Location: Taichung City
Distance: 61km Elevation Gain: 1,492m
In our quest to produce the 100 best bike climbs and routes in Taiwan, we have focused primarily on surfaced roads. However, that is not to say there aren’t enough off-road or gravel trails to document. We have covered several, which are exceptional and the best in the country e.g., Junda Forest Rd. (#010), Seven Colors Lake (#013), and Xiaoguan Shan (#014) to name but three.
In this, our #085th post, we are off-road again for a forestry trail that is closed to all motorized vehicles except those on official business. Access to this trail is a bit tricky and involves a long drive or ride to the central mountains. We have already covered the process of getting to the area in #084.
The map below will inform the reader that this ride was recorded as a ‘three-legged’ route covering the start point of Guguan, access to Lileng Forestry Rd., and then a descent to lower altitude to exit the mountain area. Supplies, water, and snacks should be picked up at Guguan; there is nowhere to do so beyond that point.
Starting at Guguan, which is located at the 32.5km marker on Provincial Highway No. 8, the rider should descend to the 26km marker and turn left to cross a red bridge over the Dachia/Dajia River. This is the entrance to Lileng Village, an Atayal Indigenous area. This part is a bit tricky as there are several smaller roads leading off in different directions, so pay attention to the signs directing you to the Forest Rd. or the GPX file. You are now at an elevation of 600m.
The first couple of kilometers are fairly flat, but then the road really kicks up with gradients of 10 – 20% on hard surface until you come to a barrier blocking vehicles from entering at the 6km marker. This is where the fun begins. You are going to ride deep into the forest on a mixed surface of concrete, gravel, and dirt.
As can be seen from the graph below, there is no letup in the ascent – it’s as steep as roads get in Taiwan, and you’ll be down to balance speed on a few sections. Fortunately, it’s well shaded by trees, so even on a hot day you’ll get relief from the sun. This is an active forestry area; you’ll see several working vehicles on the way. Half of these are dealing with logging, and the rest are there for road maintenance. You will have to pass a few construction sites.
More information about Lileng here: Click here.
From the 0km marker on the forestry road, I made it to the 20km marker at an altitude of 1,725m before calling it a day. Well worth the effort with fantastic views over the surrounding mountains. I could have gone further up with the rideable section extending to the 38km marker, but safety and timing led to a wiser decision to call it a day.
The descent is a bit hairy in several sections, and there are two parts in particular over landslides where you will have to walk the bike. Otherwise, it’s sheer joy of switchbacks and dramatic downhill.
Which bike? Since I had to carry full touring/camping gear for the weekend ride, I opted for a flat bar 29er with 700/38C ‘gravel tires’. (The bike was stripped down for the trail with just snacks and rain gear for the ascent). For 80% of the ride, this worked fine, especially on the way up. This setup, however, was not optimal for the downhill. I would rather have had an MTB with 2.0 tires to deal with the rough stuff. Could it be done on a gravel rig? Yes, but go with wider tires.
Here is the GPS info: