In stark contrast to the orchards and lush subtropical forest all around, this small 'geopark' is an area where gulleys and cliff sides of loose, composite rocks have been weathered into spiky serrations whose fast, collapsing forms don't allow much to grow on them. Across the wide Beinan River, similarly shaped but more durable cliffs have been eroded into kilometres of greener craggy ridges and steep-sided outcrops in a formation nicknamed Little Huangshan (小黃山), after the famous Chinese landscape.
By bicycle, the site is around 4km northeast of Taitung train station. By car, it's considerably further: get onto eastbound Hwy 11乙 then exit just before that road crosses the Beinan River, instead following the river up its west bank for 2km then crossing a smaller bridge. The main badlands viewing deck and some explanatory panels are another 700m ahead on Rte 東45 which joins Luanshan/Luye-bound Rte 197 around 5km further north. If you continue on this route but fork right at Km44, you could continue all the way to Taiyuan (30km) on lonely, very winding Rte 東23-1 with some fine panoramas and almost no other traffic for 30km.
