NOUL Typhoon Alert Lifted: Pingtung Indigenous Township Trails Remain Closed, with Zhiben and Wanli River Restrictions Continuing

# NOUL Typhoon Alert Lifted: Pingtung Indigenous Township Trails Remain Closed, with Zhiben and Wanli River Restrictions Continuing

Data Timestamp

2026-07-27 04:03 (Taiwan time; subject to the latest announcements from the Central Weather Administration, Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, Yushan National Park Management Office, Ministry of Transportation and Communications Highway Bureau, Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, Executive Yuan, and the authorities responsible for landslide-dammed lakes).

Update at 04:03 on July 27

On July 26, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's Pingtung Branch announced that the Mount Beidawu, Lilongshan, Mount Weiliao, Jinshuiying, Shimenshan, and Gaoshifo natural trails in Pingtung County remain under precautionary closure. Mount Beidawu National Trail is located in Taiwu Township. Inspections found fallen trees blocking portions of the trail, and streamwater damaged the water intake pipeline at Kuaigu Lodge. Repairs can proceed only when weather and working conditions permit; separate announcements will provide the exact reopening times for the trail and lodge.

This change is an interruption of public services in an Indigenous mountain area / precautionary closure (watch / precautionary closure). It is not a red alert for debris flows or large-scale landslides, and it does not mean every Indigenous township in Pingtung is closed. Kenting National Forest Recreation Area, Shuangliu National Forest Recreation Area, and Linhousilin Forest Park remain open as usual.

As of 04:03, the Central Weather Administration's torrential (heavy) rain advisory page listed no active counties, and its real-time heavy thunderstorm message page listed no active events. The Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, listed no alerts for flooding, river levels, or reservoir releases. The Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation's red and yellow alerts for debris flows and large-scale landslides were all at zero. The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, Executive Yuan, update at 03:22 showed no office or school closure announcements for July 27.

Zhiben National Forest Recreation Area remains closed on July 27. Yushan National Park resumes access to some long-distance hiking routes from July 27, but the Batongguan Traversing Trail and other routes that have not reopened must still be checked against official announcements and the park-entry system. The Wanli River landslide-dammed lake's land area remains under general alert and high-risk monitoring. No announcement lifting the red access prohibition inside the river channel between the embankments on both sides of Wanli River Bridge has been found. The red restriction applies only to the river channel; it does not mean all land areas in Wanrong Township are under a red alert.

Update at 20:05 on July 26

On July 26, Yushan National Park Management Office announced that entry activities on some long-distance routes in ecological protection areas would resume from July 27. This is a substantive restoration of post-typhoon public services and entry access, but it does not lift restrictions on every route. The hiking-trail status page on the management office's website continued to mark the Batongguan Traversing Trail system as closed. Routes that can actually be applied for, the validity of existing permits, use of lodges, and trail conditions are all subject to the management office's announcements and the Taiwan National Park Online Application system.

As of 20:05, the Central Weather Administration's torrential (heavy) rain advisory page listed no active counties, and its real-time heavy thunderstorm message page listed no active events. The Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, listed no alerts for flooding, river levels, or reservoir releases. The Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation's red and yellow alerts for debris flows and large-scale landslides were all at zero. The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, Executive Yuan, update at 19:52 showed no office or school closure announcements.

Eight flights between Lanyu and Taitung had been cancelled during the morning, while afternoon flights gradually resumed. The cancellations are therefore no longer listed as an ongoing, comprehensive evening transportation disruption. Passengers should still check the airport's or airline's real-time status before departure.

The Zhiben National Forest Recreation Area calendar continued to show the park closed on July 27, with reopening pending an announcement from the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's Taitung Branch or the Mountain Leisure website. The Wanli River landslide-dammed lake's land area remained under general alert and high-risk monitoring. No announcement lifting the red access prohibition inside the river channel between the embankments on both sides of Wanli River Bridge had been found. The red restriction applied only to the river channel; it did not mean all land areas in Wanrong Township were under a red alert.

