The Qingshui Cliffs (中文版: 清水斷崖) are a 21-kilometer long natural phenomenon at the edge of Hualian and Yilan counties. The cliffs drop off straight into the ocean, and in some places are over 800 meters high. This impressive cliff is caused by the Philippine Plate pushing up the Eurasian Plate, while the rain and wind erodes the softer surface material to reveal the hard granite and marble underneath. It's such a formidable barrier that it also separates many species of wildlife. The old roads were carved into the solid walls of the cliff, but this proved to be dangerous and unstable. New roads go through a series of many tunnels, and future roads will go under the mountain and bypass these cliffs entirely. Sections of the original roads are still accessible though, which make for spectacular viewpoints, and can be found around the entrances of most of the tunnels along highway 9.
This particular section of old road lies 450 meters into Jinwen Tunnel, which replaced it. There is a sidewalk on the south side of the tunnel for most of the way, so you don't have to walk in the road, but it's still unnerving when traffic comes from behind you. Only the south side of the tunnel has a side walk, so it's important to park and walk from the Hualian side.
Although the area is wide and flat, it's not suitable for camping, due to the risk of falling rocks. There's a reason this old road had to be replaced.
Qingshui Cliffs
Hualien County, Xiulin Township
清水斷崖
花蓮縣秀林鄉
GPS:
Parking: 24.20793, 121.6726
Cliffs: 24.20956, 121.67664