Hualien Attractions | Taroko National Park | Qingshui Cliff | Taroko Archway | Eternal Spring Shrine | Shakadang... Shanyue Suspension Bridge | Tunnel of Nine Turns | Tianxiang Recreation Area
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| Starting point of the Central Cross-Island Highway (Taroko Archway) |
With its magnificent natural scenery, Taroko has always been the signature destination for a trip to Hualien, and it is absolutely one of the must-visit spots. Since we had already planned to stay at Silks Place Taroko and were driving down from Taipei, of course we had to take the chance to tour the attractions of Taroko National Park!
Taroko National Park was the fourth national park established in Taiwan. Its boundaries are actually quite extensive — it doesn't only cover the section you enter from the Central Cross-Island Highway. To the east, Qingshui Cliff on the east coast also lies within the range of Taroko National Park.
P.S. If you're interested, you can check the official map for the actual boundaries: Taroko National Park Recreation Map
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| Attractions along the Taroko route |
🏞 Qingshui Cliff
Qingshui Cliff is a coastal cliff on the eastern side of Mount Qingshui in Xiulin Township, stretching for 21 kilometers. Its steep, almost vertical coastal landscape was formed by tectonic activity and intense marine erosion, and it is one of Taiwan's Eight Scenic Wonders.
🚘 Transport / Parking Info
Before entering the Cross-Island Highway, if you're heading south you'll pass two rest areas on the Suhua Highway where you can view Qingshui Cliff
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"Huide Rest Area" and "Chongde Rest Area." The views from the two aren't very different, so you can weigh the pros and cons to decide which one to stop at.
Huide Rest Area
Pros: More parking spaces, easier to park
Cons: Tour buses can park here, so there may be more tour groups; the walk down to the coast is longer
Chongde Rest Area
Pros: Fewer visitors; the viewing platform is right by the parking spot
Cons: Few parking spaces, and heading southbound you can't cross the double yellow lines to reach the parking area
🏞 Taroko Archway
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Starting point of the Central Cross-Island Highway (Taroko Archway) |
The Taroko Archway is the entrance gate to Taiwan's Central Cross-Island Highway. Since the archway sits in the middle of the road and traffic here can be heavy on weekends, it's best to park at the side and take photos from there — crossing the road to the middle would be quite dangerous.
🚘 Transport / Parking Info
🏞 Eternal Spring Shrine
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| The Eternal Spring Shrine standing on a cliff ledge above the Liwu River valley |
As soon as you reach the Eternal Spring Shrine parking area, you can see the shrine in the distance set on the cliff face alongside a waterfall. Standing on a cliff ledge above the Liwu River valley, the shrine was built to commemorate the workers who died building the Central Cross-Island Highway, and it enshrines the spirit tablets of the 225 road builders who lost their lives during construction.
🚘 Transport / Parking Info
The road to the Eternal Spring Shrine requires a left turn right as you exit the Changchun Tunnel on the Central Cross-Island Highway. If you're not paying attention you'll drive straight past it, and since it's inside a tunnel, you need to be extra careful on this stretch when driving toward Tianxiang.
Navigation address: Eternal Spring Shrine Parking Lot
Shortly after turning in, you'll see an open area — this is the Eternal Spring Shrine parking lot. There are quite a few spaces, and there are restrooms available nearby.
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| The restrooms next to the parking lot, one level down |
From the parking lot you still have a short walk to the shrine. The ground along this stretch is unstable and landslides seem to occur fairly often, so it's best to avoid going on rainy days or right after heavy rain.
After crossing the eye-catching red Changchun Bridge, you'll see a staircase leading down — going down here is the entrance to the Eternal Spring Shrine. Just outside this entrance there's the old Changchun Bridge; after it was washed away by a flood, the original site was left as a platform and has become something of a hidden gem (?), with quite a few people coming specially to photograph the broken bridge.
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| The old Changchun Bridge |
To head toward the Eternal Spring Shrine, enter via the Eternal Spring Shrine Trail; it's about a 5–10 minute walk to reach the shrine, and the whole way is this kind of gentle, fairly level path.
🏞 Shanyue Suspension Bridge
The Shanyue Suspension Bridge is a scenic pedestrian suspension bridge within the Buluowan Recreation Area. It has the longest span and the greatest height above the valley floor of any bridge in Taroko National Park, crossing Taroko Gorge over the Liwu River. From here you can take in the magnificent gorge scenery from above.
However, because visitor numbers are limited, the bridge only opens during fixed time slots each day, with a set number of people allowed on the bridge per slot. If you want to visit the Shanyue Suspension Bridge, you must book in advance. (Reservations open 14 days ahead.)
Book the Shanyue Suspension Bridge: https://www.taroko.gov.tw/ShanyueApplication.aspx?n=13934&sms=12352
🚘 Transport / Parking Info
Navigation address: Buluowan Recreation Area
The Buluowan Recreation Area has a large parking area, so you don't need to worry much about parking. Once at Buluowan, walk all the way to the far end and you'll find the entrance to the Shanyue Suspension Bridge!
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| After crossing the bridge you can reach a viewing platform to see the bridge in full |
🏞 Tunnel of Nine Turns
The Tunnel of Nine Turns Trail was originally part of the old Central Cross-Island Highway; after the Jiuqudong Tunnel opened to traffic in 1996, the old road was converted into a trail. The Tunnel of Nine Turns is regarded as one of the most spectacular sections of Taroko Gorge. The trail is 700 meters long and you have to return the same way, and along it you can see the marvelously sculpted, precipitous terrain of Taroko Gorge.
🚘 Transport / Parking Info
There is absolutely no parking at the Tunnel of Nine Turns; you must take the shuttle bus.
Since we were staying at Silks Place Taroko in Tianxiang, we could park the car back at the hotel and take the bus there and back (NT$25 one way). However, we visited on a weekend, and when we arrived at Tianxiang the parking lot was already completely full. So if you drive here on a weekend and want to visit the Tunnel of Nine Turns, you may need to plan out your parking and bus connections — this is probably the most troublesome part of the whole route 😅.
The nearest parking area to the Tunnel of Nine Turns is Heliu, but that's still two kilometers away. Basically, walking along the Suhua Highway would be quite dangerous...
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| The Jiuqudong tunnel entrance (cars may only stop briefly to drop off passengers) |
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| There are restrooms at the entrance |
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| The Tunnel of Nine Turns Trail |
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| A stone monument at the end of the trail |
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| You can enjoy the magnificent scenery of Taroko Gorge all along the way |
🏞 Tianxiang Recreation Area
Besides a parking lot, the Tianxiang Recreation Area has several restaurants, food stalls and a 7-11. If you plan to continue deeper into Taroko, this makes a good midway rest stop.
Silks Place Taroko is also here, so if you'd like to experience a night in the gorge, consider staying:
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| Walk up a little further and you'll reach Wen Tianxiang Park |
There are actually quite a few trails along the Taroko route, such as the Shakadang Trail and the Xiaozhuilu Trail. This time we only had the days before and after our stay to explore, which really wasn't enough time. Because there were more tourists over the long weekend, we gave up on the Swallow Grotto Trail where parking is difficult, and after days of torrential rain the Water Curtain Cave and Lushui Trail that we had wanted to visit were closed — a bit of a shame. Still, the scenery in Taroko is truly beautiful and well worth a visit.
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