Taiwan Adds Thousands of Mountain Safety Signs and Marks Mobile Coverage Points

Clearer Directions and Phone Signals on Mountain Routes

Taiwan has installed 3,420 directional signs and 1,381 signs marking reliable mobile reception as authorities respond to a rise in mountain rescue incidents. The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FNCA) announced the measures to help hikers find their way, identify their location and contact help in forests and mountains.

The upgrades combine physical markers along trails and forestry roads with information that hikers can download before setting out. Yellow signs provide directions and location details, while separate markers identify places where a mobile phone connection is available. Taiwan's three major telecommunications companies worked with the agency to identify and verify those reception points.

The National Fire Agency recorded 207 mountain rescue incidents in 2019, followed by 454 in 2020 and 513 in 2023. Getting lost and suffering injuries are the most common emergencies, often in places where signs are limited or mobile reception is poor.

For local hikers and visiting tourists, the practical aim is straightforward: make it easier to stay on the intended route and give rescuers useful location information when something goes wrong. Authorities continue to urge people to prepare carefully before entering the mountains.

Access Expanded as Rescue Incidents Increased

Taiwan began easing restrictions on access to more than 80 forestry roads in late 2019. Many of those roads had previously been reserved for logging or use by local residents. Opening them made large mountainous areas more accessible to the public as hiking and outdoor recreation grew in popularity.

Greater use of those routes brought a stronger need for safety information. Mountain rescue incidents more than doubled between 2019 and 2020, and the total recorded in 2023 was higher still. The changes in access and rescue demand unfolded over several years:

• Late 2019: Taiwan began easing access restrictions on more than 80 forestry roads.
• 2019: The National Fire Agency recorded 207 mountain rescue incidents.
• 2020: Mountain rescue incidents rose to 454.
• 2023: The total reached 513 incidents.

The FNCA's response focuses on problems hikers can encounter directly: uncertainty about which way to go, difficulty describing their location and an inability to reach help when a phone loses reception.

What the 3,420 Directional Signs Tell Hikers

The new directional signs are yellow and diamond shaped, making them easier to see in dense forest. Installed along popular trails and forestry roads, they give hikers reference points as they move through terrain where paths and surroundings can be difficult to distinguish.

Placed every 100 meters, the signs help people follow their progress and identify where they are during an emergency. Each provides several kinds of information:

• The name of the trail or path.
• Key landmarks and locations.
• Distance markers in kilometers.
• Coordinates using both the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) and Taiwan's TWD97 system.

Coordinates describe a location using a standard reference system. Including both WGS84 and TWD97 gives rescuers location information in two systems, helping them pinpoint where someone needs assistance.

The sign text is in Chinese. The use of international coordinates nevertheless helps rescue teams locate people across language barriers. A hiker who has difficulty explaining a place name can still have a precise location reference available on the sign.

The distance markers serve another everyday purpose: they allow hikers to track how far they have travelled. Together with trail names and landmarks, they provide repeated opportunities to check progress along a route.

Where Mobile Reception Is Marked

The FNCA has also installed 1,381 yellow signs identifying places with reliable mobile network coverage. These markers show hikers where they can make emergency calls or access online maps when reception elsewhere on the route is unreliable.

Taiwan's three major telecommunications companies collaborated with the agency to identify and verify the reception points, including locations in some of the most remote regions. The coverage signs are found in 19 forestry recreation areas and along major trails, including popular destinations such as Taroko National Park and Yushan, Taiwan's highest peak.

Mountainous terrain and dense forests can quickly interrupt a phone signal. Marking places where reception is available gives hikers information they can use when planning a route and when deciding where to seek help during a trip.

No date was given for completion of the wider mobile coverage expansion. The marked reception points provide specific places where connectivity has been checked, helping hikers plan around the uneven availability of a signal.

Maps Bring the Sign Information Onto Phones

The FNCA has integrated all sign and mobile coverage data into the government's open data platform. Making the information available digitally allows hikers to consult it while planning, alongside the physical markers they encounter outdoors.

Hikers are encouraged to download maps from official sources or use applications such as Rudy Map, which is built on the free and open MOI map database. The OSM-Taiwan TOPO map mirrors the information on the physical signs and can be used offline.

An offline map remains available without a live internet connection. That is useful on mountain routes where a phone may have reception at one marked point and lose it farther along the trail. Downloading the map before departure gives hikers access to navigation information during those gaps.

The digital resources support three practical tasks: checking current trail and coverage information, navigating without a live connection and sharing a location with rescue teams using standardized coordinates. The physical and digital information are intended to work together throughout a trip.

Officials Set Out the Safety Goal

Officials and outdoor safety advocates have welcomed the measures. The FNCA described the upgrades as a direct response to the growing number of accidents and the need for clearer, more accessible information along mountain routes.

An FNCA spokesperson explained how the agency expects the signs, telecommunications work and mobile information to help:

We hope that clearer signage and improved communication capabilities will reduce incidents related to disorientation or physical trauma. Our collaboration with telecom providers and the integration of data into mobile apps are key steps in making mountain recreation safer for everyone.

Annual maintenance is planned to keep the signs accurate and visible. That continuing work is part of the government's commitment to safety improvements over the longer term, so hikers can continue to use the markers for directions and emergency location information.

Preparation Still Starts Before the Trail

Authorities urge hikers to prepare thoroughly even with clearer signs and more information about mobile coverage. Planning ahead gives people the maps, supplies and route information they need before reaching places where communication becomes difficult.

The recommendations cover both navigation and basic emergency preparation:

• Download offline maps and check mobile coverage areas before departure.
• Tell friends or family the planned route.
• Carry sufficient supplies and emergency equipment.
• Stay on marked trails and pay attention to signs.

For locals and tourists alike, those steps complement the new infrastructure. Route planning helps hikers use the signs and reception points effectively, while offline maps keep essential information available between places with a mobile signal.

Key Points

• Taiwan has installed 3,420 directional signs and 1,381 signs marking reliable mobile coverage in forests and mountains.
• Mountain rescue incidents rose from 207 in 2019 to 454 in 2020 and 513 in 2023.
• Directional signs provide trail names, landmarks, distances and coordinates in WGS84 and TWD97.
• Mobile reception signs cover 19 forestry recreation areas and major trails, including Taroko National Park and Yushan.
• Sign and coverage data are available through the government's open data platform, with map resources supporting offline navigation.
• Annual sign maintenance is planned, and authorities urge hikers to prepare maps, share their routes and carry emergency supplies.