Small is beautiful at Meishan Grand Canyon1

Taiwan, of course, has some pretty impressive scenery of its own, but for really spectacular canyon scenery you’ll have to head for Taroko Gorge, the island’s greatest canyon, or the deep and mysterious depths of Taiji Canyon (太極峽谷) in Nantou (南投) County, assuming the trails and ladders that once ran the length of this amazing cleft are one day repaired and made safe once more. Meishan Grand Canyon pales in comparison to these two spectacular natural wonders and is quite unworthy of its grandiose name, but it’s still a place of great beauty, and well worth seeing in its own right.

Simply getting there is half the fun. Meishan Grand Canyon isn’t actually especially near the town after which it’s named, and it’s an exciting journey of nearly an hour from Meishan to the gorge along an incessantly winding switchback road, with a total of thirty-six hairpin bends (count them!) and 800 meters of vertical ascent up to the tiny village of Tai Ping, then another endless series of zigzags as the road drops down the other side to the banks of the Clearwater River.

A side road on the left at the bottom climbs high above the river (giving glimpses of the upper reaches of the gorge en route), and ends at a parking place above the most impressive stretch of the ravine. Meishan Grand Canyon lies on private property and there’s a rather steep NT$100 admission charge for the privilege of enjoying its beauty, which stings a little because virtually all the numerous other natural wonders in this region of Taiwan (with the exception of Alishan Forest Recreation Area) can be visited free of charge.

Once the cash is handed over and the vehicle parked, head quickly out of the wooded area surrounding the car park (with its rather touristy café and nature exhibits) following a muddy track dropping stiffly down towards the river. Within a couple of minutes, the trees part, the impressive bare gray walls of the gorge appear below, and the track crosses the first of several small tributary streams at a ford. Stepping stones make it fairly easy to cross without getting your feet wet, although kids will probably opt for the adjacent rope bridge or the nifty two-person gondola which zips across the ravine that drops steeply away towards the river far below, beside the track.

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