Traversing Time and Space on the Guanling Ancient Trail – A Classic, Magnificent, and Dreamlike Route

By MOOK Travel’s Christopher, compiled and reported

The Engling Cross-Mountain Trail is a historic path, originally established by the Atayal and Seediq peoples, and later developed into an official road during the Japanese colonial period. It stretches from Ren’ai Township in Nantou County, passing through the central section of the Central Mountain Range—namely the Qilai Range and the Engling Range—to Tongmen Village in Xiulin Township, Hualien County. The trail winds through continuous mountain ranges, with approximately 90% of its entire length traversing the “Danda Wildlife Habitat Conservation Area.”

Originally a hunting route used by the Seediq people, the trail later served as a vital link between eastern and western Taiwan. In the early post-war years, multiple electricity pylons were erected along the route to complete a high-voltage transmission line, channeling surplus electricity from the east to the west. Running parallel to the Taroko Valley River and winding through steep valleys and rugged mountains, the trail boasts spectacular scenery and rich flora and fauna.