Taroko National Park () is one of the nine wonders in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and was named after the Taroko Gorge, the landmark gorge of the park carved by the Liwu River. The park spans Taichung Municipality,

Nantou County Nantou is the second largest County (Taiwan), county of Taiwan by area, located in the central part of the country. It is also the only non-coastal county in Taiwan. Its name derives from the Hoanya people, Hoanya Taiwanese aborigines, Taiwanese ...

, and Hualien County and is located in Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan.

History

This national park was originally established as the by the

Governor-General of Taiwan The governor-general of Taiwan (, shinjitai: ) was the head of the Government-General of Taiwan in the Japanese era (including Formosa and the Pescadores) when they were part of the Empire of Japan, from 1895 to 1945. The Japanese governors- ...

on 12 December 1937 when Taiwan was part of the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

. After the Empire of Japan's defeat in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

took over Taiwan in consequence. The ROC government subsequently abolished the park on 15 August 1945. It was not until 28 November 1986 that the park was reestablished. In 2002 it was named a potential World Heritage Site.https://twh.boch.gov.tw/taiwan/index.aspx?lang=en_us Taroko National Park covers an area of . It is located in Hualien County, Taichung City, and Nantou County, and is home to unique geological and natural resources, including twenty-seven peaks over located in and around the Qilai and Nanhu Mountain ranges. It includes the marble gorge of Taroko, the Qingshui Cliff, the trail along the Shakadang River, and the waterfalls of the Baiyang trail. The Central Cross-Island Highway (Provincial Highway 8) extends from Asian tropical deciduous forests to high mountain pine and cedar forests. On November 28, 2021, Google commemorated the park on its homepage

doodle A doodle is a drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning or may just be composed of random and abstract art, abstract lines or shapes, generally w ...

to celebrate its 35th anniversary. In 2024, a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Taiwan's eastern coast, resulting in widespread devastation and significant loss of life. Landslides obstructed Provincial Highway No. 8 at Taroko Gorge, trapping hundreds of individuals. The landscape of Taroko Gorge, was scarred by the aftermath of the earthquake mainly due to the landslides that occurred. Due to the earthquake and floods later in 2024, much of the park remains closed as of 2025.

Origin of the name

The name "Taroko" (太魯閣) derives from the Truku tribe, an indigenous group formally recognized by the Taiwanese government as of 2004. The Truku tribe originally resided in the upper region of the Zhuoshi river (濁水溪) before migrating eastward towards Hualien County through Mt. Qilai (Mt. Qilai: Truku language called "Klbiyun") to the Liwu River. The Truku tribe continues to reside in Hualien County, including within the designated National Park area.

Geology

Taiwan was created through the collision of the Philippine and the Eurasian plates in what is known as the Penglai Orogeny. This movement occurred some four million years ago and is responsible for the formation of the Central Mountain Range that runs north-south through much of Taiwan. Even today the shift in tectonic plates continues and this area continues to rise a few millimeters every year. Marble formations only revealed themselves after millions of years of erosion and continued uplifting. Calcium Carbonate remains accumulated some 230 million years ago. These deposits through time, pressure, and the elements were gradually lithified into the limestone that in turn metamorphosed into marble. As Taiwan was uplifted from the pressures of the colliding plates, the erosive forces of weathering and water worked to carve out the gorges we see today. Erosion by the river against the constantly elevating land combined with the heavy sub-tropical rains resulted in a rapid transformation of the landscape. Marble, which is relatively hard and resistant to erosion, nevertheless relented to these forces resulting in the unusually steep and narrow canyons. The gorge itself was carved into the marble by the erosive power of the Liwu River. Sights include: * Tunnel of Nine Turns (九曲洞 Jiuqudong) (Opened in November 2017) * Eternal Spring Shrine * Yenzikou, Swallow Grotto Trail (燕子口) * Jinheng Park (靳珩公園) * Cimu Bridge, Motherly Devotion Bridge (慈母橋) * * Zhuilu Cliff (錐麓斷崖) * Liufang Bridge (流芳橋) * Dayuling (大禹嶺) * Buluowan (布洛灣) * Qingshui Cliffs (清水斷崖) * Shakadang Trail * Changuang Temple (禪光寺) * Baiyang Trail (白楊步道)

Transportation

Taroko National Park is typically accessed from Hualien City where various tours, buses, and transport options are available next to the Hualien Train station. The closest train station to the park is Xincheng Station of the

Taiwan Railways Administration Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) was a governmental agency in Taiwan which operated Taiwan Railway from 1948 to 2023. It managed, maintained, and operated conventional passenger and freight Rail transport, railway services on of track. Pa ...

, roughly from the park's main headquarters. Due to Xincheng's distance from the park itself, visitors looking to get closer to the park will typically utilize the many tour buses and taxis available.

Gallery

File:Taiwan 2009 HuaLien Taroko Gorge Temple FRD 6719.jpg, Xiangde Temple at Tianxiang File:Taiwan 2009 HuaLien Taroko Gorge Biking FRD 5416 Pano Extracted.jpg, Bicycling uphill File:Taiwan 2009 HuaLien Taroko Gorge Biking PB160057.jpg, Bicyclists share narrow roads with motor vehicles File:Taiwan 2009 HuaLien Taroko Gorge FRD 5467.jpg, Rockfall Prevention Tunnel(明隧道) File:Taiwan 2009 HuaLien Taroko Gorge FRD 5527 Pano Extracted.jpg, Gorge views File:Taiwan 2009 HuaLien Taroko Gorge Narrow Gap and Road PB140025.jpg, Taroko Gorge at Swallow Grotto Trail File:Chang Chun Shrine amk.jpg, ''Eternal Spring Shrine'', Taroko National Park, Hualien on the east coast. File:Taroko Shakadang river.jpg, Shakadang River File:Liwu River, Taroko.jpg, Liwu River File:20190417 Zhuilu Suspension Bridge-1.jpg, Zhuilu Suspension Bridge with road bridge behind it File:Shakadang Bridge 01.jpg, ''(Shakadang) Bridge of 100 Lions'' File:Taroko - from moped - June 18 2011.ogg, Taroko National Park as seen from a moped, 2011 File:Zhangchun Bridge, Taroko 02.jpg, Changchun Bridge File:Taroko National Park, Hualien County, Taiwan - panoramio (6).jpg, Zhuilu Suspension Bridge(East of Zhuilu Old Road) File:Taroko Bell Tower.jpg, Bell Tower at Eternal Spring Shrine Trail File:Taroko Music Festival .jpg, Taroko Music Festival File:Taiwan Taroko-Schlucht Eternal Spring Shrine 18.jpg, Changuang Temple File:Taroko-Gorge-Zhuilu-Old-Road-2015-Luka-Peternel.jpg, Taroko Gorge from Zhuilu Old Road File:Taroko-Gorge-Zhuilu-Tunnel-2015-Luka-Peternel.jpg, Zhuilu Tunnel from Zhuilu Old Road

References

External links

Taroko National Park
{{Authority control Important Bird Areas of Taiwan Potential World Heritage Sites in Taiwan