Dongshan River

Loudong, Yilan County

This is a very peaceful ride along the Dongshan River, located in Ilan County near Loudong. The ride takes you past the National Centre for Traditional Arts and includes a short stretch over the sand dunes along the beach. This ride is also one section of the longer Loudong Loop bike trail. Please see my blog entry for more details on this.

Length: 22km round-trip

Attractions: National Centre for Traditional Arts

Access: take the bus from the Taipei City Hall Bus Station to Loudong. The bus goes through a series of long tunnels directly to the coast and is much faster than the train. It takes about an hour to reach Loudong.

The bus will take you to the newly opened Loudong bus station which is next to the train station. From the bus terminal there are a couple of ways to get to the river.

1. take the tourist shuttle bus going to the National Center for Traditional Arts and get off at the Dongshan River Water Park. There are several places renting bikes at the bus stop.

2. take the local train one station to Dongshan. There is a shop outside the station that rents bikes.

The Ride

Dongshan River

Starting from Dongshan Station, there is a large map of the bike trails around Loudong outside the station. From here ride under the tracks and you’ll quickly come to a trail junction. Turn right here and this will lead you down the Dongshan River towards the arts centre. The ride is very peaceful and there are few other cyclists unless you are close to the arts centre or the water park. Cross the first bridge (a red bridge) and ride along the west side of the river. This will take you past the Dongshan River Water Park.

bike trail along the coast

Keep riding past the park until you come near the end of the Dongshan River. Cross the last bridge, take the first left and this will bring you to the start of the coastal bike trail.This one goes for 3km along the coast over the sand dunes. After you have explored the coast, head back to the river and the bridge. From here it is only a short ride to the arts centre.

National Centre for Traditional Arts

The National Centre for Traditional Arts is a pleasant place to spend a couple of hours. It has a nice park with a lake, a museum, a couple of relocated old houses, a fake old street with overpriced shops, as well as a Starbucks and good food court. Enjoy your afternoon here until it’s time to ride back to Dongshan.

Map of the Ride