Taiwan Hiking Permits: Which Trails Need One?

Taiwan runs two separate permit systems. A park entry permit (入園許可) is issued by a national park headquarters for its ecological protection areas. A mountain entry permit (入山許可) is issued by the police for designated restricted mountain areas. Yushan National Park Headquarters explains that Yushan, Taroko and Shei-Pa are mainly in restricted mountain areas, so their best-known trails cross both kinds of zone, which is why many hikers need both documents (Yushan application regulations and notices, checked 3 October 2026).

Which trails need a permit?

The route decides the permit, not the park. The table summarises the issuing agencies' own route lists, all checked on 3 October 2026; "not stated" means the agency's page does not mention a police permit for that route.

Sources for the rows: Taipei City's qinshan trail list; Yangmingshan's protection area rules as republished by the police; Taroko's permit-by-trail answer (modified 18 March 2025) and park entry notice; Yushan's trail-by-trail chart; Shei-Pa's entry notice, which states that its ecological protection areas are also restricted mountain areas; and the Forestry Agency's Jiaming Lake instructions.

Taroko adds a rule of thumb: only trails it lists as "Mountaineering Trails" may need permits, while its "Scenic Trails", "Hiking Trails" and scenic spots need none. Taroko also says it has an agreement with the local police that waives the police permit on some trails, which is why Zhuilu Old Road needs only the park permit.

Why do Taipei day hikes need nothing?

Taipei City's Geotechnical Engineering Office says the city maintains 20 qinshan (親山) hiking trails, including Xiangshan (Elephant Mountain), Hushan, Jiantanshan, Jinmianshan, the Tianmu Historic Trail, Xianjiyan and the Zhinan Temple–Maokong trail. It looks after signage, route maps and facilities on all of them and publishes no booking or permit step (FAQ updated 25 November 2021, checked 3 October 2026).

Yangmingshan is a national park, but that alone does not trigger a permit. Its headquarters limits the park entry permit to three ecological protection areas: Lujiaokeng, Huangzuishan and Menghuan Lake. Menghuan Lake itself is for teaching and research applicants only, though its viewing platform is open to everyone. Qixingshan, Datunshan and Qingtiangang lie outside those three areas, so you can walk them without applying.

The two protection areas that take public applications are tightly rationed, according to the rules republished by the 7th Special Police Corps (page updated 9 October 2024, checked 3 October 2026):

• Apply online to Yangmingshan National Park Headquarters 3 days (excluding holidays) to 30 days before the visit.
• Each area takes 8 teams a day, of 3–10 people, with at least two adults including the leader, and no more than 500 people a month.
• Entry hours are 09:30–16:00. You must enter by 11:00, or by 14:00 for the short Lujiaokeng fish-ladder out-and-back.
• One application per person per month, no more than 10 a year, and no member or leader changes after approval. Children under 5 are refused.
• Teams must bring someone with relevant hiking experience as a guide, because the routes are remote and poorly marked.

How do the two permits differ?

The two permits come from different agencies, and holding one does not give you the other.

Taroko states that both permits and their registrations are free of charge (Taroko FAQ on permit costs, modified 2 April 2019, checked 3 October 2026). The one fee it names is the Zhuilu Old Road ticket: NT$200, cash only, paid at the trailhead. Yushan's notice adds that the police permit has been free since 1 April 2007.

The police application window depends on which official page you read. The National Police Agency's own Mountain Entry Application System says applications must be submitted 3–124 days before entry. The 7th Special Police Corps page (updated 9 October 2024) still says 7–30 days for online applications. Taroko's FAQ says the carry-over from a park permit opens 5–30 working days before the hike. Because the police system itself states 3–124 days, this guide treats that as the rule. To be safe, apply once your park permit is approved and at least a week before the hike, with a trailhead police counter as the backup.

How do foreign visitors apply?

How does the Yushan lottery work?

