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Taroko Terrace Trail

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  • Last Updated:2024-02-23
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  • Humanities and History Photos of the Taroko Nationality(.jpg)
  • Secondary forest(.jpg)
  • Secondary forest(.jpg)
  • 2009 Truku Tribal Music Festival(.jpg)
  • 2011 Truku Tribal Music Festival(.jpg)
  • Map of Taroko Terrace Trail(.jpg)
  • Canyon Sound(.jpg)
  • Taroko Terrace Flow Leading(.jpg)
  • Circular viewing platform(.jpg)
  • A view of Taroko Terrace Trail(.jpg)
  • Taroko Visitor Center(.jpg)
  • Observation Deck behind the Visitor Center(.jpg)
  • Taroko Terrace North Trail(.jpg)
  •  Taroko Terrace South Trail(.jpg)
Information
ManagementAdiministration Office
Trail LevelGrade 0
Altitude60Meter
The length of the trail1007Meter
Needed time about 30 minutes
Remark1. Swimming and wading in the river is prohibited.
2. Camping, BBQing, and collecting specimens at Taroko Terrace are prohibited. There are numerous wild animals on the trail (e.g. mosquitoes, bees, snakes, monkeys, etc.); please pay attention to your own safety.
AddressMAP
Phone Number03-8621100

Taroko terrace is located above the Liwu River estuary and covers approximately three hectares. The alluvial fan of the estuary is where the Su-hua Highway (Provincial Highway 9) and the Central Cross-Island Highway (Provincial Highway 8) meet. 
The Taroko Terrace is home to the Taroko National Park Headquarters, Visitor Center, Sub-Taroko Division, Ninth Division, The Seventh Special Police Corps, National Police Agency, and staff residences. It is the management hub of Taroko National Park, and often is the first stop for those visiting the Park. 

In addition to the above mentioned facilities, various trails of varying difficulty start from the Taroko Terrace. The Terrace also surrounds a spacious lawn adjacent to the Visitor Center, where parents and children can play freely. Native trees and other local plants grow amidst the platform, providing tourists with a glimpse of the local ecosystem while also ideal for schools to provide outreach on environmental and outdoor education. 
The northern section of the trail is located at the edge of the mountains above the large car park, extending from the Park Headquarters into the jungle. In addition to experiencing the shaded forest canopy, visitors may also catch a glimpse of the occasional Taiwanese macaque (Macaca cyclopis). 
Human Geography and History

The Taroko Terrace was once the home of the indigenous Truku tribe's Dekalun group. Translated to "Maple" in the Truku language, the name reflects the large maple tree growing on the mountainside above the Terrace. 

The Truku tribe originally migrated to the mouth of the Liwu River from the upper reaches of Taroko Gorge. Around a hundred years ago, they arrived to the mountainside above the Taroko Terrace in what is now the Dali and Datong villages.  In 1914, the tribe was subjugated to Japanese imperial rule, and in 1918 were forcibly relocated to where the Taroko Terrace now stands. 

太魯閣族人歷史照


The Taroko Terrace provided a strategic location to concurrently monitor and control the Su-hua Highway (Provincial Highway 9), Central Cross-Island Highway (Provincial Highway 8), and the Liwu Estuary. During World War 2, Taroko Terrace was used by the Japanese for both offensive and defensive purposes in 1942. After the War, the Republic of China government continued using this location for defensive purposes, establishing a military base in 1951, carrying out specialist mountain and coastal defensive training. The establishment of Taroko National Park in 1986 effectively demilitarised the area, and the terrace was transformed to be a welcome hub for tourists entering Taroko Gorge. Due to the platform being an ideal managerial location for the Park, the Park Headquarters and Visitor Center were successively opened in 1989 and 1990. 


Taroko National Park Visitor Center

With eye-catching red-bricked walls, the Taroko National Park Visitor Center is located to the north of the Central Cross-Island Highway Entrance Arch, and has a fine view of the Liwu Estuary. The primary purpose of the Visitor Center is to provide tourists with various first-level environmental education before exploring the rest of the Park. The Visitor Center is partitioned into two floors, and contain a number of exhibitions, including the "Our Environment", "Just One of the Players: Humans in the Environment", "Childrens Environmental Education" Exhibition Halls, as well as a rotating Special Exhibition Room. 

