Location: Taichung/Nantou
Distance: 80km Elevation Gain: 1000m
This is one of those rides that almost nobody does, and that’s exactly why it’s so good. It’s a Taichung loop that slips into Nantou County and back again to Taichung, the main event using a lonely single-lane road that delivers a proper 10km suffer-fest. It’s steep, it’s quiet, and it definitely earns its place in our top 100. Also, this route leads to an interesting landmark connected to the 921 Earthquake.
Starting in Wufeng near the Earthquake Museum, not to be confused with the above image or the image below. The museum is worth checking out and has been mentioned in our series.
The climb is to the 921 Earthquake National Memorial Site, which is the location of the famous slanted house. The memorial site sits about 1000m above sea level and is in a remote location.
It’s steep from both sides; whether you ride up from Guoxing or Zhongliao, you’re climbing hard either way. For this write-up, I’m starting from Wufeng, going to Caotun, then Zhongxing New Village, and into Zhongliao.
The route is actually simple once you know the key turns: Wufeng to Caotun on Provincial Hwy 3, which is a straight shot, about 7km of flat riding. From Caotun, get on 14B and continue to Zhongxing New Village. You need to briefly get on Tou 13, which will connect to Tou 22-1, and that will take you to Zhongliao, where you will merge onto Tou 22.
Once you are on Tou 22, there is a Family Mart in Zhongliao (this place only opened a couple of years ago). This is your last real supply stop before the climb. From this Family Mart, the road will gently start to go uphill at an easy 2%. From the Family Mart to the start of the real climbing, you have about 8km of riding at a gradient of 2%.
At the Tou 22 11km sign, turn right, and then quickly make a left. The road diverges into three forks at this point. It is a bit confusing, but to find the exact start of the hill climb, find the cluster of signs, as shown in the following images.
Look for a blue-and-white sign with the four Chinese characters: 洞九山莊 – Dongjiu Mt Villa.
This sign will guide you all the way to the top. If you don’t read Chinese, simply follow the blue sign every time it appears.
There is one English sign in the cluster which says Beelin Meditation Center, but after that, the English basically disappears. Stick with the blue and white Dongjiu Mountain Villa signs. Again this: (洞九山莊)
Once the real climbing starts, you will make some quick elevation gains: If you miss a turn up here, roads can get ugly fast, crumbling asphalt, sudden steep descents, or total dead ends. Just follow the blue signs.
It’s steep. No way around that. I just rode this recently (Dec. 2025) and was surprised; the road quality from the Zhongliao side was actually pretty good going uphill. Some cracked concrete and rough patches, but no major gravel or fully destroyed sections.
On a personal note, I did this on a road bike with 25mm tires, a 52/36 crank, and a 12–28 cassette. Road gearing was perfect here. In the last few years, various gravel bikes have shown up in the world, many with a 1x drivetrain. I would not want to do this with a 42 or 44 tooth chainring; granted, I am not a powerhouse climber, perhaps a lightweight fella could pull it off. Some of these ramps are brutal.
This area is very secluded. During my weekday ride, I saw: one small blue truck and one big truck hauling a backhoe. Just a small detail, but this gives you an idea of the area.
At the top, you’re just over 1,000 meters above sea level. You’ll reach the slanted house memorial, where the ground shifted so much during the earthquake that the house now sits permanently tilted. It’s eerie and very cool to see in person. Also, I would encourage you to do the final steep climb to the exact explosion point of the 9/21 earthquake.
Even after 25 years, the earth continues to show the aftermath of the powerful quake.
From the slanted house, you descend toward Guoxing and connect with 147. This descent is a 5km, extremely steep downhill, but the road quality is in great condition. You will hit high speeds fast; there are sections where the gradient shows 15% to 20%. Good brakes are mandatory. I highly recommend this direction because the road quality is great, and you can avoid the bone-shaking 10km that you just climbed.
Once you reach 147, you will ride a short distance to 14. From there, you can take a left to go to Taichung or a right to Puli. From that 147/14 junction, it’s about 30km back to Wufeng on 14. Quick side note: Taichung HSR is the closest station, with Taichung TRA a solid backup if you’re traveling with a bike. The entire route works comfortably as a day ride with a same-day return to just about anywhere on the island.
Is this obscure hill climb worth it? Absolutely. Or at least some version of it. Even riding up from the 147 side only is fantastic. The scenery is beautiful: banana trees, betel nut palms, a rustic old temple, and that totally isolated mountain feeling where it’s just you and the road. The first time I completed the full loop, I definitely had some nerves creeping in, mostly because it’s so remote. If something goes wrong up there, it becomes serious quickly. But honestly, once you’ve done it, that anxiety disappears.
I’d do this route again without hesitation.
This is Post #076, and yeah, this one turned into a long one. Here is the GPS information: