Taroko National Park is located in Eastern Taiwan and is most famous for its geological phenomena. Most notably, the park holds marble and jade treasures which are valuable commodities. Fortunately, the area is a natural wonder and Taiwan has left it undisturbed from commercial mining.
The park boundaries are quite large and they encompass the northern section of Hualien County, small sections of Taichung City and also Nantou County. Additionally, Hualien city is ideally located for park visitors. I was staying in Hualien for a month and visited the park on multiple occasions. See my best Taroko Gorge photos and info below.
Taroko Gorge
The most famous aspect of the Taroko National Park is Taroko Gorge. This spectacular geological formation was carved out by the Liwu river. Additionally, the canyon and surrounding area is most noted for its large marble deposits. The marble is most evident from the road and therefore it is not necessary to walk very far to enjoy the natural phenomenon.
To enjoy your Taroko Gorge tour you can go with a tour group or rent your own vehicle in Hualien. Vehicle rentals are easy to find but it helps if you have a friend who speaks Mandarin. Don’t expect anyone to speak English in Hualien, because they probably don’t!
Navigation is pretty straight forward, you can get a good Taroko Gorge map online and it will work great! Additionally, they have area maps at the park visitor center if you need one. But again, English speakers are hard to find in this area.
Driving Through Taroko Gorge
The drive through the Taroko gorge is simply amazing. My friend commented that it is very similar to driving through the Swiss Alps! Indeed, the Taroko Gorge road is constructed through the vertical stone cliffs. It is amazing construction!
The road has many viewpoints and it is possible to get out and enjoy the scenery. Most certainly, the views are amazing with lots of photo opportunities! It is incredible how they built the tunnels in Taroko Gorge without causing them to collapse! However, Taroko National Park is earthquake prone and it is potentially dangerous.
The Unique Geology of Taroko Gorge
The “Marble Gorge” is the unofficial name because of the abundance of marble in the area. The Taroko marble formations are the product of 200 million years of geological evolution. First sediment collected on the sea floor and over the next 100 million years it was transformed into limestone. The limestone formations were metamorphosed into marble due to another 100 million years of tectonic thrusting and pressure. Furthermore, this thrusting still exists and as a result the mountains are still rising around the gorge at .5 cm annually!
Furthermore, jade deposits are common in the Taroko National Park area. As a result, Hualien has a local jade market supplied with local jade resources. Additionally, the Chinese believe that precious jade will bring luck and long life to the owner. Indeed, jade is embedded in Chinese history dating back thousands of years.
Baiyan Waterfall at Taroko National Park
Another worthwhile adventure in Taroko Gorge is the hike into Baiyan Waterfall. This trail is pretty mild and the slope is moderate. As a result, this makes for some easy hiking in stark contrast to some of the other trails in the park.
Water Curtain Cave at Taroko National Park
“Water Curtain” Cave is another fun easy access adventure. Fortunately, this attraction is located close to Baiyan Waterfall. Therefore, you can tour both these locations in the same afternoon.
Basically, “Water Curtain” Cave is a long cave in which water has found its way into the cracks in the ceiling and walls. As a result, you better bring some rain gear or if you are lucky you can borrow some at the cave entrance.
Western Side of Taroko National Park
If you keep going up the road through Taroko Gorge you will eventually encounter a mystical mountain land. If you don’t have a Taroko Gorge map, it isn’t necessary. Just keep driving up the road through the park because it is a gorge, there is only one way in and one way out. However, the road is not a dead end.
If you follow it you will eventually cross the mountain pass and arrive in Taichung City. From Taroko Park, Kaohsiung can also be reached by using this road. However, this would be a really long drive!
This area is amazing and the work that went into building the road was a super human effort.
Landslide notwithstanding, the views up here were amazing. However, watch out for the truck drivers on these narrow roads. They yield to no one!
