Zhuilu Old Road — Attraction in Xiulin

Fantastic trail with insanely beautiful views of the steep cliffside and the hualien mountains.

However make no mistake, this is a challenging trail even though it is only 2 to 2.5 hrs one-way.

The ascent requires good physical condition to complete. There are endless stairs in the first km which by themselves are enough to exhaust you. The terrain becomes rougher in the second km and there are several sections where you must hold onto a rope for support to traverse the rocky terrain. Finally the last km is along the steep cliffside which offers majestic views of the mountain scenery above the clouds. However there are few railings along the trail so it is not recommended if you have a fear of heights.

Finally, the descent is no easy feat either. Your knees will take a good beating and you will need to have good balance and flexibility to navigate the rocky terrain downwards.

You should bring enough water as the temperature is hot and the trail is sure to make you sweat buckets. You definitely do not want to be dehydrated halfway when you're walking the steep cliffsides.

Please judge your own physical condition carefully before attempting this trail!

Finally, permits are required and you must apply on the website beforehand. A maximum of 96 people are allowed on the trail for each day. On the day, you must bring your passport for verification, and show the email they sent to confirm the permit.

You must start the trail between 7 to 10 am, and also PLEASE search in advance for any road closures in the taroko gorge highway 8.

We were supposed to drive to hualien from cingjing the day before our hike to our accommodation in hualien but there was a road closure at 114km mark on highway 8 (guanyuan) to repair the road after rock falls / landslides. So... We had to take a 6hr detour to yilan and drive south from yilan to hualien. Fortunately, there were no road closures to drive in from hualien to the entrance of the zhuilu old trail. The road closures only started in March, and it changes all the time, even the locals are not sure. So, please double check and plan your travel...

Just going to start this review with this: IF YOU'RE AFRAID OF HEIGHTS YOU CAN STILL DO THIS TRAIL. I do indeed have a fear of heights, if a camera pans over the edge of a cliff on TV it makes my legs go funny. I debated if I should do this trail and decided I shouldn't let fear put those limits on me. I looked for reviews from other people in my situation and all I could find were people bigging it up and saying don't do this if you're afraid, etc. From my experience people will always make situations and experiences sound more risky and exciting, it rarely proves to be that way. Saying that, it's really high and of course I was afraid. I held on to that rope pretty damn tight but I did the whole thing without any massive fear, just exercised caution. I started the trail just after 7am as I wanted to be up there before anyone else, got to the top in an hour and could have had the top to myself for half an hour if I'd stayed that long. I preferred the idea of the experience alone with pressure from other hikers and also no need to try and pass other people only the narrow ledge! It was incredible, really breathtaking place and I'm so glad I went. Also, a lot of people say you need to apply for permit a week in advance. Maybe on weekends in peak season. I went 13th March and applied online on 12th, got an answer at 5pm. Printed the permit at 7eleven and took my passport as ID (scooter rental and...

Very rewarding trail, especially after the 2.6km climb up the mountain, you will be able to walk along the cut out path way from the vertical cliff, with the Taroko Gorge running below it. The cliff path is about 500 meter to the outpost and we need to turn back the same path that we got up. The 3.1km round trip will take about 6hrs.

Trail entry time is from 0700-1000. Need to register for the trail entry permit. Can be done online at the official website 30 days before. Or if you are spending more days in Taroko Park, you can also apply for the permit at Taroko Park Vistor Center the day before subject to availbilty. Weekdays limits to 96 person per day, Weekend or holiday is 156 person per day. Register is free, only pay at the trail entry control point.

As the trail consist mainly of climbing up and down, with only the cliff cutout section flat, if you are not fit or execise regularly, you will be having sore feet and legs for the next 2 days. So would suggest to plan this trail on the last day of the visit if the weather forcast is good, so as not to feel the pain when going for other trail the next day. Or pick the best weather day for this trail, make it the must trail when visiting the Taroko park. As we wouldnt know when this trail will still be there for how long (original trail was 10.3km long, now shortened to 3.1km due power of nature...