Zhuolan Grand Canyon 卓蘭大峽谷

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Zhuolan Grand Canyon (aka Zhuolan Gorge) is actually a short river canyon near Zhuolan Township of Miaoli County. The canyon is only a few years old, caused by land uplift during the large 921 earthquake that struck Taiwan. It is a bit off the beaten path, but has incredible views of this new nature made wonder.

Background:
​The Zhuolan Grand Canyon formed soon after the 921 earthquake on September 21, 1999 when the ground in the area was uplifted by quite a few meters. This combined with later torrential runnoff from Typhoons later created a large gap between both sides of the Da'an River (大安溪), creating a canyon about 300 meters long and nearly 20 meters high in some parts. 
If it were not for river runoff, the land in the Zhuolan valley would be mountains. The land is constantly being uplifted by tectonic forces, but constant river runoff has cut through the easily eroding soil to create the valley and this canyon. 

Price:
Free

Tours: 
There are many tours and activities available in Miaoli such as Schokolake Chocolate Factory, Shangshun World, West Lake Resortopia, Suweila Manor, Baba Kengdao, Hobbit Valley, Zhuo Ye Cottage Duck Box and more on Klook here or KKday here. 

Accommodation:
We have stayed at and recommend Beautiful Landscape Resort, a fish farm and resort near Nanzhuang Old Street (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), and Yuan Motel, a high class car motel which includes a great breakfast buffet (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here). 

Looking for a hotel? Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.
You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here.  
Need travel insurance? Compare prices on Insubuy here. 

Just to let you know, if you book using the links above, we get some commission at no cost to you, and you can help support our blog. 
You can click here to receive $5 USD on your first Klook purchase. ​

How to get there:
By Car/Scooter: Take county road 140 east out of Zhuolan past the gravel digging area (follow the map below). You can park for free on the side of the road. The walk to the canyon takes 15-20 minutes. If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. ​
Looking for scooter rental in Miaoli? Check out Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. 
By Bus: Take Hsinchu bus no. 5663 from Zhulan to Zhulan Grand Canyon stop. The canyon is about another 30 minute walk from the bus stop. You can book tickets to travel to Miaoli via inter-city bus on Klook here. You can book tickets to Miaoli via high speed rail (HSR)  on Klook here or KKDay here. Book tickets via the normal train (TRA)  on Klook here. 
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan's landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can search on KKday here and search for tours on Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. 

Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:

We have only been to the Zhuolan Grand once, and we went the wrong way. Keep going after you get to the gravel pit, or else you will have a dangerous/unfriendly walk to the canyon. You can see from Google Maps there is a trail from the road next to the canyon. 

Check out our drone footage of the canyon below:

Getting to the grand canyon was half the challenge.

According to the information from Google Maps at the time, I thought the entrance was this gravel digging pit. I parked my car near the pit and started walking. 

I noticed that helmets were required here...but I kept moving. 

I could see the entrance from the canyon from the gravel pit, so I walked toward it. 

I had to dodge dump trucks and backhoes, but I made it to the entrance. 

I had to walk through some thick brush and grass to get there, so don't be like me. Drive further up the road where there is a trail down to the canyon. 

First real view of the canyon in its glory. 

View of the canyon from the entrance. A drop here would hurt. 

The terrain here is made of loose clay that easily erodes. I parked here and started flying. 

View of the deepest part of the canyon looking east. 

Looking down on the canyon. 

Another view looking east. 

Looking back west to Zhulan and Huoyan Mountain (and the gravel pit). 

Some guts were fishing in the river too. 

The canyon walls get pretty high here. 

More people fishing along the river in the canyon. 

Another view looking east. 

People down below enjoying the beautiful blue water. 

Another view further back. 

After I was done flying my drone, it was time to go back. I almost died from being crushed from falling rocks dumped by those trucks. Again, avoid the gravel pit at all costs. 

Also I had to do a five foot jump across this stream.

Looking west on the river bed. 

It was a fun adventure even if I got scratched and scraped from grass and bushed along the way and almost killed by falling boulders. Learn from my mistakes, go further down the road to see the canyon.

Thanks for reading! Please like, follow, and share and pay attention for more blogs on Miaoli to come. 

You can find more tours and activities in Miaoli on Klook here or KKday here. 

You can check out our full guide to Miaoli here.

You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here. ​

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