[2025 Huayin ] Travel Guide for Yaozifanshen Trail (Updated Apr)

Huashan on the sword, challenge the blind man to turn over, go to the chess pavilion must pass the road, but also the original way back. Some places are almost vertically up and down, and it is hard to find even the footholds. It is still a test of physical strength. When I stood in front of the chess pavilion, I really felt what is the infinite scenery in the dangerous peak!

This time when we went to Huashan, we originally planned to go up north and down west, but due to bad weather and the fact that there was still snow in the mountains, hiking was completely banned. In the end, we could only choose to go up north and down north, and take the North Peak Cableway in and out. 🌄 Huashan Difficulty & Route Experience The hiking route of Mount Huashan is actually not too difficult, as it has many steps and is suitable for tourists of all ages. The scenery along the way is magnificent. Although the overall trip is relatively easy, you will still feel a little tired because you still need to return to the North Peak cable car to go down the mountain. 💰 Price changes The price changes in Huashan are quite obvious, from 10 yuan for 3 grilled sausages at the foot of the mountain to 6 yuan for 1 sausage. It can be seen that the higher the altitude, the higher the price. The price is ok, and there are food for sale along the way, so you don’t need to bring too much stuff up the mountain. 🥶 Weather conditions & warm-up tips The weather in Huashan in March is still cold. Even without rainfall, some parts of the mountain are still covered with snow. The scenery is particularly beautiful where the sun shines, and the sunset over the mountains is even more amazing! But in places without sunlight, the temperature will drop sharply and the wind will be biting, so you must take measures to keep warm! 🚠 Weather-Affected Attractions & Money-Saving Tips Due to bad weather, many popular attractions were closed: ❌ The Xifeng cableway is closed, so you can’t choose the classic route from north to west. ❌ The kite flip is not open yet, so you will miss the thrilling experience ❌ The equipment of the Skywalk is under maintenance and the opening time is undecided Although I was not able to experience many classic challenge projects this time, it still saved me some money invisibly 😂. 💧 Water Amount & Carrying Suggestions The two of us prepared four 600ml bottles of water, which was more than enough for the entire trip. In cold weather, the demand for water is not high, and this amount of preparation is enough to cope with the trip. Although this trip to Huashan was affected by the weather and we were unable to complete the originally planned westward route and thrilling challenges, we still managed to visit Huashan easily and enjoy the magnificent scenery and snow-covered beauty. If you plan to go, it is recommended to pay attention to weather conditions, prepare sufficient warm equipment, and prepare water and dry food in advance to make the journey smoother! #liiiiiiiian #March2025 #Huashan #Xi'an

You may have heard of the Hwasan faction in various martial arts novels. I usually enjoy hiking, so I visited Hwasan, the home of the Hwasan faction, around July 2024. As expected from a mountain that is in charge of the West Mountain among the Five Great Mountains of China, its scenery and scale were incomparably large and magnificent compared to Bukhansan or Seoraksan in Korea. Also, since the lifts and buses were well-developed, the actual hiking portion was not that high. As expected from China, which is crowded everywhere, there were a lot of tourists in Hwasan, and accordingly, there were many places selling souvenirs, drinks, and food on the ridge. (However, the price is at least 1.5 to 3-4 times more expensive than at the bottom of the mountain, so I recommend preparing in advance or, if you are not in a hurry, purchasing after descending.) Among the famous activities in Hwasan, there is a course called Jangongjando (Changgongjando), which is a wooden plank path on a cliff, but when I went up, the waiting line was too long, so I was disappointed and could not experience it. Instead, there is a place called Hagijeong, which is like a swallow doing a backflip, and as you can see in the picture, it is a pavilion made of stone, and it is said that the Chinese emperors played chess there, so it was named Hagijeong. I, who couldn't afford a chess board because they said chicken instead of pheasant, tried the Hagijeong course and paid 30 yuan for safety equipment rental. I recommend Huashan in Xi'an, where you can see beautiful scenery and have a wonderful experience!

