The Zhuilu Old Trail, a renowned spot in Taroko National Park famed for its dramatic cliffs and “limited” daily access, has seen daily booking limits reached and remained the park’s most sought-after hiking trail year after year. Since fees were officially introduced yesterday, only 62 and 49 hikers entered on the first two days respectively—a drop of nearly 50% compared to the pre-fee period. Park authorities consider the initial dip as inevitable and are responding with a “level-headed” attitude.
In recent years, the Zhuilu Old Trail has surged in popularity. Park data shows that last year there were over 30,000 applicants, averaging almost 100 applications daily, making it the most popular hiking route in Taroko National Park. The trail is usually capped at 96 entries on weekdays and 156 on holidays, often leading to a “no vacancy” scenario that leaves those on standby lists with no choice but to look on enviously.
To ensure hiking quality and manage trail capacity, the park implemented the “user pays” principle this year, making the Zhuilu Old Trail the first site in the park to introduce an entry fee system. Starting March 16, the full fare is NT$200 and the half fare is NT$100, with children under 6 and residents of Xiulin Township in Hualien entering free of charge. The ticket revenue will be used to enhance trail maintenance and improve the overall visitor experience.
The Zhuilu Old Trail stretches 10.3 kilometers. Damaged by a storm two years ago, it currently operates on an “east-in, east-out” basis, with only about 3 kilometers open to the public. On the first day of the fee implementation, only 62 hikers entered, a 30% decrease from pre-fee levels. Yesterday, the number dropped further to just 49. One hiker surnamed Wang praised the fee system for helping regulate visitor numbers and considered NT$200 a reasonable price. Others suggested that a 70% discount would be more appropriate until the entire trail is reopened.
Zhang Dengwen, deputy director of the park administration, stated that some impact was to be expected during the initial phase of fee implementation. He noted that even before fees were introduced, the 96 weekday slots were fully booked, but actual visitor numbers averaged around 60–70, which is not much different from post-fee levels. With the first weekend now behind them and all 156 weekend slots already filled, park officials are optimistic that visitor numbers will rebound within a month.
(China Times)