Huangshan (Yellow Mountain)
A UNESCO World Heritage granite range of wind-sculpted pines, sea-of-cloud viewpoints and stone stairways cut straight into the rock
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Duration
- 1-2 days is typical, though a single very long day is possible with an early cableway start
- Summit elevation
- 1864 m
Rising above Anhui province, Huangshan has shaped Chinese landscape painting for over a thousand years with its improbable granite spires, gnarled Huangshan pines rooted straight into bare rock, and the sea of clouds that fills the valleys below the peaks on many mornings. The classic route rides the Yungu cableway up to the Front Mountain, passes the famous Greeting Pine at Yuping, then continues over granite stairways to Bright Summit and Lotus Peak, the range's highest point at 1,864 metres, before descending or cabling down the back side.
Highlights
- The Greeting Pine at Yuping, one of China's most photographed trees
- Sea-of-cloud views from Bright Summit at sunrise
- Granite stairways cut directly into sheer rock faces
- Lotus Peak, the range's highest point at 1,864 metres
Getting there
From Huangshan North high-speed rail station or Tunxi (Huangshan City) centre, take a bus or taxi (about 1 hour) to Tangkou township at the scenic area's southern gate, where shuttle buses run on to the Yungu or Mercy Light cableway stations.
Safety tips
Granite steps become slick within minutes of rain, railings thin out on some exposed stairways, and the weather can swing from clear to fogbound within the hour; sturdy grippy footwear and a willingness to wait out a squall matter more than speed, especially on the steep sections around Tiandu Peak.
What to bring
- Trekking shoes with real grip for wet granite steps
- A light rain jacket, since mountain showers arrive with little warning
- Layers, as summit temperatures run well below the valley floor
- Cash or a China-linked mobile payment app for cable cars and mountaintop food