Taroko National Park (太魯閣國家公園) is the marble gorge most people come to Hualien to see. The April 3, 2024 earthquake (magnitude 7.2 on Taiwan's scale, the strongest in Taiwan since 1999) and the typhoons since then closed many of its best-known trails. Some have reopened; the worst-hit will stay closed for years.
Check before you go: on October 29, 2026, the park's website, taroko.gov.tw, was down for maintenance. What follows comes from the park's notices and press reports, with dates. Check the park site, or ask at the Visitor Center, on the day.
- Visitor Center Taroko Visitor Center, 08:30 to 17:00, closed the second Monday of each month
- Getting there Tourist Shuttle 310 from Hualien Station; or train to Xincheng Station, then taxi
- Gorge road Highway 8, open in timed windows only, closed overnight
- Phone 03-862-1100
Open
As the park director told the Taipei Times in March 2026, these are open:
- The Visitor Center and the Taroko Terrace Trail (太魯閣台地步道), at the park entrance. The easiest place to start, and where the 310 shuttle ends.
- The Xiangde Temple area (祥德寺), including the Xiangde Temple trail, the Tabido trail and the Wen Tianxiang path, reopened on July 1, 2025.
- Tianxiang (天祥), the old heart of the gorge.
- The Dacingshui area and the Chongde Trail, near the coast.
- The Dali to Datong Trail (大禮大同步道), a long, steep climb to two Truku villages. Commercial Times reported the Dekalun trail open up to the Dali and Datong sections in May 2026.
- The Liwu Mountain (立霧山) and Qianliyan Mountain (千里眼山) trails.
Open with limits
Lushui (綠水): the exhibition hall, the first 250 m or so of the Lushui trail and the first 450 m or so of the Lushui to Wenshan trail, daytime only, 08:30 to 16:00, with marked turnaround points (PTS, February 2026).
Closed
- Shakadang Trail (砂卡礑步道), Swallow Grotto (燕子口) and the Baiyang Trail: closed. Repairs are targeted for 2031 (Taipei Times, March 2026).
- Eternal Spring Shrine (長春祠): closed until 2029 at the earliest. It needs a new open-cut tunnel.
- Tunnel of Nine Turns (九曲洞) and Buluowan (布洛灣): the park director said in March 2026 that both would reopen later in the year. We found no official notice that either has. Treat them as closed unless the park says otherwise.
- Zhuilu Old Trail (錐麓古道): closed, reopening date to be announced (park notice, August 28, 2026). When it opens, it needs a permit booked in advance.
The gorge road: Highway 8 time windows
Highway 8 runs up the gorge from the park entrance to Tianxiang and beyond. While repairs continue (four tunnels are due to be finished by July 2028), the stretch between the entrance and Tianxiang opens in set windows. The Highway Bureau's normal October 2026 rules, as reported by China Times:
| Stretch | Open |
|---|---|
| Taroko entrance to Tianxiang | 06:30 to 08:00, 10:00 to 10:05, 12:00 to 13:00, 15:00 to 15:05, 17:00 to 18:00 |
| Guanyuan to Tianxiang | Two-way, 06:30 to 16:30 |
| Overnight | Closed, 18:30 to 06:30 |
The advice: heading back east to the coast, be at Tianxiang by 17:00; heading west into the gorge, pass the Shakadang checkpoint by 15:00. The rules change by month and around holidays, and we had not found November's when we checked. Look at the Highway Bureau before you drive in.
Good to know: without a car, the shuttle gets you to the Visitor Center and the Terrace Trail. For Xiangde Temple, Tianxiang or Lushui, a day charter is the easy way: the driver knows the windows.
Getting there
- 310 Tourist Shuttle 310 from Hualien Bus Station (next to Hualien Station) to the Visitor Center, via Qixingtan. NT$154 one way, or a NT$250 day pass. → The shuttle
- TRAIN Train to Xincheng Station, the closest station, then a short taxi ride.
- CAR Drive via Highway 9 and Highway 8, inside the time windows.
The coast at the park's edge
The park reaches the sea at the Qingshui Cliffs, one of the great views on the east coast, and part of it can be seen now. → Qingshui Cliffs
Sources: Taipei Times, March 6, 2026; Taroko National Park, Xiangde Temple reopening; Taroko National Park, visitor services; park notice, August 28, 2026; PTS on Lushui; Liberty Times, April 2026; Commercial Times, May 2026; China Times on Highway 8, October 2026; Taipei Times on the 2024 earthquake; Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 310. Checked October 2026.