Awesome, thanks for the update. Having reliable, accurate, first hand knowledge is a refreshing and welcome change.
Sorry to hear itās not passable at all, even by bicycle, but the longer they keep the tour busses out the better IMO. Hopefully theyāll open a bike path all the way to allow access to such a truly amazing part of the country while discouraging motor vehicles entirely.
[quote=āJah Lynnieā]Thanks for the update. Hiking southwards from Guan Shan peak (3666 meters) itās possible to peel off the spine at several points and come down westwards to aboriginal villages at the end of twisty mountain roads. One of the roads comes down near Taoyuan and another further south. Have these villages been evacuated or did the roads survive Morakot?
I also wonder if they will reroute the hiking trail from the road up to Guan Shan peak. That was a staircase of old railway sleepers which i heard got washed awayā¦[/quote]
Most of the villages seem to be continuing in some manner or other. It is still hard to tell what will happen to them on the long term. Some have accepted relocation, some are resisting for good/bad reasons.
Rumor has it that it is possible to exit on the Xiao Guanshan Forest Road and then Baolai. I doubt the trail has had many people recently - it didnāt before Morakot (the memories that are coming backā¦brrr). Exit at Tengjhih if possible at all must be be very bad. Donāt start planning it.
The initial part of the trail was visible yesterday - someone has laid a path of stones at the edge of the riverbed. Just mentioning those railway sleepers makes my legs go stiff. Looked for, but no sign of a way up to Guan shan ling. Looked dangerous.
Feel safe in saying there is no chance of any tour buses being up there for a LONG time.
Good read. There was a guy a couple of months ago who also posted some pics & said heād cycled across it in early September. Presume the big slide has slid some more since then.
Ah winter over, sunny and warm(ish) in Tainan again.
I read that report, and it emphasizes the dynamic nature of the road, there is no way he could have crossed the landslide after the Yakao tunnel without a helicopter.
Hey yāall.
Been lurking here at forumosa for awhile, but now that I have something worthwhile to contribute, here it isā¦
On 3/7/11 I began my journey on what I thought would be a 10-day cross island trek. My plan was to take the bus from Kaohsiung, as thatās where I happened to be, in spite of what the Lonely Planet guide directions indicated. That is, taking a bus from Tainan. For a little background, I got the idea from the LP guide, which struck me as a brilliant opportunity while Iām just traveling the island, as I had intended on doing a trip like this before my plane even touched down. Based on what I read, all the pieces were there for the trek of a lifetime. Little did I know that pretty much all of the information in that guide (published in 2007) is worthless. Before I left, I heard that the highway had been badly damaged during Marokot and subsequent storms, but judging from the pictures and that biker dudeās post, I knew that I could do it.
A rundown of my plan:
Take the bus as far as I could, preferably to Meishan. Apply for permits. Camp somewhere along the way to Tienchih, instead of trying to walk 27 km in one day (1). Hike to Tienchih hostel via the Jhongjhiguan trail. Stay the night (2). Hike to the Kuhanuosin cottage up the Guanshan trail, and take a daypack up Kuhanuosin. Stay the night at the cottage (3). Summit Guanshan early the next day, and return to the highway to camp somewhere near Kuaigu (4). Take the trail to Taguanshan, then return to the highway and hike to Yakou hostel, and stay the night (5). Hike to Siangyang at the start of the trail to Jiaming lake, apply for permits, then begin on the trail, camping where I could (6). Hike to Jiaming lake, spend some time taking in the sights, then start back (7). Return to Siangyang, and begin down trail towards Motian (8). Hike to Lisong hot springs, and camp by the river (9). Hike to Wulu, revel in societal comforts, and catch the bus to Taitung (10).
So early Monday morning, I set off. Everyone at the bus station thought I was crazy, but they were helpful and reverent. Transferred at Liugui to take the bus as far as Taoyuanā¦ the first point at which reality started detouring from the guide. The lady awas empathic about the fact that the bus does not return from there that day. I told here I was going to Taitung, and her eyes bugged. Had some kind of seafood soup concoction here, which was delicious, even if everyone was constantly looking at me and laughing. The ride was uneventful, if somewhat troubling, judging by the millions of dollars they must be pouring into reconstruction projects all over the county. I rode from Paolai with an aboriginal woman whose infant child, slung to her back, provided hilarious commentary along the way. Disembarked, was greeted by many locals using unfamiliar phrases, but just kept putting one foot in front of the other.
Every half mile or so I would encounter dogs, in singles or in packs, some that rushed at me barking before their owners called them off, with a āGod bless youā as condolence, or that quietly slunk behind me for a few miles. The scenery wasnāt particularly beautiful, although it was a very nice day, as the river has clearly changed course to run directly over the former highway. Trucks hauling gravel and cement and construction equipment were passing by every couple of minutes, along with a student bus to Meishan, and many rallying 4x4 vehicles I can only assume were driven by locals. After about 10km I got sick of walking through this forsaken landscape and stuck out my thumb. I didnāt have to wait 30 seconds before a guy in a truck picked me up and took me the last 5km to Meishan.
