Most people begin their exploration of the Houfong Bicycle Path at its southwestern end, close to the interchange between Taiwan Highway No. 3 – an old road that runs almost the whole length of the island – and Freeway No. 4, a short road that links Fongyuan City (豐原市) with Cingshuei Township (清水鎮).

Several businesses in this neighborhood rent out bicycles. You won’t have to search very hard to find them – they’ll find you. A set of wheels costs between NT$100 and NT$250, depending on what kind of bicycle you want. On weekends and holidays you might be asked to return the bikes within three hours; on weekdays you can take your time, and you might be offered a discount. Electric bicycles and golf buggies are also available if pedaling isn’t your thing.

The path is well-maintained and there’s no admission charge. However, there aren’t many English-language signs, and the maps given out by the rental businesses are in Chinese only. It may take you a while to figure out whether or not you’re on the right road. Once you’ve done so, it’s plain sailing. There are no steep hills to climb and no intersections to cross.

The first stretch goes through Pozili (朴子里), a densely-populated but interestingly mixed neighborhood. There are rice fields, small factories, and a number of traditional single-story houses.

Soon you’ll arrive at the Dajia Creek (大甲溪). Measuring 124.2 kilometers from its source – which is more than 3,500 meters above sea level – to where it empties into the sea, this is one of Taiwan’s longer rivers. Here it’s wide and fast. If the weather’s good, the views up and down the valley are quite impressive.

The iron bridge across the creek and the tunnel on the other side were built in 1908 for trains. Both became redundant in the 1980s when the mountain line railroad was relocated a short distance to the west.

The tunnel is known simply as the No. 9 Tunnel (九號隧道). It’s 1.3 kilometers long and well lit inside, but do be wary of cyclists straying onto the wrong side of the road!

The tunnel is closed between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. The other sections of the bicycle trail are open 24 hours.

Soon after emerging from the tunnel, you’ll go under the current railroad. The trail then runs beside a massive construction site, part of Phase III of the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區).

With a right turn, you ride under the railroad yet again, and then a few hundred meters to the front entrance of Houli Horse Farm (后里馬場). This marks the end of the trail, but it’s possible to keep cycling on to Houli (后里) itself (not a bad idea if you’re hungry) or up into the graveyards behind the town.

With more than 100 horses and 30-plus hectares of grounds, the horse farm – founded by the Japanese colonial government in 1937 and now owned by Taiwan Sugar Corp. – is usually described as one of the island’s premier horse-riding training centers.

The farm is popular with tourists who go there to see and ride horses. Entrance is NT$100 for adults, NT$80 for children. For information, call (04) 2556-2531.

According to the Taichung County Government website (http://tt.taichung.gov.tw/county/eng/bikeway/index.html) – which in other respects is most useful – those arriving by train should get off at Fongyuan and then take a bus. However, I would suggest getting off at Houli, especially if you’re coming from the north. There’s a place that rents out bikes very close to the train station. As you exit the station, turn right and you’ll soon see it.

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