Roam ancient trails and wetlands — Gongliao offers more than just the Ocean Music Festival this summer

▲ The Grass Mountain Ancient Trail is at its most beautiful when covered with blooming silvergrass, but even outside of that season, visitors can enjoy views of Guishan Island from afar, making it a top choice for hiking. (Photo / Courtesy of the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Administration)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

The most exciting summer music event in northern Taiwan, the “2014 Gongliao International Ocean Music Festival,” will take place from July 9 to 13 at Fulong Beach. Ahead of the festival, the New Taipei City Tourism Bureau also recommends several nearby distinctive tourist attractions, allowing visitors to rock out all summer while also enjoying an active and relaxing time amid beautiful mountains and waters.

Combining history, culture, and tourism, the 2,167-meter-long “Old Caoling Tunnel” starts from Fulong Railway Station. Traveling through the tunnel leads to Shicheng Scenic Area, where you can gaze at the scenic view of Guishan Island rising from the sea. The route then connects to the coastal cycling path, where you can admire the San Diego Cape Lighthouse — the easternmost point of Taiwan — as well as the local fishing village scenery.

The “Longmen Camping Area” offers premium camping facilities that meet international standards set by the Federation Internationale de Camping et de Caravaning. In the seaside section, you can paddle a kayak and experience the thrill of riding the waves. Additionally, cycling across the nearby 202-meter-long Longmen Suspension Bridge, accompanied by the rhythmic “clunk clunk” sound of the wheels on the bridge, leads you to Yanliao Beach Park.

One of New Taipei City’s popular hiking routes — the nearly 10-kilometer-long “Grass Mountain Ancient Trail” — remains a top choice for nature lovers even when the hills are not blanketed with silvergrass swaying in the wind. The ancient Qing Dynasty relics scattered along the trail and the boundless sea views with a distant glimpse of Guishan Island make it especially appealing. Meanwhile, the “Tianliaoyang Wetland,” located between Fulong Station and Gongliao Station on the Taiwan Railway, became a bird-watching paradise after the sighting of the globally protected red-crowned crane in 2003.