Winter Trip to Huaguo Mountain, Lianyungang

Although Yunu Peak of Huaguo Mountain is the highest peak in Jiangsu, its height of 624.4 meters is not worth boasting about. It can only attract attention with the "hometown" of Sun Wukong. To cater to tourists' desire to see the Great Sage, scenic spots related to Journey to the West have been built on Huaguo Mountain. After passing through the mountain gate with a large portrait of Sun Wukong, you will find the mountain gate stop of the scenic bus next to it. From here, you can take a bus to Jiulong Bridge, Sanyuan Palace, and Yunu Peak. If you are physically strong, it is better to hike for 2–3 hours. Go up the mountain road next to the statue of Wu Cheng'en. After passing Shibapan, Fengmenkou, and Nantianmen, you can reach Jiulong Bridge in half an hour. This is the starting station of the Huaguo Mountain cableway. You can take the cableway to reach Shuilian Cave and Yunu Peak. If you continue to climb, you will have to climb about 350 meters after Jiulong Bridge to reach the top. After passing Duobao Pagoda, you can go directly to Sanyuan Palace or go to the strange stone inscription area on the right front. There is a series of strange stones that require imagination, and their names are all related to Journey to the West. If you continue to walk from Sanyuan Palace, you will find a rare golden jade bamboo. Deep in the bamboo forest are Huixin Spring and Pingzhu Zen Temple. After a few more steps, you will reach Sun Wukong's Shuilian Cave. The waterfall created by artificial water release is much smaller than you expected, and the road in Shuilian Cave is just a short corridor. After coming out, you will find many little macaques. Tourists take out food to feed them, and I find that macaques also like to drink milk. After leaving Shuilian Cave and passing Yuhuang Pavilion, you can reach Yunu Peak after climbing another 100 meters. Standing next to the sign of "the highest peak in Jiangsu" and looking down at the earth, it is said that you can see the sea more than ten kilometers away on a sunny day.