Location: Taichung Loop (Guguan)
Distance: 116km Elevation Gain: 1,550m
In our post, #001 we covered the Central Cross-Island Highway (CCIH) east approach from Hualien to Wuling AKA the Taiwan KOM – this is Provincial Highway No.8. In #002 we covered the west approach from Nantou which takes the rider to the same mountain pass of Wuling at 3,275m, but this access is on Provincial Highway No. 14/14A from Puli in Nantou County. What most people new to Taiwan may not realize is that this is an alternative route to the original road, which is Provincial Highway No. 8, starting from Taichung.
Unfortunately, the original CCIH was severely damaged in a major earthquake on 21st September 1991. This is locally known as the ‘921’ and resulted in 2,415 deaths, 29 missing, and over 11,305 severely injured, with 51,711 buildings destroyed. Another consequence of this disaster is that Provincial Highway No. 8 never reopened to the public. The road has been repaired, but it remains in such a precarious condition that access is limited and bicycles are not permitted.
In this post, we cover the west approach from Taichung, which is still open to the public. While it is disappointing that you can’t do the through ride to Hualien, this is still an excellent route to cover on two wheels with multiple attractions in the area. We have also ticked the box of creating an excellent loop ride from central Taichung.
To access the 0km marker on the No. 8 by public transport, Taichung TRC train station is about the most convenient. Close to the station, head northeast to get on to County Rd. No. 136. From here it’s approx’ 10 kilometers until you come to County Rd No. 129. This is a busy urban area, and you’ll have several kms of traffic to get through. Once past this, you now have some steady climbing up to 500m to get over the low-level hills on the outskirts of the city.
Once you get over the hill, it’s a roll down the No.129, where you cross a bridge over the Dajia River. This is the 0km marker on the No.8. From here, you have to ride due south for 13km on a mild grade to where the No.8 veers off to the left for the climbing section. This point is also the 0km marker on Provincial Highway No. 21 covered in #054 of our series.
You are now entering Guguan of Guoxing Township, which is an Atayal Indigenous area. This section of the No. 8 is excellent; however, with just two lanes, there’s not much room for bikes. Being extremely popular with Taichung riders, you are going to see a lot of cyclists, especially on weekends.
The gradient is only 2 – 5% for the rest of the ride up. From the turnoff, it’s 20km to the town of Guguan, at the 33.5km marker on the No. 8, at an elevation of 700m. Apart from the fact that it is a major hot spring town, it is also a Mecca for hiking. Just before you enter Guguan town, you’ll see a turn off to the right for Baxian Mt. National Forest Recreation Area. More info here.
And the equally well-known ‘Seven Heroes’ is a primary reason for visitors to come up this way.
As the name suggests, this is a series of hikes to seven mountain peaks, which are well worth exploring. Naturally, with all these attractions, there is no shortage of shops, restaurants, and hotels, making it well worth an overnight stay.
If you want to reach the end of the road, it’s at the 37km marker, where you will run into a checkpoint blocking all traffic except for those with a special permit. The next 24km up to Deji Reservoir has been closed since the ‘921’ earthquake.
After a rest, it’s now time to get back to civilization. There are multiple options for doing this. On this particular occasion, I took an alternative route to the approach. Back track to the 10.5km mark on the No. 8 and take a left on Local Rd. Chung 95-1 to the Chung 93. This is a really steep climb and connects the rider to the Chung 99, one of the most popular roads for cyclists in Taichung. Heavily shaded with forest green, this is superb riding with almost no traffic.
Inexplicably, the No. 99 is one of the very few local roads in Taiwan that does not have kilometer markers on it. We will write to the local government to try and get that sorted out.
On this particular day, I was only concerned with getting home, so a beeline through the city took me back to the High Speed Rail (HSR) station.
Here is the GPS information for this route, beginning at Taichung Railway Station and heading out via County Road 129 before climbing to the upper end of Provincial Highway 8. The descent follows Highway 8 before joining County Road 99 and returning through Taichung City to Taichung High Speed Rail Station.