 

The first floor of the Visitor Center houses a café that not only sells food and beverages, but also books and related Taroko National Park souvenirs. If arranged in advance, the Visitor Center can host guided tours as well as accommodate use of the media room and conference hall. 

 

The Ambiance of the Gorge
The original sound stone carving of the canyon is the work of the Hualien stone carver Gandan. The two white, sturdy marble carvings stand alongside each other, with etches seemingly slashed in disarray by the misty Liwu River, drawing parallels with the geological formation of the Taroko Gorge. 

峽谷原音

Taroko Terrace Trail
The Taroko Terrace Trail is divided into two sections that collectively encircle the Taroko Terrace about 270 degrees. The southern section of the trail runs adjacent to the Liwu River, and extends from the lawn adjacent to the Visitor Center to the National Park Police Headquarters, where the trail connects to the Shakadang Forestry Road leading to Dali and Datong villages. Along this section of the trail, visitors can view the Liwu River slowly flowing from the mountains into the Pacific Ocean. 
Weather Forecast: Taroko National Park Headquarters


南段步道

The South Section of the Taroko Terrace Trail


台地上看山看水

Statue of Truku Tribe Warrior at Taroko Terrace

 

長龍般的榕樹

The Fig Trees at Taroko Terrace


遊客中心的觀景平台

The Big Lawn at Taroko Terrace
 

The North Section of the Taroko Terrace Trail
北段步道

The Cable Car for shipping crops or daily necessaries for Truku tribe people to Dali & Datong Villages

流籠頭



次生林

A Secondary Forest


太魯閣峽谷音樂節
The event of Taroko Gorge Music Festival was on the river bed of the Liwu River at the Eternal Spring Shrine (Changchun Shrine).

 

部落音樂會
The Truku Tribe Musical Festival was at the Taroko Terrace mostly on the second Saturday(s) of each month except for the month of Taroko Gorge Music Festival event annually in October or November. 

Service Facitilies
Visitor Center. Police Station. Shop. Food and Drink. Public Restroom. Phone. Parking Lot. Viewing Deck. Exhibition Hall. Mountaineering. Bus Station. Message board. Apron. AED. Accessibile Restroom. Accessibile Parking.
Traffic Information
BikeA parking rack is available for bicycles.
Bus1. From Hualien station, take buses, TaiwanTrip Ubus 310, Hualien Bus 1133 bound for Tianxiang, Luoshao-1126, or Lishan-1141, and alight at Taroko Natioanl Park Headquarters visitor center.
2. From Xincheng station take buses, Ubus 310, or Taroko 302 Bus(Electric bus), or Hualien Bus 1133 bound for Tianxiang and alight at Taroko National Park Headquarters visitor center.
3. From Tianxiang: Take buses, Ubus 310, or Hualien Bus #1133 bound for Taroko N. P. HQ and TRA Hualien station. Or take a Taroko Bus 302 bond for Taroko National Park Headquarters visitor center and Xincheng train station.
4. #FAQ News/FAQ “ Transportation: Where can I purchase day passes for buses to Taroko National Park?.”
5. Bus schedules are available from #iBus Info System, and please check Route Search/ Search by Bus Operator Ubus #310, or Hualien Bus 1133, 1126, 1141, or Taroko Bus 302.
DrivingFrom Taipei: Drivers should take Freeway #5 from Taipei to Su'ao, then connecting the Su-hua Highway (Provincial Highway 9) to the end of the Highway, turning right at Taorko Bridge to transition to the Central Cross-Island Highway (Provincial Highway 8) towards the Taroko National Park Visitor Center and Headquarters.
ParkingThe parking lot at the Taroko National Park Visitor Center can accommodate scooters, small and large cars, tour buses. Disabled parking spaces are available for those with valid permits.