Huashan (Mount Hua, 华山) is a remarkably precipitous and scenic mountain located 120km east of Xi’an city (西安), Shaanxi Province (陕西省) in central China. Being one of the Five Great Mountains of China (五岳), Huashan was the pilgrimage destination for many emperors in past Chinese dynasties. It is also an important site for Taoism, as evident by the numerous Taoist temples on it. In more recent times, Huashan is famously known as the mountain with one of the world’s “Most Dangerous Hiking Trail”. Having been impressed by it during our March-2018 trip, we decided to write this Huashan Travel Guide to help other travellers visit this breathtaking destination!
Advertisements
Huashan Travel Guide
Getting to Huashan from Xi’an
One of the reasons why Huashan is popular with both local and foreign tourist is that it is easily accessible. With Xi’an (西安) being the nearest major city to it. To know the best way of getting to Huashan, refer to our other blog How to get to Huashan from Xi’an.
The Five Peaks of Huashan
There are 5 peaks on Huashan (North, South, East, West, Central), with mountaintop trails linking them all. Only 2 of the peaks are equipped with cable car service (North and West). As such, most visitors to Huashan will visit via the North or West peak using their respective cable car services.
Height of Huashan’s 5 peaks:
- North Peak: 1614.7m | Panoramic view of other 4 peaks | Cable Car available (5-10 minutes ride)
- West Peak: 2082.6m | Most scenic view | Cable Car available (18-25minutes ride)
- South Peak: 2154.9m | Highest Peak
- East Peak: 2096.2m | Best sunrise view
- Central Peak: 2037.8m
Huashan viewed from North Peak (360 photo)
Huashan North Peak (360 photo)
Advertisements
Easiest Way to explore Huashan
The easiest way to explore Huashan would be to start via ascending to West Peak using its cable car. Once on West Peak, explore the area and surrounding trails/peaks (e.g. South/East/Central peak). Then proceed to make the long and precipitous hike down to North Peak. And ending the trip via descending Huashan using North Peak’s cable car. (North Peak is the lowest of the peaks in Huashan)
In general, it would be sufficient to factor in around 6-hours for the above. With most visitors allocating 1-2 hours exploring the West/South/East/Central peak, before making the estimated 2-3 hours hike down to North Peak. Then ending with another hour of exploration in North Peak prior to descending.
The above is based on the assumption that the visitor is exploring Huashan on a self-guided single day trip, with no plans for overnight stay. In such cases, it’s also likely that the visitor is based in Xi’an. For these visitors from Xi’an, the transport (whether train or bus) will take approximately 2-hours. And note that the cable car services (both North and West Peak) end between 5-7pm daily (according to season, see subsequent sections).
Factors for consideration: 2-hour transport from Xi’an + 6-hours on Huashan + assume 6pm closure of cable car service + 1-hour buffer for error
Thus, with the above considerations, we’re looking at a comfortable 9am departure from Xi’an. Having said, we do strongly recommend leaving Xi’an earlier at 7-8am. Simply because with the amount of scenery on offer at Huashan, even a 6-hour trip is going to be a tad rush.
Click here for high resolution photos
Considering a guided tour?
For those whom are contemplating on joining a guided tour (from Xi’an) to Huashan, we strongly recommend against it.
Such tours might appear comparable in cost or offering more convenience in transportation. However, from our experience (with tours in other parts of China) and also feedback from other visitors we encountered on Huashan, such tours are usually rushed for time. Leaving the participants with limited time exploring Huashan.
As such, unless one is extremely nervous about the prospect of planning/executing their own Huashan day trip, we wouldn’t recommend joining such tours.
Advertisements
Getting around the peaks on Huashan
As mentioned, there are a number of trails at the top of Huashan linking the 5 peaks.
These are proper pathways/stairs, though they can be extremely precipitous at certain sections. Caution must be taken while traversing these pathways/stairs and children must be closely supervised. Many sections will be unsuitable for toddlers and those with mobility issues.
Caution: Special attention must be made against taking selfies/videos at precarious sections and/or while walking. Do not be obsessed with sightseeing/photography while walking at the same time. If your eyes are not on the trail, stop moving. The trails at Huashan are world-notorious for a reason. Do not be another count to the statistics.
