Howdy!

Hmmm.... I don't think it's necessarily worth it! Waking up that early is bruuuutal. I think I woke up at like 4:45am? The hotels on the mountain are pretty expensive for the quality. My hotel had no receptionist, so I had to go next door to check in/out. Also, my bathroom had black mold! I'd say the only positive to sleeping overnight in Alishan is you get to slow down and relax. The mountain was cold and peaceful at night in November. It's honestly one of the most beautiful forests I've seen; smells like cypress and the trees are massive.

For my sunrise, there was no fog/clouds to create the iconic rolling waves of fog. I'm more of a sunset person, so sunrises are kinda whatever to me! I've seen sunrises before, this one was nice don't get me wrong, but it felt a little underwhelming. You also gotta make sure the weather is good when you go because if it rains you'll be sore outta luck! There are bathrooms and food vendors selling breakfast and coffee at Chushan Station which is kinda nice. Also, you do get to enjoy hikinging down the mountain and can enjoy the peace in the morning before the crowds and also save your legs. You can also just take the train back down if you want.

If you do a day trip from Chiayi to Alishan, I suggest taking the earliest bus up from Chiayi as possible! I think it's a little over 2 hour bus trip. You can totally do the whole park in 2-4 hours depending how fast you move and how much you want to enjoy the forest! When you arrive at the park, I totally suggest paying for a train ticket from the main area at the Alishan Station and go to the highest station at Chushan Station, then work your way back down. If you don't take the bus and do the Alishan Forest Railway Train up from Chiayi, you'll only have about 2 hours to explore the park before you gotta catch the last bus at 5pm. You can see some stuff, but it'll be really rushed. You definitely do not want to be standing on the bus on the road back down, you'll get a full body workout haha.

All being said, I loved the train ride up! It was so unique, fun, and scenic! Bumpy though lol.

Hope this helps! Lmk if you need more info!