Siji Forest Road 四季林道

The Lanyang river 蘭陽溪 watershed drains the valley separating the Central Mountains 中央山脈 from the Syue (snow) Mountains 雪山山脈 flowing 73 km into the Lanyang Plain 蘭陽平原 the largest plain in northeastern Taiwan, site of the largest cabbage patch on the island and focus of the rapidly developing Ilan 宜蘭 metropolis.

As we climb up the lower sections of the Siji Forest Road 四季林道 on Chinese New Year's eve day, we can see snow capping Snow mountain 雪山 to the north and also Nanhu mountain 南湖大山 to the south. The weather is clear but cool and we find a few small patches of snow in cooler spots. The ground is very wet and muddy all along the trail from the leaking water pipes along the trail and also from the melt of recent snow. There are also many broken trees fallen across the trail, broken also from the recent snow.

Two Atayal men came in on motorcycles behind us and passed us saying they were going hunting below. We did not take the turn off to JiaLuohu, but continued on the Heping Lindao 和平林道 forest road along the contour of the mountains. Past the JiaLuohu 嘉羅湖 turn off we came across a cache of wire snares on the path and the hunters had gone on ahead. On our way hiking out the hunters rode out with large packed bags behind them the first said he had three boar and the second one.

Tammy slips into the Chianafu Stream 加納富溪 as we approach the turn off uphill toward Chialo Lake 嘉羅湖 at the giant Formosan cypress 紅檜 (hóngkuài). Tammy stays at the sunny stream crossing drying out her footwear as Bruce and Philip continue on the lower contour trail for 30 minutes where they discover the snares of the hunters we met earlier laid out on the trail.

We hear Reeves's muntjac (barking deer) 山羌 (shān qiāng) Muntiacus reevesi cry several times. We see several different groups of Taiwan Macaque 台灣獼猴 (táiwān míhóu) Macaca cyclopis. We hear the Large-billed Crow 巨嘴鴉 (jù zuǐ yā) Corvus macrorhynchos, White-eared Sibia 白耳畫眉 (bái ěr huàméi) Heterophasia auricularis. Bruce sees a group of female pheasants on the forest floor.

Siji Forest Road 四季林道 trail is mostly flat at an altitude of 1600 and 1800 meters after the initial ascent from 1200m. Siji forest-road 四季林道 is also known as Chiaping forest-road 嘉平林道, or the trail from Chialo Lake 嘉羅湖 to Taiping Mountain 太平山. After crossing Chianafu Stream 加納富溪, the main trail turns uphill toward Chialo Lake 嘉羅湖 right at a giant Menoki cypress.

Between 1000m and 2900m the coniferous forest is composed primarily of two similar and both economically valuable cypresses:

Chamaecyparis obtusa Sieb. & Zucc. var. formosana (Hayata) Rehder, sometimes Chamaecyparis taiwanensis 台灣扁柏 (táiwān biǎnbó) Taiwan cypress ひのき Hinoki. Taiwan cypress is a slow-growing endemic native coniferous tree found between 1300–2800 m. growing up to 40 m tall with a trunk up to 2 m in diameter.
Chamaecyparis formosensis Matsum. 紅檜 (hóngkuài) Formosan cypress, sometimes Taiwan cypress べにひ Meniki. Formosan cypress is a slow-growing, but long-lived and large native endemic coniferous tree found in the central mountains at altitudes of 1000–2900 m. growing up to 55–60 m tall with a trunk up to 7 m in diameter. It is threatened by habitat loss and over-cutting for its valuable timber.

Japanese discovered Formosan cypress around Jade Mountain and extracted them industriously. After the Japanese left, the KMT took over logging operations for 30 more years resulting in the Formosan cypress cypress now being endangered after a century of exploitation. Logging of cypress has been forbidden across Taiwan since the 1980s.

Siji 四季

Lanyang river 蘭陽溪 valley

Trail access requires a Mountain Entry Permit 入山證 which can be obtained on line from the Ministry of the Interior web site or directly from the Siji Police station 宜蘭縣政府警察局三星分局四季派出所. The trail is muddy all year round. Aside from hikers, the purpose of the trail seems to be for hunters and workers repairing the extensive system of water pipes going back down to the village.