Wuling, the pass just beyond the Hehuanshan high road, is the highest paved road crossing in East Asia, at 3,275 metres, and the ride there from the lowlands is a journey through half the climates of the world. In Puli the air is warm and smells of fruit and betel nut, and by the time you reach the pass you are in a landscape of alpine meadow, bamboo grass and wind-sculpted fir, with temperatures that can hover near freezing even in summer. The road is Provincial Highway 14A, a spur off the main east-west highway, and it climbs from the valley of Puli in a long succession of curves for more than eighty kilometres.
The surface is generally good, the bends are long and open, and in places the road clings to the edge of the mountain with sheer drops on one side. Cloud can come down suddenly, and a clear morning may turn into a rainy afternoon. Winter brings snow and ice to the highest sections, and the road is sometimes closed, so check conditions before setting out. Typhoons and landslides can also cut the road, and repairs are common. Wear layers and bring rain gear, as the temperature at the top can be some twenty degrees colder than at Puli.
Hehuanshan itself is a cluster of peaks, the highest at more than 3,400 metres, covered in bamboo grass that turns gold in autumn, with views across a sea of cloud to the central mountain ridge. Taiwan is a young, quickly rising island, with some of the steepest relief in the world, and it shows here. The road you are on is part of the Central Cross-Island Highway system, which was built in the 1950s by thousands of retired soldiers working with hand tools, and many lost their lives in the process. Beyond Wuling the road descends east toward the Taroko Gorge and the coast.
Fuel is available in Puli and in the villages on the western side, but there is little at the top, so fill the tank beforehand. A small shop near the summit sells hot drinks and snacks. Thin air at this altitude can cause headaches and dizziness, and engines run a little rough, so go steadily. The best seasons are autumn and spring, when the weather is clear and the temperature bearable. At dawn the light on the peaks is among the most beautiful you will see.