There are road climbs that are long. Then there is the Taiwan KOM.
Starting from sea level at the mouth of Taroko Gorge and ending at Wuling Pass at 3,275 metres, the Taiwan King of the Mountains, known globally as the Taiwan KOM, covers 87.5 kilometres of continuous ascent, making it the longest paved road climb in the world. For context, the Col du Galibier in the French Alps, one of the great Tour de France climbs, tops out after around 35km. Cycling the Taiwan KOM is more than twice that, and it starts at the sea.
If you’re a cyclist who cares about this sort of thing, this is the one.
Is the Taiwan KOM Really the World’s Longest Road Climb?
We get asked this almost every week. “What about El Crucero in Colombia?” “What about Mauna Loa in Hawaii?”
We’ve looked at both carefully. Mauna Loa reaches a higher altitude, 3,600 metres vs Wuling’s 3,275, but the road only properly begins climbing at Ke’amuku, which puts it at roughly 66 kilometres. The Taiwan KOM starts from the ocean.
El Crucero in Colombia is a legitimate and serious climb. But it measures 87 kilometres. Wuling Pass is 87.5 kilometres. We’ll take those extra 500 metres.
There are no doubt other contenders we haven’t heard of, and we’re always interested in the debate. But until someone shows us otherwise, the road to Wuling Pass is the longest paved road climb in the world, and it begins in one of the most spectacular natural settings on the planet.
Section One: Taroko Gorge to Tianxiang (20km, 500m)
The climb begins at sea level at the entrance to Taroko Gorge, where the marble walls of the coastal range meet the Pacific. For the first 20 kilometres, the road winds through a canyon that stops people in their tracks, sheer marble cliffs soaring hundreds of metres above, the crystal-clear Liwu River running below, and a road that in many places has been blasted directly into the cliff face.
The climbing gradients at this stage of the gorge are pretty reasonable, at between 2 and 3%. It’s a really nice way to gain a bit of elevation without having to work too hard, and it means you can also take in the scenery of the cliffs as you go through.
Key landmarks on the way through:
- Changchun Shrine, a stunning cliffside shrine with a waterfall that’s impossible to ride past without stopping
- Swallow Grotto, where the gorge narrows to its tightest point, the marble walls honeycombed with holes worn by the river over millennia
- Tianxiang, the end of the gorge, at 20km, and the last proper resupply stop for the next 57 kilometres
That last point deserves emphasis. Tianxiang has a 7-Eleven. Do not rely on it, it sells out of almost everything by mid-morning, and there is nothing else until you’re nearly at the top. Stock up before you enter the gorge, carry more than you think you need, and treat Tianxiang as a bonus rather than a plan.
One more note on this section: start early. Tourist buses leave Hualien from around 8am and converge on the gorge. Aim to be through Tianxiang by 8:30am if you want to experience the gorge without a coach idling behind you.
Section Two: The Cloud Forest Climb (57.5km, 2,650m)
From Tianxiang the gorge falls away behind you and the real climbing begins. The gradient settles into a consistent 4-5% for the next 57 kilometres, relentless, but manageable if you find your pace and hold it. This is where most riders either settle in or come unstuck.
The road itself was hacked into the mountainside by Japanese colonial-era engineers in the early twentieth century, initially for forestry and resource extraction, and finished by Nationalist road crews after 1945. That layered story (and a lot more) is in our brief history of Taiwan, worth a read while you’re packing.
As you gain altitude, the landscape transforms. The dense tropical jungle gives way gradually to cloud forest, a thicker, damper, more atmospheric woodland that grows in the band where cloud forms around the mountain. Look closely at the bigger tree trunks and you might spot mu-er growing on the bark: wood ear mushroom, a staple of Taiwanese cooking that you’ve almost certainly already eaten on your trip.
Refuelling opportunities disappear through this section. The old café at Bilu, once a reliable mid-climb stop, closed years ago. There is nothing useful until you’re within 5 kilometres of the Dayuling junction, except one remarkable exception.
At roughly the 82km mark, there is a petrol station. The bathrooms are questionable and the coffee is average. But it serves what we believe, without reservation, to be the best zongzi, sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, anywhere in Taiwan. People genuinely drive up a mountain specifically to buy them. Load up. You’ll need the fuel for what’s coming.
At Dayuling you reach a T-junction. Right goes through a tunnel and down towards Lishan and Yilan County. Left is the final 10 kilometres to Wuling Pass.
Turn left.
The Final Push: Dayuling to Wuling Pass (10km, 1,100m)
This is where the KOM earns its reputation.
With 77.5 kilometres of climbing already in the legs, the final 10 kilometres ramp to gradients of 15-18% on the opening switchbacks. The cloud forest disappears and is replaced by open alpine grassland, boulders, low scrub, the kind of barren mountain terrain that feels nothing like the tropical island you started the day on.
