Shei-Pa National Park (Chinese: 雪霸國家公園; pinyin: Xuěbà Guójiā Gōngyuán; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Soat-pà Kok-ka Kong-hn̂g) is a national park in the central part of Taiwan near the peaks of Hsueh/Sekuwan and Dabajian/Papak Waqa. It covers an area of 768.5 square kilometers (296.7 square miles) and includes parts of Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, and Taichung City. The park protects important natural resources, such as high mountain ecosystems, rock formations, land shapes, rivers, small river valleys, rare animals and plants, and many types of forests.
The park's headquarters was established on July 1, 1992. The current director is Lin Ching (林青). The address of Shei-Pa National Park is 100 Xueweiping, Fuxing Village, Dahu Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan.
Geography, Climate and Geology
Shei-Pa National Park is located about 100 kilometers north of the Tropic of Cancer. The park includes many different ecosystems, ranging from 760 meters at its lowest point, the Da-an River Valley (大安溪), to 3,886 meters at its highest point, the top of Xueshan (雪山主峰). Xueshan is the second tallest mountain in Taiwan. The Xueshan Range is found at the northern end of Taiwan's Central Range. Like most mountains in Taiwan, the Xueshan Range consists of uplifted metamorphic rock layers that form the backbone of the country. Notable geologic features in the park include the box fold of Pintian Mountain and many glacial cirques.
The mountains of Shei-Pa surround the sources of several major rivers in Taiwan. The park receives between 1,500 mm and 3,000 mm of rainfall each year and is an important water source for the country. Takejin Creek flows north to join the Danshui River, which supplies water to Taipei. The Dajia River and the Da-an River flow west and northwest to provide water to Taichung County. The Touqian River flows northwest to Hsinchu County.
Asteroid 278956 Shei-Pa was named after the national park. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on September 25, 2018 (M.P.C. 111804).
Flora
In 2022, a group of scientists measured a Taiwania tree that was 79.1 meters (260 feet) tall in the park. The tree was located at an elevation of 2,000 meters (6,600 feet). The scientists have taken photographs and measured the height of many trees in the park that grow in the mountains. So far, they have identified 941 trees that are at least 65 meters (213 feet) tall.