Yehliu Geopark: ocean air and surreal coastal rock formations

Yehliu is a ‘landscape’ day—less about a single monument, more about mood. You come for the sea air and the feeling of walking somewhere sculpted by weather. The park is a roughly 700 m rocky cape on Taiwan’s northern coast, established in 1964, famous for mushroom-shaped ‘hoodoo’ rocks, candle rocks, honeycomb rocks, the Fairy’s Shoe, and the iconic ‘Queen’s Head’—all shaped by sea and wind erosion over thousands of years.

If your Taipei trip has been all density and food (which is a great problem to have), a coastal day adds balance. The rock even contains marine fossils, a reminder of how long the sea has been at work here.

The star is the ‘Queen’s Head,’ a slender mushroom rock with a famous silhouette—but it’s far from the only one. Look for the candle rocks, honeycomb rocks, and the Fairy’s Shoe scattered across the cape.

The park is managed under the North Coast & Guanyinshan National Scenic Area and was designated a geopark around 2020–2021. A word of caution: the Queen’s Head is eroding, and its neck may eventually snap, so see it while you can.

Yehliu sits in Wanli District, New Taipei City (167-1 Gangdong Road), and there’s no direct MRT. Reach it by bus from Taipei or Keelung along the North Coast, or via the Taipei Fun Pass shuttle.

Admission is NT$120 for adults and NT$60 for concessions (ID required), with a 20% discount for groups of 30 or more and free entry for children under 6 (or under 115 cm) and for disabled visitors. The park is open 08:00–17:00 (last entry 17:00), with extended summer hours to 18:00, year-round except natural-disaster closures.

Arrive right at 08:00 opening to beat the tour groups, and choose a weekday and a clear day if you can—the cape is most enjoyable when it’s not crowded. Budget about 1.5–2 hours.

There’s little shade, so bring sun protection, water, and layers for the wind. Note that a roped queue forms for photos with the Queen’s Head, and touching the formations is prohibited.