As a reference for those planning to hike between the various peaks, below are the distances between the North and other peaks.
North peak hike to:
- East peak: 2.9km, 3338 steps, 95 minutes*
- South peak: 3.5km, 3453 steps, 115 minutes*
- Central peak: 2.5km, 2871 steps, 85 minutes*
- West peak: 3km, 3474 steps, 100 minutes*
- West peak cableway station: 2.7km, 2801 steps, 90 minutes*
*Note:
- The hiking times are quoted from information boards found on Huashan’s North Peak. However, they might not be a good indicator on your individual timing. E.g. the quoted 100-minutes hiking time for North-to-West Peak might be slightly optimistic for the average visitor.
- Quoted hiking time is directional. E.g. the hiking time from North-to-West Peak will be significantly different from the hiking time for West-to-North Peak. Simply because the former is an ascending hike.
Huashan Tips:
- Footwear/gloves: Compared to thick hiking boots, sneakers with soft rubber soles are more suited to the stone paths/stairs on Huashan. The softer soles allow you to better feel and grip the trails. It would also be good to bring along a pair of gloves for holding onto the metal railings at certain sections of the trail.
- More info: This website (Travel China Guide) has a good write-up with more details on Huashan and its various peaks.
- Huashan Map: This photo has a good map of Huashan, showing all the peaks and most of the trails linking the peaks. (Disclaimer: Image is copyright to its owner)
Advertisements
Hiking up Huashan the ancient way
For the gung-ho visitor whom wants to explore Huashan via the most traditional route, making the arduous hike up from the foot of the mountain is a surefire way to yield immense satisfaction plus plenty of muscle aches.
The ancient route of ascending Huashan involves starting the climb from Yuquan Yard (玉泉院) at the bottom of the mountain, and reaching the top of Huashan near North Peak. As we learnt from Huashan’s information board, the hike up involves around 3800 steps (6.5km) and takes approximately 3-4 hours. Though we suspect this timing to be slightly optimistic for the average tourist.
The most traditional (and still popular) manner of performing this hike is to start the climb after dark. Initially reaching North Peak, then further making the way up to East Peak in time for the sunrise view.
Fun fact: The tradition of starting the hike after dark was because certain sections was so precipitous that it was deemed safer to climb in the dark so that hikers will not be intimidated by the sight of the trail’s extreme gradient. Precisely why Huashan is often termed “Most dangerous hiking trail in the world”.
Click here for high resolution photos
Advertisements
The famed plank walk (Plank Road in the Sky)
For the typical social-media savvy folk, the most evoked image of Huashan is that of a ridiculously narrow plank walk perched on the face of some insanely steep rock face. Well, at least that’s the image of what we had of Huashan before our trip.
More often than not, the image is that of Huashan’s Plank Road in the Sky (aka Plank Walk In the Sky, Skyway Trail), which is near to its South Peak.
Huashan probably had more of such precarious plank trails in the olden days. However, well-constructed paths and stairs had replaced much of it in recent years.
Luckily, in order to let the modern Instagram-obsessed visitor experience the hazardous conditions that ancient travellers had to undertake, the authorities preserved a small section of the plank walk. And made it open to the adventure seeking public, complete with safety harnesses, for a fee.
Unfortunately (or fortunately since we have acrophobia), with a young kid in tow, we naturally opted to give this a miss.
Related posts on China:
- Xi’an Attractions (Shaanxi, China)
- How to get to Huashan from Xi’an (Shaanxi, China)
- Great Places to visit in Chengdu (Sichuan, China)
- Lugu Lake Travel Guide 泸沽湖 (Yunnan/Sichuan, China)
- 3 Must-See Places in Lijiang 丽江 (Yunnan, China)
- Lijiang Old Town Travel Guide, 丽江古城 (Yunnan, China)
Advertisements
Our March-2018 visit
We had the chance to visit Huashan as a day trip in March-2018, with a 9-year-old in tow.
The original plan was to follow the above-mentioned way of ascending at West Peak, and end with descending at North Peak, both via cable car.
