The Batongguan Traversing Trail was built during the Japanese colonial period to implement the policy of controlling the aborigines of Formosa and connect the traffic between the east and west side of Taiwan, and it was completed in 1921. It is an east-west longitudinal trail between Dongpu Trailhead in Nantou County and Shanfeng Trailhead in Hualien going across the Central Mountain Range. The total distance is about 96 kilometers. It is divided into the eastern and western sections with Dashuiku as the center.

The route was developed halfway up the mountain to avoid making the slope too steep. The western section west of Dashuiku is relatively intact, especially the good road condition of the section between Dongpu and Batongguan, thus attracting more hikers. The eastern section east of Dashuiku is longer and lacks maintenance. Although the Yushan National Park Headquarters has repaired suspension bridges and built cabins in recent years, the trail still has several collapsed spots along the way due to typhoons, making it an extremely difficult long-distance hiking route.

Techniques adopted by Japanese to build and maintain the route can be seen along the way, such as slates arranged in chevrons or piled into road shoulders and embankments. There are also police stations, plank roads, ditches and others. The trail may look run-down, but there are still artifacts of stone masonry. The trail enables hikers to learn the meaning and techniques of road-building here and the scale of roads and appreciate the beautiful natural landscape along the way. It is a hiking route that offers rich academic research, cultural and historical values.