Danlan National-level Green Hiking Trail

Leave no trace - Danlan unveils“handmade” hiking trail

Rev. George Leslie MacKay who came to Taiwan in the late 19th Century preached Christianity and practiced medicine between Tamshui and Yilan. The path he walked is called Bengshankeng Historic Trail today. The trail is entirely repaired manually. Since it is located in a little-visited area, it is well retained. The present trail looks very much like it was in ancient times.

“Hand-making hiking trails” refers to making trails with simple tools and locally produced materials, in order to fit well with their natural surroundings. This can increase the sustainability and wholeness of the trails. Unlike artificial cement floors, handmade trails allow visitors to feel the hospitality of trail-makers, while learning about environment protection, showing respect to nature, and getting close to Mother Earth.

Dipteris conjugata, a precious fern in Taiwan, is a living fossil from the Jurassic times

Dipteris conjugata retains characteristics acquired from the Jurassic times. Having survived till today, it can be seen as a living fossil. Dipteris conjugata tends to spread out in groups on shallow rock walls. As they always face the Sun, they are known as compasses in nature. While Danlan’s old trails were being repaired, the fern was chosen to be a symbol. Now, visitors can easily find fern graphics along the trails, and these graphics lead people to the right directions.

Finding 250 Earth God temples through old hiking trails: temples as remnants of early ethnic Han settlements in northern Taiwan

Traditionally, the Han people believe in Goddess Mazu and the Earth God. In particular, since the Earth God protects people in everyday life, as long as there are Han people, there are Earth God temples. A survey on such temples in the Danlan hiking-trail system was conducted in 2017, and as a result there are as many as 250 Earth Gode temples along the way, taking up roughly ¼ of the totals in Taiwan.

The materials used for building Earth God temples include single large rocks, rugged rocks, wood, polished rocks, and pottery. One can infer the time of construction of one such temple from the materials used. The temples built with rocks are usually very old - up to a century. The earlier a temple was built, the more rough it looks. The temples built with polished rocks and pottery were mostly built during the Japanese Rule and the national-government times. The exteriors of the temples also vary, such as “temples within temples,” “temples in front of temples,” and “temples on top of temples.”

The tree firefly-watching routes in Danlan

Liualnglu Hiking Trail of the North Road boasts beautiful mountain and coastal views of Jioufen in the day. At night, visitors can appreciate sparkling fireflies on this path. It is said that Jioufen in its golden days had the same dazzling view! Pinghu Forest Park on the Central Road is located between Pingxi and Shuangxi. This open, primitive area is suitable for fireflies to live and grow. Once a busy theme park for people, now it serves as a fireflies' playground. New Pingxi Coal Museum on Wufenshan Hiking Trail is ideal for families with children. During the day, they may learn about the history of the coal industry at the museum. At night, they can stay and dance with fireflies. What an informative trip on Danlan’s nature and culture!

A look at an old dam, built for gold diggers during the Japanese Rule

From the entrance of Tsanguangliao Historic Trail, walk 1.2km and you shall find a deserted dam. The dam was built during the Japanese Rule to produce drinking water for gold diggers in Jinguashi, when mining was highly popular. The Japanese government carried out hydraulic engineering projects and set up a pumping station at the upstream of Mudan River, so that Jinguashi would not suffer from lack of water anymore. Since the mining industry declined and the diggers left, the dam became deserted as it is today.

Especially for brides - Bengshankeng Historic Trail

Bengshankeng Historic Trail was a major route between Ganjiao and Taiping in the early days. People often transported daily supplies and did businesses along the wway. Students and religious believers took this path to go to school and temples, too.

Other than food, clothing, living, and travel, the route operated as a road to marriage. Beautiful brides in sedans would head for her husband and his family through this path. Since the Central Road was built by early settlers, and at the time their resources were limited, some parts of the road were rugged. The sedans were manually carried, too. Thus, at Bengshankeng’s saddle, a second team of sedan-carriers would take over and send the brides to happiness.

