The nine peaks of Jade Mountain can roughly be divided into five in the “front” and four in the “rear”.
Getting to the four “rear” peaks is considerably harder because it usually means skipping past Paiyun Cabin (at the 8.5km) mark. Hikers will then continue up the trail towards the main peak, before heading south at a fork and climbing up to the ridgeline. Eventually they will arrive at Yuanfeng Cabin (圓峰山屋), the highest mountain house in Taiwan.
This tiny cabin is much less developed than Paiyun Cabin and doesn’t offer the same amenities. On the flipside, it’s much more traditional and similar to what you’ll find on some of the longer, more isolated routes in Taiwan.
Traditionally, hikers choose to spend four days bagging all four rear peaks, meaning that hikers will need to secure permits for three nights at Yuanfeng Cabin, which can be difficult.
The second or third is usually either an out and back trip to only one peak: Nanyushan (南玉山). The other day is used to bag the other three “rear” peaks, including the famously low Lushan (鹿山), which requires an exhausting 800m descent followed by an 800m ascent back up the same way. The fourth day is hiking all the way back down to the trailhead.
Bagging all four back peaks via Yuenfeng cabin requires four days, although less is possible if there are peaks a hiker wishes to skip.
For the truly adventurous, all 9 of Jade’s peaks (including the back 4 peaks) can be completed over 5+ days, but this is only for those who are comfortable at altitude and are extremely fit and experienced.
More Resources For Hiking Jade Mountain
- Jade Mountain Main Peak(玉山主峰), please click here. (Coming Soon)
- Jade Mountain Rear Peaks (玉山後四峰), please click here. (Coming Soon)
- Jade Mountain Front Peaks (玉山前四峰), please click here. (Coming Soon)
