Segment times are from my own track — my pace, not advice; guidebook times are transcribed verbatim from Sunriver Culture's step-time charts (Gaoshan Baiyue topographic maps), a public yardstick. Every station's position and name was checked by hand and aligned with Sunriver's naming, so names and elevations match what hikers actually call them. Route is for reference only.This route wasn't planned — it's a GPS-recorded log of my own hike in November 2025: the South Section 2, a seven-day traverse, nine Baiyue peaks, 90.2km actual distance, 6255m total elevation gain — the longest trip on this site so far. A few things to note:
- On the last day of this trip, the outer bands of Typhoon Fung-wong were moving in, bringing strong wind and misty rain, so I didn't tag Baton Guanshan.
- Weasels aren't only out at night — you can run into them in the wild during the day too, and they'll try to chew open a pack left by the trailside. Keep the hut windows open for airflow while cooking, but close doors and windows properly before sleeping at night.
- Technical terrain starts on Day 3 — some experience from Yuanzui-Xiaolai will help when crossing Yun Peak.
- On Day 4, on the way from Tafen Mountain toward Tafen Valley Hut, the original path has collapsed; Yushan National Park Headquarters staff have already cut a new route, so descend carefully.
- The South Section 2 is fairly runnable, but the plants covering the trail on either side of the big meadows could be hiding a pit or a protruding tree trunk — still look carefully before you step.
- Since water points are mostly near the huts, and early autumn sun is still strong, watch your sun protection and hydration while on the move.
- There's a lot of juniper, and some stinging nettles too — pay extra attention on ropes or descents, since the reflex from getting pricked can throw off your balance.
- Wet rocks and running water start appearing on Day 6 and Day 7.
- The whole trip is a full-pack traverse with no resupply points along the way — plan generously for water and schedule.
- The round trip to Xiangyang Mountain with a light pack takes about an hour; on the way back, a weasel once chewed through a rain cover on a pack looking for food — I'd suggest weighing your pack down with rocks.
- Yun Peak has a section of exposed, blade-like slate with ropes, and there's climbing terrain again just before the triangulation point; on the way back I'd suggest retracing the same route and matching it against your memory of going up — the terrain looks different from below than from above, and forcing your way down a shortcut is more dangerous and takes longer than climbing up did.
- The stretch from Lulu Valley Cabin to Tafen Valley Hut has a lot of fallen leaves and pine needles with a steep descent — light traction spikes can take a lot of the strain off your feet.
- The original path from Tafen Mountain to Tafen Valley Hut has collapsed; although a new route has been cleared, the soil is soft with a lot of loose gravel, so keep checking the trail ribbons as you go.
- There are a lot of sika deer around Dashuiku Hut and Tafen Valley Hut, and they're not afraid of people — they get salt from human urine and sweat. Please don't feed them, and don't relieve yourself outdoors on purpose just to attract them.
- Xiuguluan Mountain has a stretch of scree and broken slate terrain; the general direction is clear, but there are many junctions — I'd suggest getting to know the route on the way up, since the way up is also the safest way down.
- Before setting out on Day 07, a sea warning had already been issued for Typhoon Fung-wong's outer bands, and some hikers had received a concerned phone call from the park authority, so I decided to exit and skip Baton Guanshan — taking the high bypass instead, via the Batongguan Meadow toward the west section of the old trail. That section is undeveloped, and neither the deadwood nor the loose rock underfoot is necessarily stable. This site only includes the route actually walked, not the originally planned Baton Guanshan.
- Four short stretches across the whole trip were missed because recording was stopped mid-way, totaling about 1.37km (1.5% of the 90.2km): about 281 meters on Day 02 (stopped there at 10:07), two stretches on Day 03 — about 462 meters after setting out at 3:17 am, and about 414 meters after 4:29 am — and about 215 meters on Day 07 (04:58). All four stretches were definitely walked and the paths are well-defined; they've been filled in using the OpenStreetMap trail network and clearly marked as such. The lengths and times were measured segment by segment from the timestamps in the exported file, not estimated.
- This GPX keeps the original timestamps — that's the record of my own pace, not a suggested pace; hikers should judge by their own condition and the weather. The points without timestamps are the sections that weren't recorded and were filled in from the trail network — you don't need this note to tell them apart, the file itself makes the distinction.
The switch point between full pack and summit pack is at each day's hut. Actual conditions on the ground and announcements from the park authority take priority over this record.
