The long-lost traveler is back! Let me start by catching up on a few trips from last year. In mid-October, I took a self-driving tour of Xi’an and its surrounding areas, with Mount Hua as one of the key destinations. This was also my first visit to any of China’s Five Great Mountains. With an elevation of 2,155 meters, Mount Hua is the tallest among them. It’s about over 100 kilometers from Xi’an to Mount Hua, making it quite convenient for a self-drive trip.
Mount Hua rises dramatically from the ground, its cliffs sheer on all sides. It features extremely precipitous spots such as the Thousand-Foot Precipice, Hundred-Foot Gorge, Black Dragon Ridge, Eagle Flipping Wall, and Plank Road in the Sky, earning it the reputation of “the most perilous mountain under heaven.” Mount Hua consists of five peaks: the East Peak (Chaoyang), West Peak (Lianhua), Central Peak (Yunü), South Peak (Luoyan), and North Peak (Yuntai). The South Peak, Luoyan, is the highest point of Mount Hua at 2,154.9 meters above sea level; the West Peak is the most treacherous at 2,082 meters; and the North Peak is the lowest at 1,614.7 meters.
The Mount Hua scenic area is vast. Entrance tickets, shuttle buses to the West Peak Cableway, the West Peak Cableway itself, shuttle buses to the North Peak Cableway, and the North Peak Cableway are all sold separately. You can choose to hike the entire way on foot, which takes roughly 12 hours to cover all the peaks. Since I was traveling with elders, we opted for the most relaxed option—taking the cable car up and down from the North Peak. Even on the shuttle bus from the Visitor Center to the cable car station, you can already sense how different this mountain is from others I’ve visited—the cliffs are almost vertical, like a sliced cake.
The North Peak Cableway isn’t too scary, as it doesn’t hover very far above the ground or cliff face.
After exiting the cableway station, there are additional steps you can climb to reach a higher vantage point. Up there, you’ll find a rest area with scenic views where you can take some photos. Afterward, we wandered around the North Peak—not venturing too far—snapped some pictures, and visited the famous Sword Testing Terrace of Mount Hua. There are also dining and accommodation options available up here, which must be quite a feat to maintain given the location.
In addition to the grueling 12-hour full-hike route, the official website offers several other options. For example, there’s an economical 8-hour route involving taking the North Peak Cableway both up and down while hiking through the Central, West, and South Peaks; a comprehensive 5-hour panoramic route taking the West Peak Cableway up, passing through the South, East, and Central Peaks, then descending via the North Peak Cableway; and another 5-hour “perfect” route using the West Peak Cableway for both ascent and descent, covering the South, East, and Central Peaks. All things considered, the North Peak might actually be the least worthwhile to visit. For folks like us who only went to the North Peak, it’s practically as if we didn’t go at all~~~
Overall, the Mount Hua Scenic Area is very well-developed, with clear signage and excellent facilities. Visitors can choose different routes based on their physical stamina and budget. Also, there’s a KFC at the parking lot, which is super convenient.
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