The Luoma Traverse 羅馬縱走

The Luoma Traverse (aka The Rome Traverse) is a mid-elevation trail that straddles the border between Yilan and Taichung. There are views of Taiwan's famous Holy Ridge, two stream crossings, two peaks and a forest of old giants including an ancient god tree. It's a good, stiff climb from the trailhead to the first peak and the descent at the end is equally steep but the views of high mountain ridges and the middle section-- through a remote forest-- makes all the effort worthwhile. It can be done as a hard day hike that takes about 8-10 hours but its nice to break it up into 2 days and camp overnight on the saddle. There is a wonderful hidden camping spot at 2400 meters with a nearby water source of clean, flowing water. A police mountain permit is required but is easily obtained online. 

📏⏱️Distance/duration: I recorded a total of 10.8 km/ 8 hours 52 mins but I broke it up into two days. 

Day 1: 4 hours 36 mins /5.8 km. 

 

Day 2: 4 hours 15 mins/ 5 km  

 

   More details as well as a map and GPX file can be found on ramblr. Day 1  Day 2

🚌Transportation: 

If you take public transportation to the trailhead you must stay overnight somewhere. Even if you hike the whole trail in one day, by the time you finish there will be no bus service.

On the morning of the hike I took a taxi to the Taipei Bus Station (in the Q Square Mall behind Taipei Main Station) and got there about 5 am.  I first took a 5:35 am Kamalan bus to Luodong, Yilan. There is a 5:15 bus but it is slower because it stops at more places. This bus starts from Banqiao, stops at Taipei Main Station, Technology Building Station, Wujie and then Luodong. It arrived in Luodong at 6:50.

I then transferred to King Bus (Kuo Kuang) 1764 to Lishan which departs Luodong at 7:00 am. It took about 2 hours and 20 minutes to get to the Siyuan Police Substation stop. The trailhead is right next to the bus stop. 

You can also take bus 1751 from Yilan at 7:30. 

On the way back I planned to either catch the 1751 which departs from Lishan at 8:30 and 13:30 or the 1764 which departs Lishan at 13:00.  The nearest bus stop at the end of the trail is Shenguang and buses should arrive there about hour after leaving Lishan. 

However, I arrived at the road at about noon and instead of waiting for two hours I hitched a ride to Yilan and took a bus back to Taipei from there. 

 On the bus and on this trip I was reading The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. On the stereo as I write this: "Gee, Baby Ain't I Been Good to You" by Kenny Burrell from the album Midnight Blue.

👣Route overview: 

This hike takes it's name from the first syllables of the two peaks that it connects Luoyeweishan (2715 m) and Mawuzuoyejunshan (2377 m). Both names are a mouthful and I can never remember them without looking them up. It's easy to see why the name was shortened to Luoma --which also happens to be the Chinese word for Rome. Thus we get the Rome Traverse in Taiwan. 

Near the trailhead there are some makeshift camping spots. Some hikers arrive the night before and camp overnight to get an early start. The hike starts with an easy stream crossing at about 1900 meters and then climbs very steeply through a firebreak overgrown with vegetation to the first peak. Just before reaching the first peak there is short side trail to a brown pond surrounded by pine trees. There are views of high mountain ridges from the firebreak trail. At the peak itself there is a slightly obscured view into the valley far below. 

 After the peak the trail gets much easier, wider and nicer. Luoyeweishan is the highest point on the trail. After the midway point the trail is much more open and there are lots of huge trees. A major landmark is the Luoma God Tree. Upon reaching the second peak the trail descends very steeply and there is thick grass that makes it hard to see the ground. I actually got lost for a while following a false trail so be careful in this part and don't proceed if you have not seen a hiking flag for a while. At the end there is another stream crossing and then you arrive back at the road. 

Originally I planned to finish in one day and camp near the end or walk the 5km back along the road to the beginning where I knew there were camping spots. I could have done that but camping overnight at roughly the half way point was so much nicer. 

There is a superb campsite at 2400 meters just off the trail. If you didn't know it was there you could easily walk right by it. There is a trail but it is not marked clearly and not very well-defined.  There is a large clearing with flat ground and about a ten minute walk downhill there is a stream with flowing water. When I got there three other people were already camping.