For those brave warriors who want to climb Huashan easily and play on the Changkong Plank Road without queuing, this guide is shared with everyone. It is suitable for tourists who travel back and forth from Xi'an on the same day and whose main purpose, like me, is to visit the plank road and watch the sunset. It is also suitable for the elderly, people with average physical strength, and those with children. The chosen route is west-up and west-down, with cable car the entire way. Let’s review the timeline first👇 🕒𝟖:𝟐𝟏Arrive at Huashan North Station, 𝟗:𝟒𝟐Arrive at the queue for the West Peak cable car, 𝟏𝟎:𝟐𝟏Get off the cable car and start climbing the mountain, 𝟏𝟏:𝟏𝟓Arrive at the reservation area for the Nantianmen Skywalk. (Figure 2) During the trip, you will pass the top of the South Peak. What you need to pay attention to during this section is that all the processes before going up the mountain must be fast‼ ️If you want to play on the skywalk, run as much as you can‼ ️Because there are a lot of people queuing for the Xifeng cable car, it is better to arrive one minute earlier and go up the mountain. Otherwise, there will be too many people queuing for the Xifeng cable car and you will be tired before you even get up the mountain. 🧗🏻‍♀️Time and tips for playing the Skywalk: There are two places on the Skywalk where you need to queue up. The first is at the reservation office on the lower right of Figure 2, where groups of 50 people are registered and released. The second is that after registering, you have to wait for about an hour until the previous group has finished playing. During this stage, there are rooms inside where you can sit and wait. While I was waiting for my friends to come, I ate something to replenish my energy, then made an appointment with 𝟏𝟐:𝟎𝟎, registered, and went in to wait. When we came out after playing at around 2 o'clock, the queue had already reached the intersection. The people behind us basically had to wait in line for at least three and a half hours to play. 🟡The actual whole journey on the Changkong Plank Road takes only a little over an hour, and half of the time is spent resting at Siguo Cliff and waiting for everyone to arrive before starting the return journey, so the one-way journey only takes about ten minutes, which is very fast. 🟢The safety belt is very tight, "tied up tightly" as shown in Figure 8. It is very safe. There are staff to ensure supervision throughout the process. As long as you are not afraid of heights, you can rush with confidence. 🔴You can’t play alone, but don’t worry, many people play by themselves, so you can just form a team on the spot. It is best to bring cash for convenience, but it doesn’t matter if you forget it, there is a QR code that can be scanned. The main thing is that if someone changes their mind after you arrive, it will be complicated and troublesome to get a refund. 🟠Hold your mobile phone well. People lose their mobile phones and mainland China ID cards every day. Put all your belongings except your mobile phone in your bag and put them in the storage area at the door. As shown in Figure 10, three people lost their mainland China ID cards on that day... You can buy a neck strap in advance to hang your mobile phone like I did. 🔵Want to take photos while sitting on the wooden board‼ ️On the return trip, the chain was on top and not long enough for you to sit down. The staff explicitly prohibited you from sitting down to take pictures, so unfortunately I didn't get to take any. 🌄For watching the sunset and going down the mountain: After getting off the Changkong Plank Road, the route is to go to the East Peak, Middle Peak, and West Peak in turn. Watch the sunset from the West Peak or when the West Cable Car is descending. Check the sunset time in advance every day. When going down, there was no one queuing for the cable car, and each person went down in a cabin. 👚In terms of clothing: The weather in the mountains changes rapidly, so it is necessary to bring a jacket. Don't wear shorts in this season. Wear non-slip shoes! For ladders or steep roads that are difficult to walk on, shoes with strong grip save a lot of effort. As for food and drink: I only brought two bottles of water and didn't finish them, mainly because I didn't want to go to the toilet on the mountain. The water pressure on the mountain is unstable, and the toilets are really smelly and disgusting. Bring some food like chocolate protein bars, and try to travel light; there are several stone tablets of the Huashan Sword Contest, all of which are free of charge. There are some that charge for taking photos and stand there shouting. Many people think that you can't go there even if you are charged, but that's not the case! Just go over and take the photo!

🌈 Harrier Turns is located on the East Peak of Mount Hua and is the only way to reach the Chess Pavilion. Its path is carved into a steep cliff. Looking down from the cliff top, you can only see the cold chain hanging in the air, not the path itself, like a mysterious ladder hidden among the cliffs. ⛰️ To conquer it, you must face the wall and hold the chain, carefully exploring the stone holes with your toes, alternating as you descend. Each stone hole is small, requiring precise placement of your toes to gain support for the next step. Therefore, there are height requirements. The minimum is 160cm, though being slightly shorter shouldn't be a problem. However, being too tall can make the descent more challenging. 🎫 It's a separate paid activity requiring rope equipment. The rental fee is CNY 30. Tickets must be booked in advance. You can't book at the foot of the mountain beforehand; the system will only allow booking when you're near the East Peak. If you haven't booked in advance, you can only try your luck on the spot, but there are usually few tickets left. It's best to start booking when you're approaching the East Peak. 🌞 Like the Long Sky Plank Road, it's a must-do. The initial descent is thrilling, but the rest of the path isn't scary. After crossing, you'll reach the Chess Pavilion, a unique experience not accessible to all Mount Hua climbers. 📷 You can bring your phone, but it's not convenient to take photos during the climb. Staff will guide you with poses and take photos for you. The photos turn out great. Small prints are CNY 30 (no negatives), and large prints with negatives are CNY 60. We bought four for CNY 240, which I think was worth it. Since you're already at Mount Hua, why not give it a try?

