This morning, at 8:00am, we left Yungu Hotel in the valley at the foot Mount Huangshan and had a 5-minute walk to Yungu Telpher Station. Actually there are two cable stations in Yungu. We took the new telpher station and began our first day trip to Huangshan.
It only took 10 minutes to get to the White Goose Telpher Station on the top of White Goose Ridge of Huangshan Mountain.
Yungu Telpher New Station
Walking up to the cable car
Get on the cable car
One the way to the White Goose Telpher Station on the mountain
White Goose Telpher Station
0.8km Pleasant Walk from White Goose Telpher Station to Stalagmite Peak
We got off the cable car at White Goose Telpher Station and walk along the White Goose Ridge towards Stalagmite Peak, the first peak on our Huangshan Trip.
From the cable car station to the Stalagmite Peak is 0.8 km. It is a pleasant walk teemed with amazing views of pine trees, colourful leaves and various peaks with comfortable temperature under azure sky.
One the way to the Stalagmite Peak
On the way to the Stalagmite Peak (2)
On the way to the Stalagmite Peak
Stalagmite Peak ( Stone Bamboo Peak )
Not long, we got to the Stalagmite Peak. An narrow platform on the stone bamboo peak was filled with tourists taking pictures. Stalagmite Peak is one of the best photographic point of Mountain Huangshan.
The Stalagmite Peak
Stalagmite Peak is one of the best photographic point of Moutain Huangshan
0.2km walk from Stalagmite Peak to Beginning-to-Believe-Peak
This 20-minute walk was a little difficult than that of from the White Goose Telpher Station to Stalagmite Peak. The mountain road was a bit steep.
On the way, you can still enjoy the different views of pine trees and unknown peaks.
Climb steps up to the Beginning-to-believe Peak
The view on the way to the Biginning-to-believe Peak
Beginning-to-Believe-Peak
One of the best photographic places in Mountain Huangshan, a don’t-miss attractions for each Huangshan Mountain tourist. Today we were lucky enough to have seen the sea of cloud below the peak. The view was astounding!
Standing on the Beginning-to-believe Peak to enjoy the sea of clouds
Sea of Clouds and Peaks viewed from the Beginning-to-believe Peak
1km Walk from Beginning-to-Believe Peak to A Flower on Brush Tip
After enjoying the fantastic view of Beginning-to-Believe Peak, we walked 1 km towards to another famous attraction – A Flower on the Tip of a Brush Pen. This 1km walk was also quite interesting. Especially you could see some unique pine trees.
One of the pine trees is called “Umbrella Pine” named by Secretary of United Nations – Mr.Kofi Anna and his wife Nane Anna when they paid a visit to Huangshan on May 20-21,2006.
A Flower on Brush Tip
The “A Flower on Brush Tip” is one of the 36 small peaks in Huangshan Mountain. The Brush Peak is 1640 in altitude consisting of the Brush Peak and a pine tree on its top.
The peak body is like a shaft of a brush. On its top stands a pine tree like a booming flower.
A Platform to view the Brush Peak
A Flower on the Brush Tip
Beihai Hotel
Waking just over 100 meters from the Brush Peak, we arrived at our hotel for our first night on our Huangshan Tour of this time. It is a 4 star hotel with over 500 rooms.
In front of Beihai Hotel, there is a row of rooms which accommodate Post, China Mobile, Bank and Police Station.
Beihai Hotel
Beihai Hotel
Hotel Corridor
King-sized Room at Beihai Hotel
Washing Room
Winter Jackets are provided for each room
Hassle-free Huangshan Guided Tours
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for guided tours to Huangshan:
Located in Anhui Province, Mt.Huangshan, or Yellow Mountain, is reputed for its breathtaking beauty and rich cultural heritage around the world. There are four wonders in Mt. Huangshan: strange pines, absurd stones, sea of clouds and hot springs. The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO inscribed Mt.Huangshan on the list of Natural and Cultural Heritage on the World in 1990.
Huangshan City has a wet mild monsoon climate which features distinctive four seasons. When planning Huangshan Tour. one of the frequently asked questions likely to perplex you is “When is the best time to visit Huangshan Mountain?”.
Best Time to Visit Hungshan : April – November
With respect to the whole scenic area in Huangshan, it is best to visit Huangshan from April to November, when all scenic spots in Huanshan are open to the public.
Tourists generally choose to come to Huangshan at this time, summer and autumn with comfortable climate, to enjoy the green and colourful mountain scenery, and the wide and open vision.