In spring and autumn the temperature drops noticeably as you climb above 2,500m. Bring a gilet at minimum.
Around 3 kilometres from the summit there’s a small descent towards Songsuye Lodge and the 3125 Café. This is not the summit. You have not crested the mountain and tipped over the back. There are still 1.5 kilometres to go. We have witnessed seasoned cyclists weep with confusion at this descent. Consider yourself warned.
The actual summit is unmistakeable, a flat area at 3,275m with views opening up on both sides of the ridge. East, back down through the gorge towards the Pacific. West, into the heart of the central mountain range. Stop, take a photo, put on every layer you’re carrying. At altitude, once you stop moving, it gets cold fast.
Practical Tips and Where to Stay
We’ve guided riders up this climb more times than we can count on our 7-day King of the Mountains tour. Three things come up every single time:
1. Start early, traffic. Tourist buses leave Hualien from 8am onwards. Get into the gorge before they do.
2. Start early, weather. The typical weather pattern in spring and autumn sees clear conditions early in the morning, with low cloud forming at the base of the mountains from mid-morning onwards. Start early and you tend to climb above the cloud. Start late and you climb into it.
3. Start early, daylight. Getting from the summit to your accommodation requires descending a serious mountain. You do not want to do this in fading light. Set a hard cut-off of 3pm at the summit. Most riders take 7-9 hours for the full climb, work backwards from 3pm and set your alarm accordingly.
This is the most common question we get about the KOM, and there is no easy answer for riders going unsupported.
Songsuye Lodge, just below the summit, requires booking at exactly 8am Taiwan time, exactly one month before your stay. There are also multiple reports over the years of the lodge reselling rooms booked by foreign guests and turning them away on arrival. We don’t recommend relying on it.
Qingjing Farm area is around 35km from the summit, reachable in an hour or so by bike, but it’s in completely the wrong direction unless you’re continuing west towards Sun Moon Lake. You’d need to climb back up the next morning.
Lishan, 50km north on the descent back towards Yilan, is the option we use with our guided groups. The accommodation is basic but comfortable, the views from the village are outstanding, and the ride from the summit to Lishan is spectacular, though the road is rough in places and not somewhere to be after dark or in bad weather, which is why we always drive our groups the final section from the summit.
The honest takeaway: riding the KOM unsupported requires serious planning around food, accommodation, and timing. The logistics are genuinely difficult, and they’re the strongest argument we know for doing this climb as part of a supported tour, where none of that is your problem.
Taiwan KOM, Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Taiwan KOM climb? The Taiwan KOM is 87.5 kilometres from the start of Taroko Gorge to Wuling Pass at 3,275m, the longest paved road climb in the world. Total elevation gain is approximately 3,275 metres.
How hard is the Taiwan KOM? It’s a serious undertaking. The first 20km through Taroko Gorge average 2.5% and are manageable for most trained cyclists. The middle 57.5km settle into a consistent 4-5%. The final 10km from Dayuling to the summit hit 15-18% on the opening switchbacks. Most riders find the final 10km the hardest climbing they’ve ever done. It is achievable for well-prepared cyclists, we regularly guide groups of mixed ability up it, but it rewards those who have done specific climbing training beforehand.
How long does it take to ride the Taiwan KOM? Most riders take between 7 and 9 hours from the gorge entrance to the summit. Strong climbers can do it in under 6 hours; riders taking it steady may take 10+. For planning purposes, we recommend working backwards from a 3pm summit cut-off and setting your start time accordingly.
When is the best time to ride the Taiwan KOM? Spring (March-May) and autumn (October-November) are the best windows. The weather is predictable, temperatures at altitude are cool enough to climb comfortably, and the roads are clear. October also coincides with the annual Taiwan KOM Challenge race, which brings a tremendous atmosphere to Hualien. Avoid summer, the heat, humidity, and typhoon risk make it unsuitable for a serious mountain attempt.
Do I need a guide to ride the Taiwan KOM? You don’t need one, but the logistics of doing it unsupported are genuinely difficult. Food and water supply above Tianxiang is almost non-existent, and accommodation near the summit is very hard to book reliably. A guided tour removes every one of those problems, you ride, and everything else is handled. Our 7-day King of the Mountains tour is built specifically around this climb.
Ready to ride the Taiwan KOM with full logistical support and guides who’ve done it dozens of times? Enquire about our 7-day King of the Mountains tour. Want to pair it with a full lap of the island? The KOM is also a highlight of our 16-day Full Island Tour. For the broader picture of cycling in Taiwan, our complete guide covers seasons, regions, and how the KOM fits in.