✨As a lazy person who "would never climb a mountain if you can hang out" You can even easily get the beautiful sunrise at the top of Mount Huashan Hurry up and collect this super labor-saving guide👇🏻 ⛰【Zero Climbing Sunrise Route】 🌅Sunday Viewpoint: West Peak Cableway Top/East Peak Observation Deck (30 minutes in advance) 🚠 Lazy Cableway: Choose "West Peak Cableway"! 20 minutes through the sea of ​​clouds, the carriage is fully transparent super shocking ⏰Timeline: 15:00 Arrive in Huayin County straight to fat woman meat dumplings 16:30 West Peak Cableway up the mountain (💰140/one way) 17:30 Check-in at West Peak/East Peak Hotel (book 1️⃣ week in advance!) 5:00 Wake up and rush to the sun viewing spot (in a down jacket!) 6:00 Orange cloud sea rolls + sunrise blockbuster is born! 📸【Photo Spot】 1️⃣ West Peak Cable Car: Overhead shot of the cliff under your feet + overhead shot of the clouds above your head 2️⃣ East Peak Sunrise: Take a side silhouette + open arms back 3️⃣ Long Sky Canyon: No challenge can borrow a place to pose 💡Tips: ✅ Check the Huashan weather forecast in advance! You can see the sunrise first on a sunny day ✅ Cableway tickets + tickets in advance at "Huashan Scenic Area" green bubble 🫧 ✅ Simple accommodation conditions on the mountain, bring disposable sheets/wet wipes ✅ After watching the sunrise, it is recommended to go down the mountain from the North Peak Cableway (💰80), and see Canglong Ridge along the way 🍜【List of Surrounding Foods】 ▪️ Meng Kee Da Dao Noodles: Spicy oil splash noodles fragrant to stamp your feet! ▪️Huayin crystal cake: downhill souvenir TOP1 ▪️Old Tongguan Meat Dumplings: Crispy to the point of falling off the crumbs of mille-feuille dumplings ▪️Cumin baked dumplings at the night market: double happiness of carbohydrates + carbohydrates Hurry up and accept this lazy romance!

Please 🙏 visit Mount Hua, no matter the occasion. You'll be amazed!! ✅Must-see attractions: 1️⃣Long Sky Plank Road (east side of South Peak): The most dangerous trail on Mount Hua. Safety ropes are required. A must-try for thrill-seekers! It's incredibly nice!! 2️⃣Harrier Turns Back (East Peak): Climb a vertical cliff for a thrilling experience. Leads to the Chess Pavilion. 3️⃣蒼龍嶺 (Cānglónglǐng) (from North Peak to Five Cloud Peak): A narrow ridge resembling a dragon's back, with cliffs on both sides. Every step is thrilling, and the experience is truly special. 4️⃣Sunrise at East Peak: The best sunrise viewing spot. Recommended for night climbers or those staying overnight on the mountain. It's exceptionally beautiful. 5️⃣Lotus Peak (West Peak): Legend says this is where Chen Xiang split the mountain to save his mother. The sunset views are stunning. ✅Recommended climbing routes ✔️✔️Classic hiking route (suitable for those in good physical condition) ✔️Route: Jade Spring Temple (starting point) → Thousand-Foot Building → Hundred-Foot Gorge → North Peak → 蒼龍嶺 (Cānglónglǐng) → East Peak (sunrise) → South Peak (highest peak) → West Peak → Middle Peak → Descent ✔️Duration: Approx. 8–10 hrs (night climbing for sunrise requires a pre-dawn start). ✅Transportation guide 🚆Xi'an → Mount Hua 📍High-speed rail: Xi'an North Station → Mount Hua North Station. A 10-min taxi ride from the station to the visitor center. 📍Bus: Xi'an East Bus Station → Mount Hua Visitor Center. Takes longer, not recommended if you're short on time. 📍Car: Navigate to "Mount Hua Visitor Center." Parking lot fees are approx. CNY 20–30/d. ✅Accommodation recommendations 🏚Mountaintop accommodation (convenient for sunrise viewing): 📍East Peak Hotel, West Peak Hotel (dorm beds CNY 150–300/person, standard rooms CNY 600–1,000+). 🏚Accommodation at the foot of the mountain: 📍Hotels/B&Bs near the visitor center (CNY 100–300/night, great value). Recommended! ✅Important notes 1️⃣Safety first: Assess your physical abilities before attempting dangerous trails. Some attractions are closed during rain/strong winds. 2️⃣Recommended gear: Non-slip athletic shoes, gloves, warm clothes for nighttime, headlamp (for night climbing). 3️⃣Supplies: Prices on the mountain are high (water CNY 10/bottle). Bring your own high-calorie snacks. 4️⃣Check the weather forecast in advance and avoid holiday crowds. 5️⃣Pick up a scenic map at the entrance or use your phone's navigation.