Cat Mountain Trail Introduction
❗️The lookout point and public restroom at the summit will be closed on weekends and national holidays starting from April 1, 2025, due to construction and business adjustments for the meteorological station. We appreciate your understanding! ❗️The entrance to the Maolan Mountain Trail is located next to the Fleur de Chine Hotel and leads to parts of the Tea and Beverage Crop Improvement Station of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Sun Moon Lake Meteorological Station. The trail is approximately 4.6 kilometers long. The environment along the way is tranquil, with excellent views, allowing you to enjoy the rolling hills of Assam tea plantations, Taiwan cypress, and panoramic views of Sun Moon Lake. At the summit, you can gaze into the distance towards Jiufen Ershan and Jiji Mountain. The Sun Moon Lake Meteorological Station is situated at an elevation of 1,020 meters, with outdoor weather instruments. Early morning is the best time to stroll through Maolan Mountain, winding up along the red tea terraces from the entrance, flanked by the famous Assam tea. The tea area facing the lake offers a fantastic spot for watching the sunrise, sea of clouds, and mountain mist at Sun Moon Lake. The shaded trail from the tea improvement station to the meteorological observation station offers a good amount of exercise, featuring a 3-kilometer path lined with olive trees and straight Taiwan firs, accompanied by the sounds of insects and birds, offering scenic views of Sun Moon Lake from the summit. The tea improvement station at mid-mountain is a building from the Japanese colonial period, exuding an Eastern flavor. In response to the renaming of the tea improvement station to "Tea and Beverage Crop Improvement Station of the Ministry of Agriculture" and the expansion of research scope (without increasing personnel), the tea improvement station and its branches will no longer accept visits from domestic and international tour groups starting from April 2015. *If you would like to visit the Tea and Beverage Crop Improvement Station, please contact the person in charge at least two weeks prior to your visit. After confirmation, the applicant must submit a formal written request on behalf of their organization or unit, including the unit name, number of visitors, date and time of visit, items to be observed, estimated duration of stay, contact person, and phone number.
