Gongliao District: Trails, River and Landscape

Routes, river crossings, historic traces and seasonal grassland offer different ways to plan a trip to Gongliao District. If you are looking for a hotel in Gongliao District, a clear idea of your trip can help: would you mainly like to hike, cycle or experience the landscape? Some destinations and routes are nearby, while others lie in the wider region.

River Landscape and Seasonal Grassland

Near Gongliao Station, the Gongliao Bridge spans the Shuangxi River, the district’s largest river. Open grassland stretches for several kilometers in Taoyuan Valley. In autumn and winter, silver grass flowers cover the hills and shape the seasonal landscape.

Gongliao Environmental Park has a wetland educational trail set in the landscape and is also designed as an off-campus learning site focused on the water environment. The river crossing, open grassland and learning site focused on the water environment offer different points of interest for a stay.

Historic Traces and Present-Day Use

Gongliao Old Street was once an important stronghold on the northern route of the Tamsui-Kavalan Trails. The street’s entrance gate uses a wild boar motif to evoke the area’s past. Historic significance and a visible street motif sit side by side here, without implying a permanent visitor program.

After it was closed following the double-track electrification of Taiwan Railways, the Old Caoling Tunnel reopened as a cycling path in 2008. It is open to pedestrians and cyclists on weekdays; on holidays, only cyclists may use it. Check the current conditions before your visit.

Hiking Trails and How They Differ

In the wider region, the Caoling Historic Trail is an 8.5-kilometer hiking route between Yuanwangkeng in Gongliao District and Dali in Toucheng Township. Along the way, the trail passes Die Si Ma Bridge, Xianji Rock and the historic monuments Xiongzhen Manyan and Tiger Character Stele.

To get to the trail, take Keelung Bus 791 from Fulong Station through Gongliao to the Yuanwangkengkou stop. From there, it is about a 30-minute walk to the trail entrance. Check the schedule before traveling.

Three hiking trails lead to Taoyuan Valley: the Innerliao Route starts at Gongliao’s terraced fields and is considered the shortest and relatively easy to walk. The Daxi Route starts on the Yilan coast and is steeper; the Caoling Route connects with the Caoling Historic Trail. The trail features mentioned offer specific points of comparison: starting point, ease of walking and connection to another trail.

The preserved Yangtingli Historic Trail runs roughly half through Shuangxi and half through Gongliao. The Gongliao section lies entirely in Meifeng Village. This keeps the geographic attribution clear: only this section is counted as part of Gongliao.

Cycling Routes and River Crossings

The Old Caoling Tunnel is part of a circular cycling route about 20 kilometers long. The route starts at Fulong Station and returns there via the coast. Another connection is the Longmen–Yanliao Cycling Route: the Longmen Suspension Bridge spans the Shuangxi River, connects Fulong Village with Longmen Village and is a waypoint on the route leading to Yanliao Seaside Park. This distinguishes a loop that returns to Fulong from a route whose destination is Yanliao Seaside Park.

A Note on Local Cuisine

A 2022 description locates Gongliao Bento on Chaoyang Street in Gongliao Village and describes its flavor as traditionally Taiwanese.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Zhonghe District, Jioufen, Banqiao District, Xizhi District, Wanli District, Bali District, Yonghe District, Yingge District.

For the main travel overview: New Taipei City.