The Yushan main peak overnight route is the only national park route where beds are allocated by lottery. Yushan National Park Headquarters says applications go in 1–2 months before the entry date. The draw is held about one month before entry, between 15:00 and 16:00 Taiwan time, and moves to the next working day if it falls on a weekend or holiday. After the draw, you can still apply until 5 days before entry and join the waiting list, which is filled in order of when applications were completed. Groups are capped at 12, and the day ascent of the main and west peaks is capped at 60 people a day (Yushan notices, checked 3 October 2026).

Foreign visitors can skip the draw. Yushan reserves 24 Paiyun Lodge spaces a day, Sunday to Thursday excluding national holidays, for foreign applicants on the 2-day main peak route. Applications open 35 days to 4 months before entry and are processed in order of submission (Paiyun foreign quota rules, modified 7 May 2026, checked 3 October 2026). The rules that catch people out:

• Choose "Paiyun Lodge Advanced Application" in the online system. A "Standard Application" is not considered for the foreign quota.
• National holidays such as Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and New Year are excluded.
• A team of 5 or fewer foreigners may include 1 Taiwanese member, and a team of 6 or more may include 2, with no more than 4 such spaces a day.
• Upload copies of every foreign member's passport or ARC, or the reservation is refused.
• Only one advance application per person is approved each year. Once the 24 spaces are gone, later applications go into the ordinary lottery.
• You must give a local emergency phone number, such as your hotel's, through the park mailbox.

Do Xue Mountain and Taroko use a lottery?

No. Shei-Pa, home of Xue Mountain, allocates beds in order of application rather than by drawing lots. Applications open 5 days to 2 months before entry. The system assigns released beds and campsites once a night at 23:00, and an application that still has no bed by 23:00 on the fifth day before entry is rejected automatically (Shei-Pa notice, checked 3 October 2026). Shei-Pa's Chinese-language entry notice adds an advance window for foreign teams of 65 days to 4 months.

Taroko also works in order of submission. Its high routes close at 15:00 five days before entry, and each route has a waiting list of up to 10 teams a day. For Zhuilu Old Road, all-foreign teams get an advance window of 35 days to 4 months, for Monday to Thursday entries only, with no waiting list. Anyone can still use the standard window once the foreign quota is full.

What does Jiaming Lake require?

Jiaming Lake is on forestry land, not in a national park, so it has no park permit but does have a cabin system. The Forestry Agency's Taitung office runs the Xiangyang and Jiaming Lake lodges (70 beds each) plus small campgrounds. You book only online, 2 months to 5 days before the stay, and beds are drawn by lot at 15:00 on the 30th day before. Unsuccessful applicants are redrawn daily from the 29th to the 4th day before. On top of the bed, you need a police mountain permit, except for the Xiangyang Recreation Area campground (Jiaming Lake instructions, checked 3 October 2026).

Are there local rules on top of the permits?

Some city and county governments add their own requirements. Taichung City's mountain-climbing ordinance covers Xue Mountain's Wuling trailheads. Shei-Pa's entry notice says its protection areas are also "special controlled mountain areas" under local ordinances. In its Chinese text, the ordinance requires groups in those areas to be led by a team leader (領隊) who holds a basic life support or EMT-1 certificate unless another member does. The leader must buy mountain-climbing insurance for the whole group, and every climber must carry a positioning device and emergency communication equipment. The explanatory notes count a smartphone with location as a positioning device. Fines for missing equipment are NT$3,000–15,000 (Taichung ordinance as published by the city's Fire Bureau, checked 3 October 2026). That document reflects the ordinance as enacted, so ask the park or city whether later amendments apply.

The trailheads are far from Taipei, so many visitors drive. Our guide to renting a car in Taiwan covers licence rules and freeway tolls, and cash or card in Taipei helps you plan for cash-only payments like the Zhuilu ticket. For the city trails, Xiangshan is a metro ride away. See EasyCard vs iPASS for paying for it.

What if plans change?

Approved teams cannot add or swap members anywhere in the three high-mountain parks. Yushan allows one leader replacement using its form, submitted at least a day before entry. Taroko gives a half-year entry ban to the applicant and leader of a team that neither turns up nor cancels by 15:00 the day before, unless weather or special conditions prevented the trip. If a typhoon warning or emergency notice suspends entry, approved permits for those dates become invalid, and you must apply again rather than reschedule.