Eryanping Trail (二延平步道)

There are a few places to go to take in the glory of the sea of clouds in Taiwan, but in my opinion the best is on the Eryanping Trail up in the mountains near Alishan. The elevation of the trail is just above where the sea of clouds forms, giving you a front-row seat to the beauty.

But what makes this place special is not only the rolling clouds that form, it’s also the sloping tea plantations. Eryanping is a photographer’s dream for its dreamscapes of mountainside tea fields just above the mist.

Although I’ve got nothing but praise for this area of Taiwan, it takes quite a bit of patience and/or luck to actually see the sea of clouds sunset.

I’ve gone multiple times to Eryanping, and have about a 50% success rate. A couple times, the clouds rolled in higher and completely surrounded the area, leaving almost no visibility of any mountains. Another time, the weather was too nice and there were not enough clouds. But wow, when it does hit, it hits right!

The proximity to Alishan and many other of Taiwan’s most iconic sights make it possible to stop by Eryanping to at least try to see a mountainside sunset (and sunrise).

There are a few viewing platforms on the trail. I’ve gone to only two of them. On one of the occasions (in early 2022), the lower platforms were under construction and entrance was not allowed. It’s worth checking out if there is construction in advance and finding the right platform/part of the trail to head to.

Getting to the Eryanping Trail from Chiayi is not too hard, but no matter what method you take it will require a bit of mountain maneuvering (which either means be careful while driving and dress well for the fog/cold, or be prepared for carsickness while riding public transportation).

From HSR Chiayi Station, you can drive to the main platform in less than an hour and a half, and from Chiayi Train Station, you can get there in an hour. Take extra caution when you get close as the roads are very narrow and windy.

There are also a couple of buses from Chiayi Train Station that go to the Alishan vicinity which stop within reasonable walking distance from the trail. 7302 and 7314 stop at Anding (from there you need to walk another 30+ minutes to the viewpoint).

If you choose to hike the trail from the bottom, it takes about an hour to get to the top platform. When I last went, the stairs were under construction and there was limited access. Since then, there is open access, and I’ve heard it’s easier to walk on the refinished steps.