【 Type of attraction open for tourism 】

• Length of trail: About 24km.
• Time required for the trip: About 6-7 days.
• Difficulty: High difficulty to average people.

【 Management 】

• Environmental limit:The trail passes through the Ecological Reserve and the Oncorhynchus Masou sanctuary in the Snow Mountain National Park.
• Intensity of development/Type of facility: Not apt for exploration and it is proposed to keep tourists in limited numbers as Type 3 Trails of the National Trail Systems.

The Snow Sword sector is the major branch of the Snow Mountain heading south. Only because of the short trip when cutting down to Dajia River, this is a sector of steep hills, which is why the sector is known as Major Sword Mountain and Minor Sword Mountain. Peaks in the area of 3,000m and more above sea level are the Minor Sword Mountain (3,253m), Jiayang Mountain (3,314m), Poyoulan Mountain (3,380m), Major Sword Mountain (3,594m), Bufuchihan Mountain (3,167m) and Southwest Peak of the Snow Mountain (3,471m). Besides the cutting peaks provided by the Major and Minor Sword Mountains, the Jiayang Mountain is known for its smooth hatchback rocks, landmark in the Central Cross-Island Highway.

The sector of the trail is full of sword bamboo and azalea. The leg heading for the Jiayang Mountain from Poyoulan Mountain includes some 6 or 7 mountaintops and steep cliffs. After the Major Sword Mountain, the environment would show major changes, as cedars, wet grasslands, dense bamboo, azalea and tallow trees boom before one reaches the fairy-tale like Green Pond (at 3,520m above sea level, this is the highest lake in Taiwan and also known as the highest pond in Southeast Asia, the highest place of origin of the Snow Mountain River). After passing by a large crushed rock, it is the destination— the main peak of the snow Mountain. The entire trekking trip may not be that difficult, it is never an easy one, as all trekkers are required to carry water, which is in shortage in the area.