 

The camping spot is at 24.389075, 121.328078. The water source is at 24.388709, 121.331468. The water source seems reliable. It is marked on maps.me and mentioned in some Chinese language blogs and YouTube videos. But I suppose there is a chance it could be dry if it hasn't rained for a while. So it's always good to have a plan B. 

I would not even think about doing this hike without an offline map and GPS. There are some places where the trail is not clear and I got off the trail a couple of times. It's very possible to get lost here. The water source is also hard to find without GPS since there isn't really a trail.  

There is some internet connectivity for most of the hike but at the campsite it is spotty and slow.  

🏕️What to bring: 

An offline map. Sun protection. Long sleeves and long pants are recommended. (The grass on the way down cuts exposed flesh). If camping overnight you obviously need a tent, sleeping bag, food, stove or water filter etc.... A largish water container for carrying water from the water source. Take some warm clothes even in hot weather. It was a very hot day when I went but at night I still wore a fleece and rain shell.  A headlamp is a must even if just doing it as a day hike. 

You need a Police Mountain Permit.  You can apply 30 days to 3 days before at this site: Mountain Entry Application System. Fill in your information, select the trail from the list, fill in a simple hiking plan and usually the permit is approved within a day. The permit will be sent to you by email. Print a copy and carry it with you. There is nowhere to turn in your permit at the trailhead and it's likely that no one will check but it is required and its easy to do. 

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The Trip

I did this hike during a four day Moon Festival weekend when the weather was still summer-like and the weather forecast predicted four days of no rain. 

Right next to the bus stop was a gravel lane leading to a gate. 

 There were 4 or 5 vehicles parked there and a man was sleeping in the passenger side of an SUV. To the left, before going through the gate there was a stream crossing that looked easy so I decided to go that way. There is another crossing further down the lane but since I didn't go that way I can't say what it is like. 

 First I walked a short way down the lane to scope out camping spots. There was a building on the hill above, the site of a former police station. Under some rustic wooden structures I could see the grass was smashed where it seemed someone had camped the night before. 

 I went back and crossed the stream without getting my feet wet. I started hiking at 9:30 am. 

 

Across the stream there was a messy path through tall riverside grass. This was not what I was expecting at the beginning of the trail and it was obviously just a short cut to the main trail but I stuck with it. I pushed through the grass, passed and ignored a trail going steeply uphill and then took a second trail going uphill, angling toward the main path. 

I joined the main path which was only slightly less overgrown and started uphill. 

I passed a rain gauge station, a landmark that I had seen in YouTube videos about the trail. 

The trail was very steep and very dry and I was exposed to full sun. It was not an easy climb and I was breathing hard and not feeling a lot of energy. I had not slept well for the previous few days (too much drinking at Moon Festival BBQs) and my body was craving a good night's sleep. 

I passed an unnamed summit clearing. 

Closer to the top there were more pine trees. I entered a bamboo forest and came to the turn off for the pond which is just before the summit of Luoyeweishan. It was a relief to take off my pack for the walk to the pond. 

 I went back to the main path, got my pack and soon came to the summit. As I had been hiking I had heard several Reeves Muntjac deer which make a distinctive "barking" sound. As I got to the summit I faintly heard what I thought was a woman's voice but it was very faint and I couldn't be sure. I had not seen other hikers but what I heard must have been the hikers I would later camp near that night. 

Luoyeweishan

I stopped at the summit and had a snack and a protein drink. There were some very bold birds hopping around that seemed to be looking for food. 

 The trail got a lot nicer after the summit: shady and wide with bamboo and pine trees...soft pine needles underfoot. You really need to pay attention in this part. At one point I followed a false trail and when I realized I had not seen a flag for a while had to backtrack until I found the real trail. 

I kept checking maps.me and when I got near the water source, I dropped my pack and turned left off the trail. I was really, really hoping there was water because I was really tired and didn't want to have to walk the whole trail in one day. I was also afraid I might not be able to finish before dark. From what I now know of the last part of the trail I think it would be a challenge to find the way if your were caught out after dark. 

I emerged into a huge clearing that was a perfect camping spot. A woman was setting up a two person Big Agnes tent and there was a 1 person Nature Hike tent next to it. She seemed as surprised to see me as I was to see her. I told her I was looking for water and she said her two companions had gone down the hill to check out the water, too. 