Most Beautiful Season of Huangshan: January – March
But winter is the best season to pursue a sea of clouds and winter snow scenery. And, the tourist winter low season ( January – March ) is known as “the most beautiful season of Huangshan”. You can enjoy the rime, ice, etc.
At this time you can also enjoy the off-season ticketing and hotel accommodations, if you are not afraid of cold. But the flip side is many scenic spots in winter are closed.
So generally speaking, there is no bad time to visit Huangshan Mountain. Different seasons offer distinctly different views. Use this quick guide to help you make a smart choice about when to visit Huangshan Mountain.
Huangshan in Spring ( April – June)
In spring, the weather is very comfortable in Huangshan. In April the average temperature on Mt. Huangshan is around 10 C. With flowers blooming, streams gurgling, hills turning green and spring wind breezing, the mountains present different colors and fragrance.
Spring is also the rain season, please take your umbrella just in case.
But personally I love to visit Huangshan Mountain in the middle of May when azaleas and rhododendron flowers bloom, pine branches add new buds, feeling a person having gone through the rebirth of the winter.
You can see the sunrise on the top of the mountain in the morning. The higher you climb the mountain, the colder you will feel. So just remember to take a thick coat with you.
Azaleas bloom in May in Huangshan (Image Credit: 李金刚/NEWS.CN)
Huangshan in Summer ( July to September )
In summer, Huangshan mountain is a good place to escape the heat. Huangshan is green and the trees are full of birds. Huangshan enters summer in July and has no high temperature all the season.
The average temperature in midsummer is 20.7℃, and the average temperature at the mountain top is only 18.7℃. The highest temperature in a single day is 28℃. It is cool and sweat-free in the daytime, and can sleep peacefully under a quilt at night. It is an ideal summer resort.
Sea of clouds is one of the four wonders of Mt. Huangshan. Summer is the best season for cloud viewing, especially on clear days after rainy weather. In summer, the dashing waterfalls contrast with the crystal clear waters from the mountain streams.
Prepare for your sunscreen, hat and glasses to soften the scorching sunshine on the mountain.
Summer in Huangshan Mountain is not hot but cool. People like to climb the mountain in summer. However, some places like Bright Summit Peak or Jade Screen Tower don’t get a summer season.
Huangshan in later September
Huangshan in Autumn ( October – December)
Huangshan in autumn looks like a traditional Chinese painting and most suits for the traditional aesthetic standard. When fall comes, it is a great pleasure to appreciate the red autumnal leaves all around the mountains.Autumn is the high season for people to visit Huangshan Mountain.
By the middle of October every year, Huangshan enters the best season for viewing autumn leaves, which are covered with red, green and yellow colors.
There always many visitors from every corner of the whole world in this season. You are kindly advised to skip over China National Holiday in October when you plan your Huangshan Tours, since there are so many people during that time.
Huangshan in Mid October (Image Credit: 姚育青/NEWS.CN)
Huangshan in Winter ( January to March)
Many tourists recommend the winter landscapes of Mt. Huangshan as the most spectacular. Winter it is the most economic time to visit Huangshan.You may appreciate the beautiful Huangshan landscape by using the least money in this time.
In winter, the mountains and trees in Huangshan are covered with snow and ice making the entire area appear like a crystal wonderland.
Huangshan in Winter
Huangshan winter snow scenery has been listed as Huangshan’s Top Five after strange pines, absurd stones, sea of clouds and hot springs.
Hassle-free Huangshan Guided Tours
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for guided tours to Huangshan:
We’d like to have the following quick guide to be always updated for the benefit of new visitors coming to Huangshan Mountain, literally Yellow Mountain. If you have any questions or anybody having used the piece finds necessary updates, please leave a message or feedback. Thanks! __________
Plan yourHuangshan Tour? “Huangshan (黄山)” has two meanings – Huangshan Mountain and the city of Huangshan which is named after the Mt. Huangshan (Yellow Mountain).
Huangshan Mountain is about 70km north of Huangshan City.
Mt.Huangshan (Mount Huangshan or Huangshan Mountain) literally, Yellow Mountain, is a mountain range in southern Anhui province in eastern China.
Mount Huangshan is world-famous for its beautiful landscape – sunrise, sunset, granite peaks, pine trees, and the other-worldly sea of the clouds. Also much of Huangshan Mountain’s reputation comes from its significant impact on Chinese art, literature and profound cultural resources.
