Wuling Pass South Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

18.7
FIETS
24.7 mi
DISTANCE
8,513 ft
GAINED
6.4 %
AVG. GRADE

FULL CLIMB STATS

Page Contributor(s): Mark Blackburn, Taipei, Taiwan; Jan-Hendrik Meidinger, Manager, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Taipei City, Taiwan

INTRO

Cycling Wuling Pass South - Asia's 3rd hardest bike climb after Wuling West and Mount Bromo (Indonesia).  This climb is not as scenic or epic as Wuling Pass East, but it is worth doing since you no doubt traveled a long distance to be cycling in the area. 

Our PJAMM Cycling Adventure App's preloaded Wuling Pass self-guided tours are accessed below. 
This is a long grinder at 40 kilometers  - #13 in the world, #2 in Taiwan.  The average grade is 6.5%.  25% (10 km) is at grade 0-5%, 62% (24.8 km) 5-10%, and 9% (3.6 km) at 10-15% grade.  The steepest 500 meters is 12.1% and steepest continuous five kilometers 8.9%.

See more details and tools regarding this climb's grade via the “Profile Tool” button.
Roadway:  Excellent condition.  

Traffic:  Mild to moderate.

Parking:  We used SAG although there did appear to be a few spots on the side of the road in the first kilometer where you could park and leave your car. 
Provisions:  There are a couple 7-11's along the route, as well as markets in small towns we pass through, but nothing after kilometer 21 (about halfway).
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
Also consider the other two routes to the top of Wuling Pass: Wuling Pass East (#81 world; world's second longest bike climb), and Wuling Pass North (world #2; we've only done part of this one - you'll need to read the climb report for our excuse on that one . . .😒).
 
Lodging: We flew into & stayed in Taipei our first and last nights of the trip at, the Grand Hyatt, which is an amazing place. There are several other hotel options in Taipei to choose from.  We traveled one day to Xincheng (hotel options) and stayed there for the night, rode Wuling East and then stayed in Puli Township southwest (hotels) for our Wuling Pass West start.

SAG: Our support person was Simon, who drove us to and from the airport, as well as all three days on Wuling Pass -- he was AWESOME. Simon can be reached through the Grand Hyatt Taipei at 886-2-2720-1234.

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Wuling Pass
Taiwan
3 ROUTES
1 POIs
ROUTE STATS (TOTAL)
94
mi
DISTANCE
26,867
ft
ELEV. GAIN

NEARBY CLIMBS (0) RADIAL PROXIMITY

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CLIMB SUMMARY

Cycling  Wuling Pass West - hairpins, cyclist 

Wuling Pass South -- hairpins one mile from the summit.

Cycling Wuling Pass from the south out of Xiulin Township in central Taiwan is a grueling 40 kilometer (24.7 mile) climb to 3,300 m (10,813’), gaining 2600 meters (8,530’) at 6.4% average grade.  With those statistics as a foundation, riding Wuling Pass from the south ranks in the top 30 most difficult bike climb in the world.

Wuling South is not as popular as the eastern approach, but it is extremely challenging and offers a different cycling experience.  While the eastern approach goes through the breathtaking Taroko Gorge at the beginning of the ride, the western approach takes us through several towns over the first half of the climb.  

There is also much more traffic on this route, although it is a great experience riding through smaller Taiwanese villages on our bikes.

Bike climb Wuling Pass West - town, bicyclist on bike on road

Climbing Wuling Pass West by bike - cyclist passing cyclist walking bike on road

Wuling South is a bit more tropical than the east and there is a long footpath that overlooks a steep canyon, mountains and hillside farms.  

Cycling Wuling Pass West - Cingjing Skywalk from aerial drone, walkway, mountains, farm and reservoir 

Footpath at mile 10.6 (1.2 km / 0.7 miles long) -- fee required.

The Cingjing Skywalk is 1.2 km long and offers stunning views of the farms, mountains and canyon surrounding it.  Tickets are limited to 3,400 per day, so be sure to arrive early if you plan on using the walkway.

Climbing Wuling Pass West by bike - Cingjing Skywalk from aerial drone, walkway, mountains, farm and reservoir

Footpath, hillside farming and Wan-ta Reservoir.

Climbing Wuling Pass West by bike - Cingjing Skywalk from aerial drone, walkway, mountains, farm and reservoir

Middle section of the climb has lush surroundings.

Cycling Wuling Pass West - aerial drone photo of steep cliffs

Road is along a steep cliff towards the top.