There is a bit of trail toward the water source in the beginning but eventually there is no discernible trail. I was only able to find it by keeping my phone in my hand and following the arrow on my app. At first I followed a dry stream bed and I was starting to doubt there was any water. But eventually I heard a trickle and as I followed it further down hill there was a good quantity of clean, flowing water. 

I met the woman's friends (a man and another woman) as they were coming back from the stream with a bag of water. Unfortunately, I hadn't brought my water bag so I had to go back and get it. I talked a bit with my new neighbors, set up my tent and then went back to get water. 

On the way back I thought I knew the way but got lost and had to use GPS to find the camp. If I hadn't had my phone in my pocket I might still be out there--a skeleton on a hillside.  

It was nice afternoon/evening spent in the camp. I spent some time just reclining on my sleeping mat against a log and reading. I sent some messages to let people know where I was camping. The only unpleasant thing about the campsite is that there were bees. I guess they were attracted to sweat and they buzzed around me and crawled on me. They never stung and didn't really bother me so I just tried to ignore them. When the sun started to go down they disappeared. 

Who needs a chair?

 I was sleepy but tried to stay awake because I was afraid if I went to sleep too early, I would wake up in the middle of the night. After dinner I told the other hikers I was going to bed but they said it was too early and told me to come and chat with them for a while. It was a good idea because it gave me a burst of energy. We talked for a while about trails and mountains we had hiked in Taiwan. Still I went to sleep about 7 pm and slept until 5 am. 

In the morning I made coffee and breakfast and took my time packing up. The other three hikers left before I did. I set off a little after 7. 

I really took my time because the forest was so beautiful and there were lots of huge old trees and the remains of giants that had fallen. 

The biggest tree was the Luoma God Tree which must be thousands of years old. Before taking my leave I stood in awe with my hand on the tree for a while --tree hugging with a tree too big to hug.   

 

Not long after the god tree I came to the descending trail. It was like coming to the end of a plateau. The trail started to drop right away and the trees ended. I was now on a grassy hillside with good views but the trail was very narrow and I had to watch out for big rocks that I could not see well. 

 

I passed the summit of Mawuzuoyejunshan and took a trail heading left and downhill through thick grass along a ridge. 

 

 

I advise caution in this section. I nearly got myself in trouble here. I started following a false trail and eventually ended up thrashing through thick grass with no sign of a trail. It was clear some other people had done the same thing because it looked like a trail at first but just disappeared. When I tried to turn around it was nearly impossible to tell which way I had come from. 

 

It was very hot and I sat under a tree to regroup. I could tell from looking at the app on my phone that the real trail was above me about 60 meters away. I started just pushing through grass and thorns cross country but then stumbled upon the false trail I had followed on the way down. It was with relief that I made it back to the real trail. My hands were bleeding from the grass and thorns and I would find out later that I had scratched my legs through my pants, too. 

 

I could see where I had gone wrong. I had followed the more obvious but false trail downhill but the real trail was straight and marked by flags tied to grass. My advice when hiking this part is, if you have not seen a flag for a few meters stop and reconsider and keep checking your position. 

 

  

After this the trail was still very narrow but clear. Eventually it went down very steeply. There were lose stones and leaf litter underfoot which made it slow going. Some parts had fixed ropes.  

At the bottom of the hill I came to the stream. I took a break and washed off some sweat and plant matter. 

 There was a small tributary flowing into the stream. I crossed just upstream from it (getting my boots wet) and then crossed the tributary where there was a trail that led through grass back to the road. 

 I walked on the road for a while passing a couple of bus stops and the trailhead for Nanhudashan. I still had two hours to wait for the bus and wanted to get home quicker so eventually I decided to hitcy. I hitched a ride with a family who took me to the bus station in Yilan. 

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Map and GPS coordinates:

More details as well as a map and GPX file can be found on ramblr: Luoma Traverse Day 1   Luoma Traverse Day 2

Bus stop and trailhead: 24.393541, 121.353331

Luoyewaishan: 24.398813, 121.326916

Campsite:  24.389075, 121.328078

Water source: 24.388709, 121.331468

Mawuzuoyejunshan: 24.371093, 121.32318

Stream ford at end of trail:  24.366449, 121.336265