Taiwan’s Taroko National Park closed indefinitely following earthquake

Taipei
CNN
 — 

The Taroko National Park in eastern Taiwan, a popular destination for domestic and international tourists alike, will close until further notice, after the island was struck by the strongest earthquake in 25 years last week.

“All levels of trails and facilities within the Taroko National Park jurisdiction have been damaged. In order to ensure the safety of visitors, the park will continue to close all trails and visitor service stations in the park from today and suspend services,” the park said in a statement.

“During the closure period, the park will continue to carry out road and trail repair work and assess the safety of the park. The reopening time after the closure will be announced separately,” the park stated.

The statement added that permits accessing the ecological protected areas in Yushan, Taroko and Shei-Pa National Parks are now scuttled, and visitors will need to reapply after recovery from the quake.

All 32 trails within the park are closed, the park’s website shows.

The 920-square-kilometer (9,990 square foot) area was declared a National Park of Taiwan in 1986.

Known for rugged terrain, steep cliffs and majestic views, many parts of Taroko Gorge suffered significant damage – including the Tunnel of Nine Turns and Shakadang Trail – caused by rockfalls and landslides following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake.

In an interview with Taiwan’s official Central News Agency, deputy director of the Taroko National Park Headquarters Lin Chung-shan said the Hehuan Mountain area, which lies partially within the park, was relatively less impacted and will gradually reopen.

The Taroko National Park attracted 3.45 million visitors in 2023, according to statistics provided by the Hualien Tourism Department.