Taiwan Central Cross Island Highway (124 km)
Hualien to Puli · back a different way, via Taiwan · Taroko Gorge and East Coast
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Why this ride
A 124 km one-way ride from near Hualien City, about 2 h 02 of riding. On the way it passes Taroko Gorge, Tianxiang and Hehuanshan Wuling. The highest point is about 3,300 m. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
Roadbook
- Hualien
start
Hualien lies on Taiwan's wild east coast, squeezed between the Pacific and a wall of mountains that rise to over three thousand metres within a few dozen kilometres of the sea. The city is relaxed, with a lively night market, sea-view cafes and the slightly weathered air of a place that is regularly shaken by earthquakes and typhoons. It is also the gateway to Taroko Gorge, where the Liwu river has cut a deep canyon through marble.
The road that follows the gorge, the Central Cross-Island Highway, is one of the great feats of Taiwanese engineering. It was built between 1956 and 1960 by army veterans and other workers, mostly with hand tools, across steep marble cliffs, and a number of men lost their lives during the work. Roadside shrines remember them, and the Eternal Spring Shrine, built over a waterfall, commemorates the dead. Today the road passes tunnels, narrow ledges and bridges, with the river shimmering turquoise far below.
Riding it is exciting and demanding. Bends are tight, and the road is narrow, with marble walls on one side and sheer drops on the other. Rockfall is a real hazard, tour buses take the corners wide, and the tunnels are dark. Sections of the highway are often closed after earthquakes or typhoons, as happened after the strong quake in April 2024, so always check current road status and any permit requirements before setting out. The weather turns misty and cold at higher altitudes, so bring layers. Spring and autumn offer the clearest skies; summer is hot and humid, with a typhoon season to watch.
Hualien city has fuel, workshops, hotels and endless food stalls, so prepare there. Along the highway, supplies are limited, and it is wise to carry water and snacks. Try the local mochi and the sweet peanut-powdered rice cakes, and a plate of fresh seafood at the night market. The indigenous Truku people, who have lived in the gorge area for centuries, are part of the area's culture, and visiting local craft shops is a good way to support them.
- Taroko Gorge
scenic
Taroko Gorge is the place where the Liwu River has spent a very long time cutting through marble. The rock here is ancient limestone that was crushed, heated and turned into marble deep in the earth, then lifted by the collision of tectonic plates that is still raising Taiwan, and the river has sliced a canyon through it so deep and narrow that in places the cliffs seem to lean together overhead. Walls of grey and white stone rise hundreds of metres above the water, and the river below is a startling turquoise.
The road through it is a story of its own. The Central Cross-Island Highway was cut across the island's mountains in the late 1950s, largely by hand, by thousands of retired soldiers and labourers who drilled, blasted and carried rock on steep cliffs with primitive tools. Many of them died, and a shrine in the gorge commemorates them. Tunnels, galleries and overhangs on the road, such as the Tunnel of Nine Turns and the Swallow Grotto, show how the builders squeezed a route out of the canyon wall. The gorge lies inside Taroko National Park, and it is also the homeland of the Truku people, whose culture and place names remain part of the landscape.
Riding through is magnificent but needs care. The road is narrow, with tunnels, blind bends and sheer drops, and tour buses and trucks fill much of the width, so keep to your side and sound the horn where it helps. Falling rock is a real hazard, and sections close without notice after earthquakes, typhoons and heavy rain, so check the situation before you go; helmets are advisable even for walking in the open sections where signs request them. Mornings are cleaner and quieter, and spring and autumn are the best seasons, though typhoon season in late summer brings the biggest dangers.
Services are concentrated near the western end of the gorge, where a visitor centre and a few cafés and stalls sit by the entrance. The nearest big town is Hualien City, about twenty-five kilometres away, with plenty of petrol stations, restaurants and shops, and it is sensible to fill the tank there before going in. Take water, a rain jacket and a hat, and watch your time, as the light fades quickly inside the canyon.
Pull over where it is safe and look up. The scale of the walls will stay with you.
- Tianxiang
scenic
Tianxiang is a small settlement deep inside the Taroko Gorge on Taiwan's east coast, and it is where the Central Cross-Island Highway stops being a canyon road and turns into a mountain one. Just before you reach it, the road threads the marble gorge of the Liwu river, one of the most remarkable canyon landscapes in Asia, where grey and white cliffs rise hundreds of metres, and tunnels, galleries and a narrow ledge cut by hand carry the traffic. At Tianxiang, the valley widens, and the road splits, one branch continuing up toward the high mountains and the other leading into a side valley.
