Tongluo Bikeway

Chinese name: 銅鑼自行車道

Located at: Tongluo Township, Miaoli County

The Tongluo Bikeway, located in Jiuhu Village, Tongluo Township, Miaoli County, was opened in 2008. The route designed with a circular lane is about 8 kilometers in length. It is built along the ridgeline of Jiuhua Mountain (九華山) and returns to the original point in a circular way, passing through Jiuhua Mountain’s Daxingshan Temple (大興善寺), Tiaoyan Historical Trail (挑鹽古道), Hutoukan Historical Trail (虎頭崁古道), Taiwan Hakka Museum and other major attractions, including the ancient suspension bridges hung across the valley and as well as the bridges offering scenic views of the valley. All of these sites make this bikeway very distinctive. Since about 5 kilometers of the bicycle path is combined with the tea plantation industry road, there will be vast green tea fields along the way, and the scenery is also one of the characteristics of the Tongluo Bikeway.

The entrance of Tongluo Bikeway

(Photo: Culture and Tourism Bureau of Miaoli County)

The Tiaoyan Historical Trail, literally meaning “salt transporting ancient road,” was the main road used to connect the mountainous and the coastal areas between Tongxiao (通霄) and Tongluo communities in the old days. When it was built, it was mainly used to transport people's daily necessities. With this ancient road, the sea salt produced in the Tongxiao area, which is close to the sea, can be transported to the Tongluo mountainous area. Since it was common for porters to shuttle between these two communities; local people nicknamed the path "salt transporting ancient road."

A section of the Tongluo Bikeway, known as the highest bike path in Taiwan, which is called the Skywalk, is a rare high-altitude scenic cycling route in the country. It is located between the Hutoukan Historical Trail and the Tiaoyan Historical Trail. On this section, you will find ancient suspension bridges and landscape bridges stretching across the valley. On the scenery viewing platform, the panoramic view of Tongluo is amazing, and when the weather is good, you can see the scenery of Tongxiao and Yuanli (苑裡) coastal areas. During the spring tung blossom season, the whole valley is full of tung blossoms in full bloom, like snow-covered hills. It’s a beautiful scene. In recent years, this area has become a popular spot for tung blossom viewing in northern Taiwan. Because the climate and soil of Jiuhu Village in Tongluo Township are suitable for growing chrysanthemums, in November each year, the chrysanthemums bloom here, and visitors can enjoy the chrysanthemums while riding a bicycle on the bikeway.