Batongguan Historic Trail

The Batongguan Historic Trail is located within the Yushan National Park. It stretches 152 kilometers, from Chushan Township in central Taiwan's Nantou County to Yuli Township in eastern Taiwan's Hualien County.

Construction of the Batongguan Trail began in 1875, as the Qing government moved to build up Taiwan as a defense point against the military threat of the Japanese. The trail passed today's Lugu and Hsinyi Townships, then climbed over Batongguan and the Hsiuguluan Mountains in eastern Taiwan. "Batong" in Chinese means "being able to pass unhindered", and "guan" means "mountain pass" even though there was actually no mountain pass involved in the trail. Today, about 20 kilometers of the ancient trail can still be seen and used. Entry is limited and only by permission.