A greenway is a linear open space that connects people with nature. It comes in many forms, and can be a trail, bikeway, levee route, canal, or decommissioned rail line. Greenways have their own distinctive attributes depending on their particular urban or rural setting. As a continuous linear space, they connect parks, nature reserves, cultural centers, historical ruins, and residential areas.

The Tainan City Government completed the Tainan section of Mountains to Sea Greenway, TW in 2016.This 45 km greenway extends from Taijiang National Park to Wushantou Reservoir, crossing the Chianan Irrigation Canal. In 2017, the National Development Council (NDC) completed the Greenway Network Construction Strategic Plan and approved the initial implementation of 3 greenways. The MSTW was one of them.

The Greenway extends across two counties and cities (Tainan City, Chiayi County) and connects three National Scenic Areas (Southwest Coast, Siraya, Alishan), two National Parks (Taijiang, Yushan), two forest reserves (Chiayi Branch, Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency and the NTU experimental forest), and two reservoirs (Wushantou, Zengwen).

The Mountains to Sea Greenway, TW (MSTW) extends from Mt. Jade Main Peak to Taijing Inner Sea. Its name ends with TW, the abbreviation of Taiwan, to indicate the greenway’s location.

As MSTW winds through the Chianan Plain, the greenway is witness to the traces of Taiwan’s prehistoric cultures, as well as 400 years of recorded history, spanning the island’s Dutch colonial period, Zheng kingdom, Qing dynasty, and Japanese ruling period. Each time period offers its own history and stories. Together, they encompass Taiwan's entire history of development, from the migrations of the indigenous Tsou and Siraya tribes, to historical efforts in mountaineering, forestry, railroad, hydraulic development, and water conservancy.

It can be divided into waterways, mountain trails, industrial roads, roadside pedestrian walkways, and public roadways. The mountain trails section includes ancient trails, walking trails, and natural mountain trails; the industrial roads section includes industrial roads, bicycle paths, irrigation canal paths, and riverbank roads; and finally, the public roadways section includes provincial and county roads, some sections of which already have pedestrian walkways.

The 31 greenway sections from the Taijiang National Park Headquarters (0K) to Mt. Jade Main Peak are numbered in ascending order and prefixed with MSTW: from MSTW 01 to MSTW 31.

To coincide with the unveiling and opening of the stamp collection and service points, the MSTW Stamp Passport was also launched, allowing users to collect eight exquisite stamps at eight locations along the route as souvenirs: Taijiang Inner Sea, Haiweiliao Jhaohuang Temple, Wushantou Reservoir, Xikou Little Switzerland, Siraya, Tsou, Alishan Forest Railway, and Yushan Main Peak. An electronic stamp collection and completion certificate are also available through the Taiwan Forest Recreation Line@ E-Stamp for the public to collect.

1. Taijiang National Park Visitor Center（Physical sales："LiKEE Taijiang Specialty store"）
2. Chashan Community Development Association（Physical sales）
3. 3F, Alishan Transfer Station（Physical sales："Alishan 2488m" Brand Store）
4. Lijia jiana Arts Workshop（Physical sales）
5. Danaiku（Physical sales）
6. Peisu coffee（Physical sales）
7. Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association（Physical and online），Purchase Link：https://neti.cc/rmPyyJ7
8. ROCKLAND Taipei | Gongguan Store, Taipei Arena Store, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A11, Hsinchu | Big City Store, Taichung | Caowu Store, Kaohsiung | Dream Mall Store, Fjällräven Store (National Taiwan University Store) （Physical sales）

Today, the descendants of early Han Chinese settlers, who crossed the strait to Taiwan, dwell in the area of the greenway between Annan District, Tainan City and Dapu Township, Chiayi County primarily. These settlers cultivated the land, established communities, and worshiped the deities whose josses they brought along with them. As the settlers’ wealth increased, they built temples, developing the temple culture characteristic of Han Chinese.

The members of the Siraya tribe mostly reside in Tainan City. The tribe is comprised of four major communities: Mattau, Soulang, Xingan, and Backoloan. The religions of Siraya people are animism and the worship of ancestral spirits. In Siraya culture, ancestors and ancestral spirits are referred to as “Alid ” or “Ali Tsu ,” (“Ali Mu ,”or “Tai Tsu ” in some communities). The Siraya people also build Kuwa (Kuva), meeting houses which serve as places for gatherings, religious ceremonies, and youth meetings. Today, the major traditional festivals celebrated by the Siraya people include the Night Festival and Kabua Sea Howling Festival.

