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Mount Canguangliao sits right next to the famous Jinguashi scenic area. At 739 m above sea level, it is the highest peak in the Keelung volcanic group. Luxurious silvergrass is the hallmark of these mountains; every autumn the hillsides turn into a glittering sea of silky plumes, said to be the origin of the name “Canguangliao”—“sparkling lodge.” The summit is bare and unblocked, with no taller neighbors; on a clear day the 360-degree vista stretches almost 100 km, from Taipei City in one direction to the Sandiaojiao Lighthouse and the northeast coast in the other. After Yilan was placed under Taiwan Prefecture in 1812, the Canguangliao Ancient Trail became an official thoroughfare to handle the growing paperwork between Taipei and Yilan. The government built military posts along the path, indirectly spurring local development. Tea in the late Qing era and gold mining under the Japanese further swelled its prosperity. Times have changed and the bustle has faded, yet broken walls along the old trail still bear witness to those glorious days.