Nantou · Hehuanshan
Bortle 2 · Pristine dark sky ｜ Elevation 3070m ｜ SQM ~21.7 ｜ Best view South
A large car park at ~3,070 m, one of the roomiest observing spots in the Hehuanshan area. North for Polaris star-trails, south for the rising Milky Way — good for large groups and long exposures.
Last reviewed: 2026-07
Kunyang is one of the roomiest high-elevation car parks in the Hehuanshan area. At about 3,070 m it is closer to ridge weather than Yanfeng, yet easier than Wuling for groups, long star-trail sessions and multi-camera setups.
Kunyang is right on Highway 14A with an obvious car park entrance, making it a practical choice when Wuling is crowded. Scout toilets, parking position and northern compositions in daylight because night traffic through the lot can be frequent.
The large lot is both the advantage and the problem: there is room for trackers, telephoto lenses and multiple cameras, but headlights are harder to avoid. For cleaner foregrounds, work from the edge of the lot and frame stable ridgelines.
Southward, the Milky Way rises from the ridgeline; northward, the open lot gives room for Polaris-centred trails. Late spring and summer pre-dawn are for the core, while autumn and winter favour transparent skies, Orion and long star-trail work.
Kunyang is excellent for long sequences: star trails, timelapse, moving cloud sea and headlight traces can all work in one night. Either raise the frame to avoid traffic, or deliberately use Highway 14A light trails as a foreground line.
Above 3,000 m, cold fingers and altitude headaches arrive faster than at Yanfeng. The lot is spacious but night reversing and pedestrians still mix; make tripod legs, reflective items and people’s positions obvious.
🌌 Tonight the Milky Way core climbs to a shootable altitude around 20:13, sinks back near 02:33, and peaks around 22:23 at roughly 37° in the South.
The Kunyang car park on Highway 14A, roadside with plenty of space; mind the alpine cold.
Large car park and toilets; no food service.
Mar–Oct Milky Way season; avoid long-weekend traffic.
See the nearby city's stargazing calendar
Bortle class and SQM are estimates for well-known sites, used to compare darkness — not on-site measurements.
Related tools: Taiwan Dark-Sky Map · Stargazing & Moon Viewing Score · Meteor Showers