Mt. Huashan

If you are up for one of the most strenuous and dangerous hikes on our planet; yet it also offers a taste of the true Chinese culture besides an amazing surrounding nature, then head to Mt. Huashan, or as it is better known Mt. Hua.

Mt. Hua is part of the granite-faced Qin mountains range with deep gorges and lush forests surrounding it, that will owe you with every step you hike up. Not only that, but being one of the five sacred mountain in China adds a cultural reward to this hike as you’ll visit a number of sacred shrines and meet a lot of Chinese Pilgrims! Then there is the danger part!! But I’ve to stress…this is an optional detour…you don’t have to do it if you find it too scary; yet you’ll still enjoy all what this mountain has to offer. So lets start our adventure!

Mt. Hua is located in the city of Huayin in Shaanxi province and can be reached & hiked On Your Own from X’ian on a day trip. To reach the east gate, head to X’ian North train station and take the train (click to request info), from there, take a green minibus for a 2-hour drive to Mt. Hua.

When arriving at the gate, buy your entrance ticket & start your uphill hike right away to the top from where you’ll start the hikes to the different peaks & shrines (click to request map). This is a grueling 6-km hike through Hushan Gorge, although beautiful, it’ll take a lot time and you’ll arrive to the top very tired (remember you have to time your hike to catch the last bus back (click to request info). The other alternative, which I recommend, is to take the cable car up to the lower station…it is a spectacular ride and you still have a lot of strenuous hikes to do a top and hike the gorge down.

Reaching the lower station, the first hike you’ll start is the one to the north peak at +1,561 m. This is a very strenuous 2 km hike as you’ll go up on 3,999 steps of stairs!! which will take approximately 1 hour.

From the north peak, you should be armed with your map & start hiking to the other peaks and shrines. The route I took, and recommend, is a counter-clockwise hike, as follows:

Start by hiking the Golden Lock Pass to the west peak. This is an uphill hike to +2,038 m and it’s the start of the real rewards of this amazing mountain. The first section heads west to the memorial pavilion; from there the trail forks and, of course, you have to take the trail going up. The trail will pass up the heaven’s ladder where you’ll start getting the views of the unique granite-top mountains till you reach the meteorological reception. At the meteorological reception, the Golden Lock Pass starts. This is a location where the Chinese offer prayers to the Gods for their safety & health. In an amazing display, they attach golden locks, as an offering to God, on both sides of the pass using red ribbons. The entire pass is filled with these colorful locks and witnessing the actual action of the offering is a very moving sight. So take your time and show respect as you are in a sacred place!

At the end of the pass, and after another tough 1.5-2 hours hike, you’ll reach the west peak and the first shrine. The views here are magnificent and people praying at the shrine adds a sense of sacredness to this place…at the end, nature & faith are interrelated…I Guess!

From the west peak, most of the uphill will be done by now and the remaining hikes will be relatively easy. So hike to the South peak next at +2,160 m. Throughout this hike, you’ll be surrounded by an unobstructed amazing views, pass smaller shrines, and don’t look done…its scary:) At the south peak, you’ll reach another shrine, the South Gate. This section of the hike should take around 30 minutes.

Next, you’ll start heading downhill to the east peak at +2,100 m, but the daredevil in you will want to do what is coming next:) Walking along this trail, there is a detour to a shrine called Changkang Zhado, but the only way to visit it is by hiking on hanging wooden planks attached on the side of the mountain with nothing below you!! Not only that, but this shrine is at a dead end, so you’ll have to do it twice:) and it’s a two-way traffic so you should maneuver yourself around people! This part of the hike is dangerous, yet doable, at the time of my visit, you had to pay the guy there CNY 30 to access it and he’ll equip you with belts and locks to tie yourself to the fixed ropes along the trail.

You’ll be scared, you’ll take small steps, but after few steps, you’ll get the hang of it and start walking more comfortably. After this unforgettable adventure, let us continue the hike to the east peak…the most sacred of the four peaks, where you’ll reach the chess-play pavilion and another pagoda with incredible views.

 

Now, unfortunately, it is time to head back after this tough, yet incredible day. Continue the loop to the meteorological reception, then take the trail down to the memorial pavilion.

The final leg of this hike will depend on your time and energy. If you’ve both, then hike down the 6-km gorge trail to the gate. It’s a different type of hike as you’ll be surrounded by towering mountains and will pass by a dozen or so religious shrines. Otherwise, head to the North peak and take the cable car down from there.

Arriving at the gate, you should have timed your arrival with the time of the last bus heading back and you should have bought your bus ticket when entering the mountain. This bus will take you to the train station from which you’ll catch a train back to X’ian North (click to request info).

I know it was a long grueling day, with a lot of tough hikes and a life threatening one, but you are and ADVENTUROUS DAREDEVIL and survived the day…so CHEERS TO U:)