The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO put Mount Huangshan on the list of World Natural and Cultural Heritage in 1990. Mount Huangshan was named the “sister mountain” of Jungfrau in the Swiss Alps.
My version of Top 10 Attractions in Mount Huangshan is focused on Mount Mountain itself instead of the greater Huangshan City area.
The Welcome Pine is a symbol of Mount.Huangshan, a national pride featuring her integrity. The painting or picture of this Welcome Pine Tree is often seen in some important and solemn areas in China.
The Welcome Pine stands firmly by the side of the Qingshi Stone on the left side of Yupinglou Hotel in the Hangshan Scenic Area. The Welcome Pine is at the altitude of 1770 meters with its two branches stretching out over 7 meters, resembling a host extending her two arms to welcome the tourists coming from all parts of the world.
Actually the gnarled forms of pine trees are ubiquitous in Huangshan. But this greeting pine tree is the most impressive and representative. It is not surprising that people have to line up to take pictures of the welcome pine in tourist season.
How to get there ? Most people would go up to the summit of Mount Huangshan through either the Eastern Steps or Western Steps ( Walking up or taking cable car).
For faster way of going up to see the Welcome Pine, you may choose to walk or take the cable through the Western Steps starting from Mercy Light Temple Cable Car Station up to the Yuping Cable Car Station or you may challenge yourself by hiking over 10km route.
Walking from Mercy Light Temple to the Welcome Pine Tree takes about 3 hours. If you take the cable car, you still need to walk another 40 minutes one you arrive at the Cable Car Station on the western hillside.
Welcome Pine (Ying Ke Song)
2. Bright Summit (Peak) 光明顶
The Bright Summit is situated on Mt.Huangshan at the altitude of 1860, the second highest peaks and one of the three main peaks in Mt.Huangshan. The Bright Peak is relatively flat where you can easily view the supernatural Eastern Sea, Western Peaks, Tiandu Peak, Lianhua Peak with a longer sunshine time, hence the Bright Summit.
The Bright Summit is one of the best places to view the sunrise and the clouds of sea. Huangshan Meteorological Station lies on the summit. You may hike to the Bright Summit either from Cloud Dispelling Hotel or Baiyun Hotel.
Last time from Cloud Dispelling Hotel, we started our 3km hike up to the Bright Summit (光明顶), the second highest peak in Hangshan, 1860 meters in altitude and on to our hotel – Baiyun Hotel.
Later this 3km walk turned out to be the most difficult on our two day trip in Huangshan. It took us over three hours walking from Cloud Dispelling Hotel to Beiyun Hotel by climbing over the Bright Summit.
Bright Summit
3. Xihai Great Canyon (West Sea Canyon) 西海大峡谷
Xihai Great Canyon is a new developed scenery as the result of years’ efforts building the facilities to have better views of the gorge. The first phase of the building is finished.
Xihai Great Canyon Scenic Area is about 25 square km with a length of 15 km. People can stand on the middle hillside to view the canyon in a hovering way.
It is a hard and awe-inspiring hike to the gorge ( Xihai Great Canyon ). Normally it takes 4 hours to complete the up and down loop hike. You may access the canyon starting from the northern entrance near Paiyunlou Hotel (Cloud Dispelling Hotel).
Xihai Great Canyon (West Sea Canyon)
4. Cloud Dispelling Pavilion 排云亭
The Cloud Dispelling Pavilion is on the west of Mount Huangshan at the entrance to the Western Sea Canyon. The Pavilion was built in the year of 1925. It is a long scenic pavilion made of marble granite slabs carved with three Chinese characters “排云亭” ( Cloud Dispelling Pavilion).
Sometimes clouds rise from the nearby gorges and flock the pavilion and reluctant to disperse. Standing at the pavilion, you will see the peaks in the mist of the clouds, hence of the name of Cloud Dispelling Pavilion.
Cloud Dispelling Pavilion is also a good point of viewing the queer rockeries on the mountain, hence another nickname of Weird Rockeries Exhibition Hall”. An old pine tree in front of the pavilion is listed as World Cultural Heritage. The pine tree’s root goes deep into the rock and cuts the rock into three pieces. The tree is 6. meters high and 150 years old.
From Cloud Dispelling Hotel,you may hike up to the Flying-over Rock and Bright Summit, or hike down to the Xinhai Great Canyon.
Cloud Dispelling Pavilion
5. Flying-over Rock 飞来石
Yellow Mountain is famed for its weird rocks in different shapes. The Flying-over Rock is the most impressive and representative. The area around the Flying-over Rock comprises 30% of the queer rocks in Mount Huangshan.
