Taiwan’s Top 100 climbs and routes for riders who want more.
Location: Tainan City/Kaohsiung City Distance: 76km Elevation Gain: 969m We have stated previously that it is our desire to cover at least one popular route or loop for each city/county in Taiwan. A quick scroll through our previous posts will show the reader that we…
Location: Hualien County Distance: 90km Elevation Gain: 3,500m The most iconic of Taiwan’s climbs on fantastic country roads is the Taiwan KOM (King of the Mountains). Locally, we call it Wuling; the location of the summit is at 3,275m. It is also called the Central…
Location: Taitung County Distance: 54km Elevation Gain: 2,500m There are four Cross-Island Highways in Taiwan, three of which traverse the island from west to east, the fourth, ‘the New Central Cross-Island Highway, is a north-to-south traverse that skirts the Central Mountain Range. Of the four…
Location: Nantou County Distance: 58km Elevation Gain: 1,800m Local Road Nantou No. 89, also known as the Li Sying Industrial Road, is arguably one of the toughest rides for a road bike in Taiwan. It has gained prominence in recent years because of its inclusion…
Location: Tainan & Kaohsiung Distance: 140km Elevation Gain: 3,000m There are four Cross-Island Highways in Taiwan, three of which traverse the island from west to east, the fourth, ‘the New Central Cross-Island Highway, is a north-to-south traverse that skirts the Central Mountain Range. Of the…
Location: Chiayi City/Chiayi County Distance: 97km Elevation Gain: 2,800m Provincial Highway No. 18 (also known as ‘The New Central Cross-Island Highway or the Alishan Road’ starts at 0km in the center of Chiayi City – 10 to 15mins. ride from the train station. After the…
Location: Yilan/Taichung Distance: 130km Elevation Gain: 3,500m This is one of the best rides in Taiwan because of the variety of scenery. Starting in Yilan at the 0km marker on the North Cross-Island Highway (Provincial Highway No. 7). There are actually 3 roads combined in…
Location: Nantou Distance: 64km Elevation Gain: 2,300m For most of the Top 100 Climbs, the focus has been on those accessible by road bike, but there are several off-road routes that ascend over 2,000m which should be included. The Taiwan KOM (road bike) is covered…
Location: Nantou Distance: 34km Elevation Gain: 1,600m Xitou and Shanlinxi or Sun Link Sea are both Forest Recreation Areas (FRA) but not National Forest Recreation Areas (NFRA) The two closest train stations would be Ershui if traveling from north Taiwan and Linnei if traveling from…
Location: Nantou Distance: 55km Elevation Gain: 2,700m A 50km ride to a lake at 3,000m is the highest off-road route in Taiwan. By far the most remote and difficult to access of the Top 100 climbs by bicycle has to be the Danda Forest Road.…