Once there, I was hailed by a police officer, and since I needed to apply for permits anyway, I walked over. Very little English on his end, almost no Chinese on mine, so I improvised: I indicated a computer, and pulled up MDBG Chinese-English translator, and we typed back and forth. To further solidify his point, he showed me a map, and making an X with his arms, indicating that all trails west of Yakou are closed. The hostels both at Yakou and Tienchih are closed. No permits being given for Guanshan, Taguanshan, Guanshanling, nada. He referenced the landslide east of the tunnel, saying it was impassable, but I couldnāt determine if he meant by foot or by car. Shortly thereafter, a lady from Alishan showed up, and was really excited to help me, even though I was pretty sure my plans were completely shot to hell, but since she was so nice, I let her make calls to the bus stations in Taoyuan and to Siangyang park to ask about the status of Jiaming NP trail. Itās open. But I wasnāt about to walk 40+ km without the possibility of hitching a ride if I couldnāt climb any mountains or stay at any hostels or find any more food. I mean, six days of MSG ramen for dinner just wasnāt going to cut it. So, I stayed the night in the campground there in Meishan, which is pretty nice for a car-camp site.
The next day, I explored the little town, but there isnāt much to see. Being the second Tuesday of the month, the visitor center was closed. I walked across the suspension bridge below the highway, and walked around the village, but nobody looked particularly interested in catering a random āMei guoā wandering down the street. Saw a lot of beautiful birds which I couldnāt identify unless I saw pictures, some domesticated wild pigs in a nasty hulk of a building, andā¦ thatās about it. Started walking back down the highway, hitched a ride, and found myself in Paolai a little after 2pmā¦ with two hours to kill until the next bus. I continued my reading of Haruki Murakamiās āNorwegian Wood.ā For a once-thriving hot spring resort town, Paolai has a real down-and-out sort of vibe to it now. I guess it was a Tuesday, though. Rode the bus towards Kaohsiung (I donāt think there even is a bus from Tainan anymore, all the stops said Kaohsiung) with the local middle school kids, who all wanted to practice their English, and watched a scrolling sign in the bus that read āMASSAGE!!ā Scoped some beautiful cliffs outside Liugui, which could have some potential for some adventurous rock climbing, but for nowā¦ Iām pretty enamored with Long Dong.
Thatās all. Didnāt mean it to be so wordy, but hopefully that information is helpful. I have no hope for the highway or the trails being reopened any time in the next year, which is likely how long Iāll be here. Too bad, so sad.
Peace,
Nate
Thanks for the update, but I am curious why you even attempted after reading the above reports.
Great write up.
I am just wondering if it is open for an SUV to drive Kaohsiung to Taitung??
Somebody always has to be a critic. Why did I attempt it in the face of adversity? Because I wanted to succeed in spite of the added challenge. On a more logical note, I hoped that the trails would be less effected by the typhoon and subsequent storms (and I expect they really are not that bad) than the road itself. This is because the highway is far more obtrusive a deformation of the landscape than a trail, and therefore more susceptible to - and indeed a symptom if not the very cause of - these natural and dramatic shifts. I learned many a lesson, so it was not a fruitless venture. One of them being the timidity of the Taiwanese recreational institutions when it comes to these sort of activities. Not that there is no legitimate cause to cease issuing permits. I am simply implying that in, say, the United States, even if the roads were closed, it would be a āhike at your own riskā kind of endeavor. You donāt need a permit to climb any of Coloradoās 14ers. But blatantly ignoring regulations would have been very bad form. So, having finally gotten a good day this week, I climbed and camped at Long Dong instead.
As far as trying to four-wheel itā¦ I highly doubt the slide beyond Yakou would be passable.
[quote=āCunninlinguistā]Somebody always has to be a critic. Why did I attempt it in the face of adversity? Because I wanted to succeed in spite of the added challenge. On a more logical note, I hoped that the trails would be less effected by the typhoon and subsequent storms (and I expect they really are not that bad) than the road itself. This is because the highway is far more obtrusive a deformation of the landscape than a trail, and therefore more susceptible to - and indeed a symptom if not the very cause of - these natural and dramatic shifts. I learned many a lesson, so it was not a fruitless venture. One of them being the timidity of the Taiwanese recreational institutions when it comes to these sort of activities. Not that there is no legitimate cause to cease issuing permits. I am simply implying that in, say, the United States, even if the roads were closed, it would be a āhike at your own riskā kind of endeavor. You donāt need a permit to climb any of Coloradoās 14ers. But blatantly ignoring regulations would have been very bad form. So, having finally gotten a good day this week, I climbed and camped at Long Dong instead.