The Flying-over Rock on the way up from Cloud Dispelling Hotel on to the Bright Summit. The Flying-over Rock is about 1 km down to its northwest. It is said that you will have luck if you touch the rock.
Flying-over Rock
6. Lianhua Peak ( Lotus Flower Peak ) 莲花峰
Lianhua Peak is the highest peak in East China, of course in Huangshan at the altitude of 1864 meters. There is only one walking path up the peak starting from Yupinglou Hotel.
The 1.5 km hike from Lianhua range to Lianhua Peak, you will see beautiful pine trees and other attractions. On the summit of Lianhua Peak, you will view Tianmushan in to the east, Lushan to the west, Jiuhuashan to the north and Yangtze River. Like other peaks in Huangshan, Lianhua Peak is fenced with iron railings hung with locks for good wishes.
Lianhua Peak ( Lotus Flower Peak )
7. Tiandu Peak ( Heavenly Capital Peak ) 天都峰
Facing Lianhua Peak to the west, Tiandu Peak stands on the southeast of Mt.Huangshan at the altitude of 1810. One of the three peaks in Huangsan and the other two being Lianhua Peak and Bright Peak.
Tiandu Peak ( Image Credit: chinanews.com)
Tiandu Peak literally means “Heaven Capital” which comes from the ancient legend that the peak is where the immortals gather, hence the name of Heaven Capital Peak.
On the top of the peak is a flat summit where there is a stone chamber that can hold approx 100 people. Tiandu Peak is the most risky,steep peak among the three main peaks in Huangshan.
8. Beginning-to-believe Peak 始信峰
If you don’t ascend Beginning-to-believe Peak at the altitude of 1668 meters, you don’t know Huangshan pines. Here are clustered with many famous pine trees in Mount Huangshan.
Long long time ago, a man was doubtful of the beauty of Mount Huangshan and at last visited Huangshan. He was shocked by the beauty and began to believe the charm of M.t. Huangshan, hence the name of Beginning-to-believe Peak.
There is a wide selection of famous pine trees like Black Tiger Pine, Lianli Pine, Sleeping Dragon Pine. Beginning-to-believe Peak is on the summit of Mount Hangshan.
It is better to take the east steps or taking the cable car from Yungu Telpher New Station and get off at White Goose Telpher Station, then walk to Beginning-to-believe Peak.
The sunrise glow over the Beginning-to-believe Peak
9. A Flower on the Brush Tip 梦笔生花
You continue to walk from Beginning-to-believe Peak on to the north, you will soon see ” A Flower on the Brush Tip”, also known as Brush Peak. It is located on the northeast of Mount Huangshan, not far from Beihai Hotel.
A Flower on the Brush Tip is one of the most impressive site in Huangshan Mountain. On the sea of pines, a rock stands out round below and sharp above with a pine tree on the tip, a natural brush pen.
A Flower on the Brush Tip
10. Stone Monkey Gazing over the Sea of Clouds 猴子观海
If you continue to walk from Beihai Hotel for over 10 minutes, you will see the queer stone on the top of a peak which has an interesting name of Stone Monkey Gazing over the Sea of Clouds.
A rock in the shape of a monkey and stone monkey look as if it is looking afar or going to jump into the sea of clouds. When clouds disperse, the monkey is looking at the peaceful fields below.
Stone Monkey Gazing over the Sea of Clouds
Admissions and expenses concerned
Entrance Fee: RMB 230 (March – Nov); RMB 150 (Dec-Feb) Opening Hours: 06:30 – 16:30 Children under 1.2 meters : free of charge Children between 1.2 m and 1.5 : half price Yuping Cable Car: RMB 80 (single way) East Trance Yungu Cable Car: RMB 80 (single way) West Entrance Taiping Cable car: RMB 80 (single way ) North Entrance
How to get to Mt.Huangshan Scenic Area
1. First you should get to the city of Huangshan. Huangshan is easily reached from Beijing and Shanghai by train and flight. Daily buses and trains bring you from Hangzhou to Huangshan.
2. Then take buses from the city of Huangshan ( also known as Tunxi) to Tangkou Town. From Tangkou Town, you take the local shuttle bus to the starting points of Mt.Huangshan： Mercy Light Temple ( Cable Car Station ) and Yungu Cable Car Station.
Hassle-free Huangshan Guided Tours
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for guided tours to Huangshan:
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