However, after reaching Huashan Visitor Centre, we learnt that strong winds had caused the West Peak cable car service to be suspended for the day. Luckily, the North Peak cable car continues to operate as usual. Probably because its significantly shorter than that of the West Peak.
Without much option, we took the cable car at North Peak to ascend to the top of Huashan. And with a young kid, we figured that we wouldn’t stand a chance of making the tiring hike from North Peak up to West Peak and back (for the return cable car ride). Thus, the new plan was to focus on exploring North Peak and see how far we go by midafternoon.
Click here for high resolution photos
Cloud Terrace Peak 雲臺峰
The North Peak of Huashan is commonly known as Cloud Terrace Peak (Yuntai Feng, 雲臺峰). After we arrived at North Peak via a 5-10 minute cable car ride, we instinctively followed the signs to the highest point of North Peak.
After a short climb, we found ourselves at a jam-packed platform on the highest point of North Peak. Such was the crowd that it was futile to get any meaningful photograph of the place. The crowd was probably heavier for the day as all visitors were forced to converge at North Peak due to the cable car closure at West Peak.
On the platform, there is a stone that was engraved with the height of North Peak (i.e. 1614.7m).
Interestingly, there is another stone next to it that prove to be far more popular with Chinese visitors. It was engraved with the words “华山论剑”, which was penned by the famous Chinese novelist Jin Yong (金庸).
Jin Yong 金庸 and 华山论剑
Jin Yong is known for his novels in the genre of ancient Chinese martial arts. In fact, he is widely recognized as one of the most talented and popular writer ever in this genre.
The words 华山论剑, depicts a fictitious elite Chinese martial arts competition held on Huashan. And is a mainstay in much of Jin Yong’s novels. Interestingly, Jin Yong didn’t get to visit Huashan before he wrote about 华山论剑 in his novels. It was only in 2003 that he got the chance to ascend Huashan.
Jin Yong’s original depiction of 华山论剑 in his novels was that the competition took place on Huashan’s South Peak.
However, when Jin Yong attempted to ascend Huashan in 2003, he only managed to reach as high as the North Peak. It was then that he decided to calligraph the words 华山论剑 on the North Peak. His calligraphy was subsequently engraved onto a stone and left on North Peak as it is seen today.
Exploring other parts of North Peak
After getting tired of jostling on the North Peak platform, we proceed to climb towards the direction of the other peaks. Our path would bring us past the following points of interest:
- Yuntai Mountain Villa 云台山庄: A small and pricey “hotel” that looks basic and aged.
- Memorial Pavilion 纪念亭: A small memorial that marks the liberation of Huashan from a group of rebels.
- Ca’Er Cliff 擦耳岩: Literally translate into “ear-rubbing cliff”. The narrow path here has a steep drop-off to one side and an over-hanging rock face on the other. Due to the path’s width, hikers tend to walk so close to the over-hanging rock that their ear rub against it. Thus its name.
- Sky Ladder 天梯: A pair of near vertical ladders that were cut into the rock face and previously used by climbers. Nowadays, the ladders serve more as a photo prop for over-zealous tourist as proper stairways had replaced it.
Click here for high resolution photos
Canglong Ling (苍龙岭)
We would went on to climb till the start of Canglong Ling (苍龙岭). Which is an extremely long, narrow and steep stairway perched on the face of a ridge. Canglong Ling is the traditional route of accessing the rest of Huashan’s peak (from North Peak).
With time running out and an exhaustive-looking stairway ahead of us, we decided to turn around and call it a day. Making our way down to the North Peak cable car station for the descending ride to the base of Huashan. Unsurprisingly, the return cable car ride would involve yet another 45-minutes of queuing. Something that we’ve grown accustomed to in China.
Advertisements
Huashan Tickets and Cable Car Services
There are 3 components to the tickets for visiting Huashan. They are**:
**Prices accurate as of Mar-2018
#1: Mountain entry fee
Applicable for all whom enters the boundary of Huashan.
- Off season (1-dec to end-Feb): RMB 100 (adult)/ RMB 50 (child)
- Peak season (1-Mar to end-Nov): RMB 180 (adult)/ RMB 90 (child)
- Child:
- Below 1.2m free.