The Tsou people are a patriarchal clan society that is separated into large and small communities. The coalition formation aims to deal with the political issues primarily. Men’s gathering places, referred to as “Kuba,” are used to discuss community matters and hold religious rituals. The most important tribal ritual of the Tsou people is Mayasvi (the War Ritual). This complicated ritual entails the renovation of the gathering place, trimming the sacred tree, welcoming the spirits, feasting the spirits, and finally sending the spirits off. The ritual is renowned for its musicality and rhythm.

The Bruce Trail, with a main route of approximately 900 kilometers, is located in south-central Ontario and is the longest and oldest hiking trail on Canada's east coast. The trail stretches along the Niagara Escarpment, a landscape formed between the Late Ordovician and Silurian periods, representing the oldest forest ecosystem in eastern North America. At its end in Queenston, the trail connects to Niagara Falls, the world's largest transnational waterfall. "Niagara" means "Thunder God's Water" in the Indigenous language, as local Indigenous peoples believed the roar of the falls was the voice of the Thunder God. The unique landscape and ecosystem of the Niagara Escarpment have been designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. The Bruce Trail begins in Queenston, Ontario, and passes through several protected areas and provincial parks before ending in Tobermory. Hikers can enjoy countless white waterfalls, shimmering golden beaches, tranquil lakeside rock formations, gently flowing streams, lush forests, and cliffs, and also have the opportunity to see many unique plants and animals.

The Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) is the primary management body for the Bruce Trail and one of Ontario's largest land trusts. Its main funding sources are private donations and membership fees, and it currently has approximately 10,700 members. The Bruce Trail is divided into nine sections, each maintained, managed, volunteered, and promoted by one of the nine Bruce Trail Clubs affiliated with the conservancy. About one-third of the trail traverses private land, with over 700 landowners entrusting their land to the Bruce Trail Conservancy for management, covering a total area of approximately 10,600 hectares. This public-private partnership and community involvement ensure the smooth implementation of trail maintenance and management, enabling the trail to be sustainably operated and used in an environmentally friendly manner.

The Tefuye Historical Trail (MSTW 26) of the Mountains to Sea Greenway Greenway, TW and the second section of the Bruce Trail in Waterdown, located at the Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club, officially became a friendship trail in 2022. Signs were installed on each other's trails in 2022 and 2024 as a testament to their friendship and international cooperation, and also as a milestone in international trail exchanges.

The second section of the Bruce Trail stretches approximately 10 kilometers from Smokey Hollow to City View Park. The trail includes original dirt tracks, gravel roads, old racetracks, highways, and private roads, passing waterfalls, canyons, forests, grasslands, and the McNally Nature Reserve. Meanwhile, the Tefuye Historical Trail, rich in Tsou indigenous culture and forestry railway landscapes, echoes the ecological and cultural principles upheld by the Bruce Trail in Canada.

Based on the altitude, the flora along the greenway follows the classification set by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA): alpine tundra, subalpine coniferous forest , cool temperate coniferous forest, temperate broadleaf and mixed forest, warm temperate broadleaf and mixed forest, subtropical broadleaf forest, and tropical savanna. Due to early development in the foothills, the subtropical broadleaf forest and tropical savanna have largely been cleared for orchards, with only a small amount of secondary forest and artificially created woodlands remaining. Large areas of wetlands, including mangrove swamps, can be found near the coast.

A diverse range of fauna can be found along the greenway. People can find the black-faced spoonbill and Beipu cicada in the Taijiang National Park located at the coast; in Guantian, the elegant pheasanttailed jacana can be seen; and at Zengwen Reservoir, people may catch the sight of a black kite or russet sparrow (an endangered species in Taiwan). In the foothills, people may chance upon a pangolin or Formosan Reeve’s muntjac. As altitude ascends , the areas at high alttitude are important habitats of the Mikado pheasant, Alishan salamander, Formosan sambar deer, Taiwan serow, Swinhoe’s pheasant, and Formosan black bear. If people are fortunate enough to encounter any of these animals, please keep your distance and refrain from disturbing them.