Update at 16:04 on July 26

Real-time flight information from the Lanyu station of Taitung Airport, current as of 14:49, showed that four flights from Lanyu to Taitung and four from Taitung to Lanyu had been cancelled, for a total of eight cancellations. The cancelled Lanyu-to-Taitung flights were DA7504, DA7506, DA7516, and DA7508; the cancelled Taitung-to-Lanyu flights were DA7503, DA7505, DA7515, and DA7507.

Afternoon flights had gradually resumed: DA7517 and DA7509 had departed, while DA7518, DA7510, and later flights were listed as on time or scheduled to operate normally. This constituted a transportation disruption in Lanyu Township that day, but not a complete suspension for the entire day. Passengers should again confirm actual flight status with the airline or airport before departure.

As of 16:04, the Central Weather Administration's torrential (heavy) rain advisory page listed no active counties, and its real-time heavy thunderstorm message page listed no active events. The Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, listed no alerts for flooding, river levels, or reservoir releases. The Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation's red and yellow alerts for debris flows and large-scale landslides were all at zero. The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, Executive Yuan, update at 16:01 showed no office or school closure announcements.

Zhiben National Forest Recreation Area remained closed on July 26 and July 27. At that time, no announcement had been found restoring entry to the Batongguan, South Section 2, Xiuguluan, Mabolasi, Xinkang, Batongguan Traversing Trail, or other long-distance routes in Yushan National Park. The Wanli River landslide-dammed lake's land area remained under general alert and high-risk monitoring. No announcement lifting the red access prohibition inside the river channel between the embankments on both sides of Wanli River Bridge had been found. The red restriction applied only to the river channel; it did not mean all land areas in Wanrong Township were under a red alert.

Update at 08:08 on July 26

The Zhiben National Forest Recreation Area calendar on the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's Mountain Leisure website clearly marked both July 26 and July 27 as closed. Zhiben's closure therefore constituted an ongoing interruption of public services in an Indigenous township and continued at least through July 27. Its actual reopening time would require an update from the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's Taitung Branch or the Mountain Leisure website; reopening could not be inferred merely because the NOUL typhoon sea alert had been lifted.

As of 08:08, the Central Weather Administration's torrential (heavy) rain advisory page listed no active counties, and its real-time heavy thunderstorm message page listed no active events. The Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation's red and yellow alerts for debris flows and large-scale landslides were all at zero. The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, Executive Yuan, update at 07:53 on July 26 showed no office or school closure announcements.

This check found no Yushan National Park announcement reopening the Batongguan, South Section 2, Xiuguluan, Mabolasi, Xinkang, Batongguan Traversing Trail, and other long-distance routes closed from July 24, so the closures remained in place. The Wanli River landslide-dammed lake's land area remained under general alert and high-risk monitoring. No announcement lifting the red access prohibition inside the river channel between the embankments on both sides of Wanli River Bridge had been found. The red restriction applied only to the river channel; it did not mean all land areas in Wanrong Township were under a red alert.

Provincial Highway 20 Temporary Route 105 from Meishankou to Xiangyang had resumed normal control at 17:00 on July 25, so this update no longer listed it as an active road disruption. Travelers on the South Cross-Island Highway still had to comply with existing opening hours, control days, and on-site traffic restrictions.

Update at 00:05 on July 26

The Southern Region Branch, Highway Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, announced that Provincial Highway 20 Temporary Route 105, from kilometer 0 to kilometer 44 between Meishankou and Xiangyang, did not open at 07:00 on July 25 because of the effects of Typhoon NOUL. After inspections and the removal of scattered rockfalls, the route resumed its normal control mechanism at 17:00 on July 25. Resuming normal control did not mean unrestricted, around-the-clock access. Existing opening hours, weekly control days, and on-site information still applied, and rain, dense fog, or rockfalls in the mountains could prompt temporary changes.

As of this check, the Central Weather Administration's torrential (heavy) rain advisory page listed no active counties, and its real-time heavy thunderstorm message page listed no active events. The Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation's red and yellow alerts for debris flows and large-scale landslides were all at zero. The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, Executive Yuan, update at 23:32 on July 25 showed no office or school closure announcements.

