On our second day in Huangshan, we headed to the Yellow Mountain for some hiking. The Yellow Mountain, also known as Huangshan, is divided into three main areas: Front Mountain, Back Mountain, and the West Sea Grand Canyon. A single day’s visit won’t be enough to fully explore all these areas. While it’s possible to see everything in one day, it would be a very long and tiring day.
To better explore this legendary mountain and fully enjoy both the sunset and sunrise, we decided to stay overnight on the mountain. There are several accommodation options available, allowing you to rest and take in the breathtaking views.
How to Get to YELLOW Mountain
There are three entry gates to Huangshan Mountain:
- North Gate
- South Gate (the main one)
- West Gate (near Hongcun Village)
Most online resources cover the North and South Gates, but the West Gate is also an option, though it’s less commonly mentioned.
Your choice of entry gate should depend on the hiking route you plan to take. Most visitors start from the South Gate, which is accessible by bus or DiDi. The ride takes about 1-1.5 hours.
Once you reach the South Gate, the first thing you need to do is buy a ticket for the shuttle bus, which will take you to the start of your hike. Be sure to purchase the correct shuttle bus ticket, as there are two directions you can head from the South Gate depending on your chosen hiking route—you can start from either Mercy Light Pavilion or Yungu Temple. The shuttle bus ticket costs around 14 yuan.
Hiking Routes
There are two main routes available:
- Hiking the Front Mountain: The trail begins at the Mercy Light Pavilion. From here, you have two options: you can either take the Yuping Cableway to Yuping Station, located near the Jade Screen Pavilion, or hike the route, which takes about 3 hours. From Yuping Station, the hike continues to Lotus Peak and then onto Baiyun Hotel and Bright Top for more stunning views. Keep in mind that the shuttle bus to Mercy Light Pavilion also stops at Hot Spring Station. It’s a great spot to relax, especially on your way back after a long day of hiking.
- Hiking the Back Mountain: This route starts at Yungu Temple. You can either take the cableway to White Goose Ridge Station or hike up, which takes around 2.5 hours. Since this trail is easier, it’s usually more crowded than the front mountain route. From White Goose Ridge Station, you can continue to Beihai Hotel and then on to Lion Peak.
Besides these routes, you can also start from:
- North Gate: Take the Taiping Cable Car to Danxia Station and access the West Sea Grand Canyon.
- West Gate: This is the least crowded path, but there are no cable cars, and there will be many stairs.
DAY 1
We decided to start from the South Gate and hike the back mountain. Unfortunately, our main mistake was choosing to hike on a holiday when access to the mountain was free, which meant even more people on the most famous mountain in China. The views during our hike were incredible, but the large crowds made it difficult to fully enjoy the experience.
The hike itself wasn’t too challenging, but we decided to stay on the mountain to fully take in the sunset and sunrise. Since we made the decision last minute, our accommodation options were limited. There are a few hotels within the park, but only one is available on Booking.com. For more options, I recommend using Trip.com, where you can check out the top 7 scenic hotels in the Huangshan area. Just be sure to confirm that the hotel accepts foreign guests before booking.
We stayed at Xihai Hotel, which, while not the cheapest option, was the only one available to us as we were late with booking accommodation. The hotel’s location is excellent, close to Danxia Peak, making it ideal for watching the sunset and sunrise.
DAY 2
On the second day in Huangshan mountain, we hiked to the West Sea Grand Canyon and then took the Xihai Cable Car, which cost 100 yuan per person, to Tian Hai Station.
Our plan was to hike down to the Mercy Light Pavilion via the Front Mountain and finish at the South Gate. However, things didn’t go as planned. Near Baiyun Hotel, we took a wrong turn and ended up heading toward the West Gate through the Fairy Walking Bridge.
It was surprising that there were no crowds, but the views were even better than on day one, so we didn’t think much of it. By the time we realized something was off with our route, it was too late to turn back, especially considering that almost the entire trail consisted of never-ending, steep steps. My legs have never hurt more after any hike I’ve done before.
Once we hiked down to the bottom of the mountain, we found a parking lot with very few vehicles and only one person waiting for the shuttle bus to take him to the gate.
The road was so picturesque that we decided not to wait for the shuttle bus and hiked an additional 40 minutes to the gate. The western gate is almost unused, so we were lucky to meet friendly villagers who helped us get a taxi back to Huangshan city. If you take the shuttle bus, it will take you to the bus station where you can grab a taxi or bus back to the city.
We noticed a lot of construction near the west gate, so it might be better maintained and have improved infrastructure by the time you read this post. Looking back, we are very glad that we mistakenly chose the wrong path, as it turned out to be the most beautiful part of Huangshan mountain in our opinion. However, better planning was necessary as it did incur some additional expenses.
In conclusion, visiting Huangshan Mountain is a fantastic experience. Just make sure to avoid holidays or weekends and plan your hike properly. I highly recommend using this map of Huangshan Mountain, as most maps available online don’t even mention the western gate.
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