David on Formosa

Sign at the entrance to Manyue Yuan

This morning I cycled out to the entrance of the Manyue Yuan Forest Park (滿月圓森林遊樂區). The last time I rode out here was over three years ago. Not much has changed since last time, it's still a great ride and an easy way to get out into the mountains.

Beautiful mountain views abound

There are great views in every direction as you ride up the valley. I plan come back here to follow some of the hiking trails rather than just observing the peaks from a distance.

Panorama shot – click on the image to see a larger picture

Once you get beyond the urban area of Sanxia the road has little traffic (it might be a bit busier on a weekend). I spotted a few other cyclists out on the road, too. The road follows a river valley and the gradient is quite gentle all the way. Combine that with the downhill run on the way home and you can understand why it's a popular place to ride.

The road is good and there is little traffic

Compared to many mountain roads in Taiwan this road is quite safe. There are no sections which are too narrow or have dangerous bends. There were just a couple of spots where there had been slippages. Given Taiwan's geological instability it seems inevitable that at least one section of a mountain road will be under repair at any given time.

A section of the road under repair

Update: You can see a video from this ride at YouTube.