- 1.2m to 1.5m half price of adult
- This definition of child fare is applicable for all fees within Huashan
#2: Attraction bus fee
Most visitors to Huashan will first arrive at Huashan Visitor Centre (ticket hall) for ticketing. After purchasing tickets, visitors will take the “attraction bus” from the visitor centre to their respective cable car stations. The bus journey to North Peak cable car station is 15 minutes, while it is about 40 minutes to the West Peak cable car station.
The fees for these attraction buses are:
- To North Peak Cable Car station: RMB 20 per pax/way (RMB 10 for child). i.e. return is RMB 40 for adult
- To West Peak Cable Car station: RMB 40 per pax/way (RMB 20 for child).
#3: Cable car fee
Below are the details/fees of the 2 cable car service at Huashan.
North Peak Cable Car Service
- Also called Huashan Sante Cableway
- Operational 10-Apr-1996, costing RMB 89 million.
- Elevation gain: 755m
- Length: 1524.9m
- Duration: 5-10 minutes
- Attraction Bus: Approximately 15 minutes (7.66km)
- Off season (1-dec to end-Feb)
- Operating hours: 8am-6pm
- Two-way: RMB 80/40 (adult/child)
- One-way: RMB 45/25 (adult/child)
- Peak season (1-Mar to end-Nov)
- Operating hours: 7am-7pm
- Two-way: RMB 150/75 (adult/ child)
- One-way: RMB 80/40 (adult/child)
Click here for high resolution photos
West Peak Cable Car Service
- Length: 4211m
- Duration: 18-25 minutes
- Attraction Bus: Approximately 40 minutes (12.1km)
- Off season (1-dec to end-Feb):
- Operating hours: 8am-5pm
- Two-way: RMB 240/120 (adult/child)
- One-way: RMB 120/60 (adult/child)
- Peak season (1-Mar to end-Nov):
- Operating hours: 7am-7pm
- Two-way: RMB 280/140 (adult/ child)
- One-way: RMB 140/70 (adult/ child)
Advertisements
Sunrise and Sunset time reference
If you’re planning for an overnight trip or want to catch the sunrise, below are the sunrise/sunset timing references that you’ll find useful.
Sunrise and Sunset time reference (as quoted by information boards available on Huashan):
- January:
- Sunrise: 7.42am-7.47am
- Sunset: 5.45pm-6.03pm
- March:
- Sunrise: 6.35am-7.10am
- Sunset: 6.35pm-6.56pm
- May:
- Sunrise: 5.29am-5.44am
- Sunset: 7.08pm-7.28pm
- July:
- Sunrise: 5.31am-5.44am
- Sunset: 7.44pm-7.57pm
- September:
- Sunrise: 6.15am-6.29am
- Sunset: 6.04pm-7.10pm
- November:
- Sunrise: 6.03am-6.24am
- Sunset: 5.35pm-6.47pm
Like it? Share it!
Find this Huashan Travel Guide useful? Share it with your friends!
As you may have noticed, we spent a lot of effort to produce this Huashan Travel Guide (and many more!). Do help us by sharing this Huashan Travel Guide with your travel buddies! Cheers and safe travels.
Related posts:
- Xi’an Attractions (Shaanxi, China)
- How to get to Huashan from Xi’an (Shaanxi, China)
- Great Places to visit in Chengdu (Sichuan, China)
- Guide to HuangLongXi Ancient Town (黄龙溪镇) (Chengdu, China)
- Guide to YingXiuZhen (映秀镇) and ShuiMoZhen Ancient Town (水磨古镇)(Sichuan, China)
- The Bund, Shanghai
- Lugu Lake Travel Guide 泸沽湖 (Yunnan/Sichuan, China)
- 3 Must-See Places in Lijiang 丽江 (Yunnan, China)
- Lijiang Old Town Travel Guide, 丽江古城 (Yunnan, China)
- How can foreigners get a driving license in China
Related VLOG/s:
- Huashan North Peak Cable Car (Shaanxi, China)
- CRH from Xi’an to Chengdu (High-Speed Rail)
- Lugu Lake to Lijiang Self-drive Time-lapse
Advertisements
Have something to tell us? Leave a comment!