Zhuilu Old Road, Mountain trail in Taroko National Park, Taiwan.
The Zhuilu Old Road is a mountain trail that runs along vertical marble cliffs within Taroko National Park, carved into the rock face itself. The open section winds along the mountainside, offering views across deep gorges and canyons below.
The path began as a hunting route used by the Truku people and was later expanded by Japanese forces in the early 1900s using workers suspended by cables to widen it. This transformation from narrow mountain path to a more navigable trail marked a major shift in how the route was accessed.
The trail holds deep meaning for the Truku indigenous people, who originally created it as a narrow path to reach remote hunting grounds in the mountains. For them, this route represented essential access to lands that sustained their communities.
Visitors must obtain multiple permits before accessing the trail, including police authorization and proof of a local emergency contact number. It is best to start early and be prepared for sections that require careful footing along the exposed edges.
The Truku originally carved this path at just 30 centimeters wide, reflecting how narrow the original route was for mountain travel. Today the restored section is wider, but this detail reveals the remarkable skill and daring required to create such a passage through the cliffs.
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