Mount Tai is visitable year-round but the experience varies dramatically by season. Spring (April–May) is the best overall combination: comfortable temperatures for climbing, possible mist and cloud seas below the summit, and wildflowers along the trail. Autumn (September–October) is the second-best option: clear skies, good visibility, and the forest turning color.
Summer (July–August) is peak domestic tourist season and the mountain is extremely crowded, particularly on weekends and Golden Week holidays. The trails are manageable but the cable car queues can be long. Sunrise in summer is early (around 5am) and the overnight climb is warm but mosquito-heavy at the lower elevations.
Winter offers the mountain nearly to yourself, with snow on the upper trail and ice on the Shiba Pan stairs (bring crampons or rent spikes at the cable car station). The summit sunrise in winter — when it happens — is extraordinary: the plains below visible for 100 kilometres in the clear cold air.