The highway was built in the late 1950s by thousands of former soldiers and local labourers, working with hand tools and dynamite, and many of them died in the work. A small shrine on the road, the Eternal Spring Shrine, commemorates them, and the story gives the road a weight that goes beyond scenery. At Tianxiang, a small temple and a pagoda overlook the valley, and the village has a few shops and restaurants where you can order noodles, tea and local snacks.
For riders the road is a legend. From Hualien, the route follows the gorge with sweeping bends, tunnels and overhangs, with a surface that is mostly smooth but sometimes damaged by rockfalls. Tour buses crowd the road at peak hours, and cars stop without warning, so keep speed down. Typhoons between July and October bring landslides, and the highway is often closed by damage, so check the road status before setting out. Wear a helmet when walking in the tunnels, since rocks fall from the cliffs.
The walk from Tianxiang to the Baiyang waterfall is a pleasant short trail through a series of tunnels, leading to a cave behind a thundering fall. Fuel is available in Hualien, about twenty-five kilometres east, so fill the tank before entering the gorge. Mornings are generally the best time for visiting, since cloud tends to roll into the valley in the afternoon. In winter, the air turns cool and damp, with mist on the cliffs and the faint smell of wet stone.
- Hehuanshan Wuling
scenic · 3275 m
The highest point you can reach on a paved road in Taiwan is at Wuling, close to Hehuanshan, and the pass is at 3,275 metres, which puts you above the treeline in an island that most people think of as tropical. The road, part of the Central Cross-Island route, climbs from the lowlands of Puli through terraced farms and cloud forest onto an alpine plateau of grass and dwarf bamboo, with bare peaks rising on either side. It feels a long way from the night markets and convenience stores of the plains.
The mountain is a place of weather. Clouds pour over the saddle, the wind blows hard, and in winter the area can receive snow, which draws crowds of visitors from the cities who rarely see it. At sunrise the clouds sometimes fill the valleys below like a sea, with peaks rising from them like islands, and watching it from the roadside is a memorable way to start the day. Taiwan's mountains are among the steepest in the world, still rising by centimetres a year, and the slopes here show it in landslide scars and exposed rock. The vegetation is hardy, with bamboo grass, alpine azalea and stands of Taiwan fir, and in early summer azaleas flower across the hillside.
Riding up is a joy: long climbs through bends and switchbacks, big views over the valley, cool air and few vehicles on weekday mornings. But take care. Fog, wind and cold rain can arrive within minutes, and ice can form on the road in winter, when chains or closures may be imposed, so check conditions locally. Temperatures at the top can sit close to freezing even when the lowlands are warm, so bring proper layers and gloves. Landslides sometimes close sections of the road, particularly after typhoons or earthquakes.
Fuel is not available on the pass. Puli, about thirty-six kilometres below, is the nearest large town, with petrol stations and restaurants, and Hualien City lies on the other side, so fill the tank before you climb and carry some snacks. There is usually a small shop or two at the top selling hot drinks, instant noodles and souvenirs, and the hot tea is welcome.
Altitude can make you light-headed if you rush, so take a few minutes at the top and breathe slowly.
- Puli
finish
Puli sits almost in the middle of Taiwan, in a basin ringed by the mountains of Nantou County, and people often call it the island's geographic heart. At the end of a long climb out of the high mountains, it is a relief: a town of about eighty-six thousand people with flat streets, warm air, and shops that stay open late. The elevation here is modest, so after the cold of the high passes the temperature feels like a gift.
The town is known for its water, which comes off the mountains clean and soft, and for the rice wine brewed with it, including Shaoxing wine that is sold across Taiwan and the sweet, fiery bottled versions that make good presents. The brewery has a visitor centre and an ice cream counter that sells rice wine ice cream, a combination which sounds odd and works well. The basin also produces bamboo shoots, tea, flowers and fruit, and the surrounding hills are dotted with temples and small farms.
The ride you are finishing is the Central Cross-Island Highway, one of the great mountain roads of East Asia. Built by army veterans in the 1950s, it crosses the island's spine from the Pacific coast to the west, passing through Taroko Gorge, where marble cliffs rise hundreds of metres, then climbs to the high ground at Wuling, which at about 3,275 metres is often described as the highest paved pass in East Asia. In that high country the air is thin and cold, with cloud and sudden rain, and the descent toward Puli is a long run of bends through bamboo, betel palms and tea terraces.
Taiwan's mountain roads are fragile, since typhoons and earthquakes regularly trigger landslides, and parts of the highway have been closed for repair after storms. Always check the status before you ride. Fuel is easy in town, with petrol stations along every main road, and convenience stores sell drinks and snacks around the clock. Night markets in the evening offer a dozen kinds of cheap, delicious food, from fried chicken to beef noodle soup, and a short ride to Sun Moon Lake makes a pleasant morning detour before heading home.