Disruptions that had applied only on July 25—the interruption of Lanyu ferry services and the one-day precautionary closure of Mount Beidawu—were no longer carried forward directly as active alerts for July 26. Traffic and trail status on July 26 still had to be checked against that day's announcements from maritime, aviation, and site authorities.

Restrictions that could still be confirmed included:

• Zhiben National Forest Recreation Area: The Mountain Leisure website calendar showed that it remained closed on July 26.
• Yushan National Park long-distance routes: Batongguan, South Section 2, Xiuguluan, Mabolasi, Xinkang, Batongguan Traversing Trail, and other long-distance routes were still marked closed at that time; a separate announcement was required before reopening.
• Wanli River landslide-dammed lake and river channel: Wanrong Township's land area remained under general alert and high-risk monitoring. The red access prohibition inside the river channel between the embankments on both sides of Wanli River Bridge remained in effect, and no people or machinery could enter. This red restriction did not mean all land areas in Wanrong Township were under a red alert.

Update at 08:30 on July 25

At 08:30 on July 25, the Central Weather Administration issued Report No. 12 for Typhoon No. 12 and lifted the Typhoon NOUL alert. The official explanation stated that NOUL had moved into waters southwest of Taiwan and its direct threat to the Taiwan Strait and Bashi Channel had decreased.

Lifting the alert concluded the sea typhoon warning process, but it did not mean that all weather impacts, transportation changes, and mountain safety measures in Indigenous townships ended at the same time. In its final report, the Central Weather Administration continued to warn of possible localized heavy or torrential rain in the mountains of Taitung County and Pingtung County and on the Hengchun Peninsula, as well as localized heavy rain in Pingtung and Hualien and on Green Island and Lanyu. A strong-wind advisory over land also remained active. Mountain areas still needed to guard against landslides, rockfalls, and sudden river rises, while low-lying areas needed to watch for standing water.

Recommended Actions

• The Mount Beidawu, Lilongshan, Mount Weiliao, Jinshuiying, Shimenshan, Gaoshifo, and other trails have not reopened. Do not enter closed areas. Visitors with approved stays at Kuaigu Lodge may apply for a full refund in accordance with the announcement.
• Do not visit Zhiben National Forest Recreation Area on July 27. Its reopening time is subject to announcements from the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's Taitung Branch and the Mountain Leisure website.
• Some long-distance routes in Yushan National Park resume from July 27. The Batongguan Traversing Trail and other routes that have not reopened must still be checked against the management office's announcements and park-entry system; do not enter on your own.
• Check the Highway Bureau's real-time road conditions and normal control hours before traveling on the South Cross-Island Highway. Do not assume that "normal control has resumed" means all-day access.
• Entry to the river channel between the embankments on both sides of Wanli River Bridge remains prohibited. Do not enter to watch an overflow or operate machinery.
• For subsequent changes involving heavy rain, strong winds, sediment hazards, roads, or public services, follow the latest announcements from the Central Weather Administration, local governments, transportation authorities, and park or site authorities.

Official Sources

• Central Weather Administration Typhoon Alert and Lift Information
• Central Weather Administration Torrential (Heavy) Rain Advisory
• Central Weather Administration Real-Time Heavy Thunderstorm Messages
• Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, Pingtung Branch: Pingtung Natural Trails Remain Under Precautionary Closure
• Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Disaster Prevention Information Service
• Highway Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications: Provincial Highway 20 Temporary Route 105 from Meishankou to Xiangyang Resumes Normal Control
• Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation Alert Details
• Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, Executive Yuan, Natural Disaster Office and School Closure Information
• Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency Mountain Leisure Website: Zhiben National Forest Recreation Area
• Yushan National Park: Some Long-Distance Hiking Routes Resume from July 27
• Yushan National Park: Long-Distance Hiking Routes Closed from July 24
• Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency State-Owned Forest Disaster Response and Landslide-Dammed Lake Monitoring System