers from all around the world. It is the highest point in Taiwan and and in all of Northeast Asia with a summit at a dizzying 3,952 meters, or 12,966 feet.

Yushan is the park’s crowned jewel in one than one sense. Its name literally means “Jade Mountain” because of its seasonal colors — green in the summer, white in the winter — and its uncanny resemblance to a Chinese gemstone. 

As an avid outdoorsman, I knew I wanted to attempt this monster of a climb during my stay in Taiwan. However, I could have never anticipated the journey I would take to make that dream a reality. 

The first step to summit Yushan is obtaining a climbing permit. The number of visitors is regulated to prevent the area from becoming overrun. You must apply in advance, which can take seven days to several months, and be at least 21 years old to lead your designated “group” of climbers. You must also have a photo of yourself at a peak of more than 3,000 meters to prove you are adequately fit. Permits are doled out through a lottery system, another obstacle considering the popularity of the peak during warm summer months. 

After plenty of individual research, a friend and I submitted our online permit application exactly seven days before our proposed climb date. What made our application easier to process was our decision to ascend and descend the mountain in one day instead of staying overnight at the base camp, Paiyun Lodge. Though it was a last-minute decision, I was amazed at how quickly the park service contacted me to request more information. After a few days, I received a notification our permit was approved. We officially had the green light.

With our permits printed and our gear packed, we hopped on a train to Taichung and nabbed a bus to Sun Moon Lake, which served as an overnight pit stop en route to Yushan. After an early bus ride, we arrived at the Tataka Visitor Center in Yushan National Park by mid-morning. We checked into Dongpu Hills Hostel and began talking with other climbers who were staying there. People shook their heads in disbelief when we shared our one-day plan. One man gave us advice and lent us walking sticks, while another insisted we take his headlamp for the climb. Though we stood out as the only two non-Taiwanese climbers, we very much felt part of the close-knit local mountaineering community. 

Then, our plans got even bolder. 

My friend and I decided we wanted to see the fabled sunrise from the top of Yushan. Instead of leaving at 2 a.m., as originally planned, we power-napped through the afternoon and set out from the trailhead at 8:30 p.m. For most of the ascent, the path carved into the side of the mountain with a wall on one side and a drop-off into darkness of unknown depth to the other. But the trail was relatively easy to navigate in the pitch black night. Under a magnificently spread of stars, we followed the light from our headlamps and flashlights. 

We reached the newly renovated Paiyun Lodge around 2:00 a.m. Most of the climbers staying in the lodge were middle-aged Taiwanese men, some together with longtime friends and others who were climbing alone. After verifying our permits, the lodge staff gave us free soup and dumplings, refilled our water bottles and gave us a warm place to rest for an hour. 

The kindness of Taiwanese climbers continued. Just before 3:00 a.m., one man invited us in his best English to join his group’s sunrise summit of Yushan’s main peak. With that, we were off into the night again, trekking up the final yet toughest leg of the mountain. Within the line of Mandarin-speaking strangers, there was a sense of solidarity that ignored cultural differences. Both Taiwanese and American lungs gasped for breaths in the thin mountain air. As we scrambled up the steep switchbacks, we had to stop every couple minutes to prevent altitude sickness or overexertion. The flora slowly changed from a lush green to a faded brown. Before we knew it, we were above the tree line altogether.

After passing through a manmade metal passageway — appropriately named “The Wind Tunnel,” built to prevent strong winds from blowing climbers off the face of the mountain — the top was finally in sight. The last 500 meters was the most precarious, a long scramble up a steep section of rocks and cliffs. Luckily, there was a surprisingly well-marked path with secure chains to guide climbers. 

We reached the summit a little after 5:00 a.m., just as the sun crept over the distant horizon. The 360-degree panorama was breathtaking. The sunrise was a rich blend of yellows and oranges. The surrounding hills and valleys were a deep blue-green in the soft shadows of dawn. Our hands were quite numb due to the high altitude and added wind-chill, but the victory photo at the top of Taiwan was made better by our satisfaction in accomplishing the midnight ascent.

As we trudged back down the mountain trail, we saw everything we had unknowingly passed in the middle of the night. We came across vibrant tree-covered valleys, exotic plants and rockslides. We saw our friends from the hostel and wished them luck in the trek they had ahead of them. After three and a half hours, we arrived back at the trailhead with exhausted legs and several scrapes as trophies from our journey.  

Given Yushan’s daunting elevation, I was surprised the trail was well-maintained and had a number of railings and ropes for guidance. From carefully curated switchbacks to sturdy wooden platforms for crossing rivers and ravines, the mountain trail never made me feel unsafe. I suppose this is an attempt to attract people of all ages and skill levels. Based on the crowd we encountered, it seems to have succeeded. Any avid hiker can tackle this Taiwanese treasure with decent trail gear, healthy fitness levels and lots and lots of patience.

Reach columnist Perry Nunes here.