Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area

Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area is located around Upper Baling on the Northern Cross-Island Highway in Fuxing District, Taoyuan. The name of the local Atayal community, 'Balung', means 'cypress' or 'giant fallen tree', while 'Lala' is a transliteration of the Atayal word 'R'ra', carrying meanings of 'beautiful', 'marvelous' and 'to gaze out or keep watch' — said to refer either to a place where tribespeople watched for game and defended against enemies, or to their wonder at its beauty. Both speak to the area's rich cypress forests and ecology. Worldwide, these cypresses grow only in the cloud belts of North America, Japan and Taiwan.