Climbing Wuling Pass West by bike - Cingjing Skywalk from aerial drone, walkway, mountains, farm and reservoir

Much of the climb is in Taroko National Park.

Since Wuling Pass lies within a national park, the wildlife in the area is diverse.  According to Taroko National Park’s website, 152 species of birds have been recorded there, including 14 species that are unique to Taiwan.  Additionally, 45 species of large mammals, including the black bear, Formosan wild boar, and the Formosan Macaque, can be seen in abundance in some of the more undisturbed areas within the park.  We were lucky enough to see some Formosan Rock Monkeys playing in the trees along our route up Wuling Pass East.

Final approach to the summit.

Summit sign and viewpoint bottom right center of photo -- across from parking lot.

While not as scenic, long or epic as Wuling East . . .

. . . . this is a fun and challenging road bike climb . . . and . . .

. . . a World Top 30 bike climb!!

The final 13 kilometers (8 miles) of the Wuling South bike climb overlap the World #2 Hardest Bike Climb, Wuling West.

Before heading to Taiwan on your cycling adventure, be sure to rely on our list of Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip, and use our interactive checklist to ensure you don't forget anything.

SOME BACKGROUND ON TAIWAN

 

Biking up Wuling Pass East - monkey in tree

Taiwan in relation to China.

Taiwanese Culture:

The cultures of Taiwan tend to be a hybrid, incorporating traditional elements of Chinese culture, as well as Japanese culture, traditional Confucianist beliefs, and Western values (Taiwan's Culture).  Taiwan has so much rich culture within itself.  Examples of Taiwan’s rich culture include:  National Palace Museum (home to over 650,000 pieces of Chinese bronze, jade, calligraphy, painting, and porcelain), and a strong musical leaning with classical artists such as violinist Cho-Liang Lin and pianist Ching-Yun Hu, in addition to a national fondness for Karaoke (Taiwan's Culture).  Another unique aspect of Taiwan is its vast wildlife and national park system.  Though a small country in size, Taiwan has nine national parks, each full of unique and wonderful beauty.  You can learn more about Taiwan’s national parks system here.  Other unique experiences include riding the Maokong Gondola, a glass-bottomed gondola that will take you over fields where oolong tea is grown.  If you ride the Gondola to the final stop at Maokong station, you can visit your choice of numerous tea houses and enjoy the views of the tea farms and surrounding hiking trails.  On Taiwan’s northeast coast is Yehliu Geopark, a narrow cape composed of unique rock formations formed by strong sea winds.

Taiwan’s points of interest are vast, and there really is something for every travel style.  More information on things to do when traveling in Taiwan can be found here and here.  

SPECIAL THANKS

A big thank you to our cycling friend living in Taiwan, Mark Blackburn, who invited us to join his cycling club for this climb.  Without that invitation, we may never have experienced one of the greatest cycling climbs in the world.

And a huge portion of gratitude to Jan-Hendrik Meidinge, a Sapien Cycling Club member and manager of the Grand Hyatt Taipei.  JH arranged for our lodging (the best we have ever had -- and we don’t get paid to say that, by the way), our driver (Simon), access to the Hyatt’s Grand Club Lounge (WOW!) and the exceptional buffet breakfast available each morning.  We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Taipei upon arrival to Taiwan and the evening before leaving -- a perfect start and finish to our Asian Cycling Trip (Mt. Fuji, Japan; Doi Inthanon, Thailand; Wuling Pass, Taiwan).

Grand Hyatt Taipei -- middle of photo.

Bicycling climb of Wuling Pass East - PJAMM Cycling and our driver Simon

Left to right:  John, Mitch, Simon, Javier.

Simon drove us to and from the airport, as well as three days on Wuling Pass -- he was AWESOME.  Simon can be reached through the Grand Hyatt Taipei at  886-2-2720-1234.

THE BAD NEWS

Drone Operating 101:  Never, NEVER use the “land” feature of your DJI drone, always bring it home manually or click “return to home”.  I have nearly lost a couple drones by mistakenly clicking “land” instead of “return to home” (heck, maybe it’s just me!).  My luck ran out on Wuling West -- lost one of the PJAMM Air Force 😪

Bicycling climb of Wuling Pass East - PJAMM Cycling and our driver Simon

It’s up there somewhere! The problem? That tree hangs over a sheer cliff.

Bicycling climb of Wuling Pass East - PJAMM Cycling and our driver Simon 

Drone search crew.

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