Visitors to Sun Moon Lake should definitely not miss the 14 hiking trails that go around the lake. These fourteen hiking trails all closely follow the periphery of Sun Moon Lake. Some of them go unhurriedly along the edge of the mountains, while others are closer to the lake. The hiking trails vary in length, from 150 meters to 10 kilometers, and can be completed in times ranging from 30 minutes to about 2 hours. However, the “Shueishe Mountain Nature Hiking Trail” is especially long; and seven to eight hours are needed to complete it. These eight hiking trails, close to Sun Moon Lake, are the best means by which to experience the ecology.

Hikers with good stamina can choose the “Maolan Mountain Nature Hiking Trail”. The Maolan Mountain Nature Hiking Trail is located next to Mingtan Junior High School. It leads to the Yuchih Branch Tea Research and Extension Station, and also to the Central Weather Bureau's Sun Moon Lake Weather Station. This hiking trail is about 4.6 kilometers in length, and when walking at a leisurely pace, approximately two hours are needed to go down and back. Along the way, one can see beautiful, secluded landscape, with lovely views of mountains and valleys in the distance. This is the famous Sun Moon Lake “Assam Black Tea Plantation”. One can also see Chinese fir forests and the entire Sun Moon Lake. Jioufener Mountain and Jiji Mountain can be viewed from the summit. This is the best place in Sun Moon Lake for viewing the sunrise.