As far as trying to four-wheel itā¦ I highly doubt the slide beyond Yakou would be passable.[/quote]
Sigh. You had very sound advise on this thread from professionals that is just a couple months old. That advise included a writeup that mentioned an impassable slide. Did you bring a helicopter with you as advised?
The South Cross sits on the junction of the Eurasian and Phillipine plates. You can actually see the plates colliding and lifted above the ground at one point. Itās a massively active and fragile landscape, as is much of Taiwan. The land never fully recovered from the 921 Earthquake and then was hit with several metres of rain in a two day period during Typhoon Morakot.
The is not Colorado. In addition to the challenges of any high mountain region you have some unique dangers such as a land still recovering from a massive earthquake and flood, naturally very weak rock, and a general topography that is marked by V-shaped valleys, and thin ridgelines. Oh, and this is the landslide capital of the world.
[quote]For landslide scientists Taiwan has an almost mythical status, effectively being the nearest thing to a landslide laboratoryā¦the combination of high rates of tectonic uplift, weak rocks, steep slopes, frequent earthquakes and extreme rainfall events renders the landscape highly susceptible to landslides and debris flows. Indeed, Taiwan has almost every type of landslide, although as an aside the number of known ancient rock avalanches remains surprisingly low given the prevailing conditions.
Of course the reason why Taiwan is of interest to landslide scientists is also the reason why it can be a challenging place in which to live. When the World Bank reported in 2005 on its āDisaster Hotspotsā study it noted that "Taiwan may be the place on Earth most vulnerable to natural hazards, with 73 percent of its land and population exposed to three or more hazards.[/quote]
As for the trails they are very likely impassable in places because of slides, washouts, destroyed bridges, etc. If you donāt understand why that is likely then you donāt understand Taiwanās mountains and likely shouldnāt be attempting advanced challenges in them, especially alone.
Like Alishan NSA further North, Itās amazing how dead Maolin has become since Morakot. We tried to go camping in Pingdong last three-day weekend and every campground we had jotted down from the Camping in Taiwan blog was either closed indefinitely or no longer in existence.
We ended up not camping at all and staying at a Dominican monastery down in the plains (Wanjin Basilica, nice place) instead.
Does anybody know of any good campsites in Northern Pingdong or Kaohsiung counties that are still open?
And would it still be worth my while to do the south cross in two separate trips (Taoyuan Xiang to Yakou and then Taidong to Yakou?)
I think Maolin died before that: I used to camp there lots about ten years back, then one year a typhoon wiped out all the suspension bridges. Last time I was there was probably five years ago, and I couldnāt get to any of the old haunts.
Maolin is slowly getting back on its feet. De En Gorge Guesthouse still has a great campsite on a bluff. Was just there in December.
As for doing the south cross, no not worth doing to Yakou from the west side (and you may not be able to get across anyway) and worth doing from the east as far as Siangyang Forest Recreation Area though check road conditions before heading up.
I want to drive car across Highway 20 this weekend.
Is it open for auto traffic?
Is there are website that posts road status?
Canāt. Closed. Most likely never will reopen. Last person to try a month ago was turned back and he merely wanted to walk it. Others tried in December and got as far as Tienchi then went on by bikes. Impossible to cross slide after Yakou. Impossible without a helicopter that is. Donāt go.
MM - is there a site that lists this info? up to date info? What about traffic conditions updated within minutes? Any? It sure would be useful. Some of the GPS providers have a little on traffic congestion but are there any that have 24/7 traffic flow/road quality conditions? Radio has it so there must be a site, right? Or a smartphone App? Just wondering.
MM - is there a site that lists this info? up to date info? What about traffic conditions updated within minutes? Any? It sure would be useful. Some of the GPS providers have a little on traffic congestion but are there any that have 24/7 traffic flow/road quality conditions? Radio has it so there must be a site, right? Or a smartphone App? Just wondering.[/quote]
That would be an app I would actually pay forā¦
I have no idea, not having a smart phone. You can go to the highway department website for updates. They even have cameras set up every few km on the freeways so you can observe real time traffic patterns.
If you zoom in on Highway 20 on the Highway Bureauās disaster site, you will see a red dot at Meishan. It states that Highway 20 is closed at the 110km mark and that repairs are ongoing. The projected re-opening date is Dec. 31st 2011. Other posters have reported getting much higher up but all have been turned back at Yakou. I wouldnāt count on getting past Meishan in a car.
I do hope it re-opens. Itās a fantastically beautiful highway.
Me too. Iāve never been on it and wouldnāt mind riding a bike across it sometime.