Cat Mountain Trail Introduction
The entrance to the Maolan Mountain Trail is located next to the Fuli Hotel and leads to part of the Tea and Beverage Crop Improvement Station of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Sun Moon Lake Weather Station of the Central Weather Bureau, spanning approximately 4.6 kilometers. The trail features a tranquil environment and excellent views, allowing visitors to appreciate the lush Assam tea plantations, Taiwania trees, and panoramic vistas of Sun Moon Lake. At the summit, one can gaze at Jiufen Ershan and Jiji Mountain. The Sun Moon Lake Weather Station is situated at an altitude of 1,020 meters, equipped with outdoor meteorological instruments. Early morning is the best time for a stroll on Maolan Mountain, as the trail winds upwards alongside the red tea terraces, flanked by the famous Assam tea. The tea improvement area facing the lake is an ideal spot to watch the sunrise, sea of clouds, and morning mist. The shaded path from the tea improvement area to the weather station provides a moderate workout, with a 3-kilometer route featuring the Xilan olive tree path and straight Taiwan cedar forests, filled with the sounds of insects and birds. At the peak, visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of Jiufen Ershan and Jiji Mountain, taking in the beauty of Sun Moon Lake. The tea improvement area at mid-mountain is a building left from the Japanese colonial period, exuding a strong oriental flavor. Due to the expansion of the research scope after the tea improvement area was renamed to "Tea and Beverage Crop Improvement Station of the Ministry of Agriculture," it is no longer accepting visits arranged by travel agencies for domestic and foreign visitors since April 2015 (staff numbers have not increased). *Individuals wishing to visit the Tea and Beverage Crop Improvement Station should contact the person in charge two weeks prior to the visit. After confirmation, the applicant must submit an official application in the name of their organization or unit, which should include the unit name, number of visitors, planned date and time of the visit, items to be observed, expected duration of stay, contact person, and phone number.