Are there “male” and “female” monuments? In Caoling, yes, there are!

It is said that general Liu Ming-deng set up the Tiger Monument on Caoling Historic Trail when he inspected a wind gap in this area. He used silvergrass as a calligraphic brush and wrote down “tiger”to weaken the winds and keep travellers safe.

As a matter of fact, there is yet another Tiger Monument on Paoma Historic Trail. Both were set up by general Liu and they also faced the northeastern monsoons of the Pacific Ocean. Which tiger is male and which is female, then? This can be discerned according to the monuments’ writing styles. The Tiger Monument on Caoling Historic Trail is considered as a tigress because the style is more mellow. The one in Pinglin (Paoma) looks more raw and thus a tiger. Historians believe that the writings reflect Liu’s feelings at the time. When he was in Caoling, he was calmer. When he was in Pinglin, he was about to fight a battle, and thus the writing looked more masculine.

Have aliens visited Taiwan? - the mysterios Seven-star Rocks at Longling Historic Trail

Right at Longling Historic Trail of the North Road, on the right of Neilin River Valley, and behind a big banyan tree, there are the “Seven-star Rocks.” They look like a pyramid from afar, although at a closer look, they seem just loosely stacked up. A poem by Lu Chun-sheng of Gongliao Township Association in June 2006 can be read here: “The rocks look like seven stars, and the surrounding trees are all as hills. The rocks spread far and out - treasures are hidden in this fairyland.” While the poem describes the scene well enough, it does not explain why the rocks are here. Are they artificially arranged or naturally formulated? No one knows. A legend says this is an old ritual site of the Ketagalans. It might have been used as an altar, but there is no proof. No historical documents about this place have been found. Maybe we should just let our imagination run wild.

Caoling Historic Trail: The Season of Silver Grass

The Silver Grass Festival of Caoling Historic Trail has drawn many visitors throughout the years with impressive scenes of blooming silver grass. A full mountain of silver grass in the winds is like a sea of silver waves. Each year, the Administration holds fun interactive games and a series of side events, such as tiger-inscription rubbings and old-trail guided tours. Deep in the mountain, there is an old mansion-like forestry station which is now accessible to general visitors.

If you are in love with nature or hiking, while the silver grass festival is held, why not visit Caoling Historic Trail with family and friends. Be embraced by dancing silver grass and enjoy leisurely time in the mountains. We recommend visiting famous nearby tourist destinations such as Tiangong Temple, Dali Visitor Center, and the Silver Grass Center of Caoling Historic Trail. Explore Caoling during the silver grass blooming season for a romantic yet informative tour!

The more local, the more international! Joint effort by public and private sectors to make "Danlan" an international brand

In October 2023, the Tourism Administration, MOTC and the Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association once again extended the "Memorandum of Cooperation on Public-Private Partnership for the International Promotion of Danlan National Greenway" first signed on September 8, 2020. As a result, the two sectors continue to jointly promote Danlan National Greenway, combining the cultural characteristics of northern Taiwan with the spirit of environmental friendliness. It is hoped that with the protection and support of people in Taiwan, the Greenway will become an important attraction driving the recovery of Taiwan’s green tourism in the post-epidemic era.

The Danlan century old long-distance trail is one of three national greenways approved by the Executive Yuan as a promotion priority in 2018. Since being initiated by the Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association in 2015, Taiwan Trail Day has been held every year since 2016, when the heads of local county and city governments and relevant central ministries and councils gather together and go hiking. Currently,tThe Danlan Platform meeting has been held every three months or 28 times in total, bringing together public and private parties, who work to build and promote the trail, which has become the first long-distance pilgrimage trail in northern Taiwan. It attracts people from all over the country and is the best hiking route in Northern Taiwan, combining concepts such as paying tribute to the mountains, mountain experiences, environmental education, cultural excursions, hiking sightseeing, and eco-tourism.