A Scenic (and Leg-Busting) One-Day Trip to Baishishan, Laiyuan, Hebei
The night before the Dragon Boat Festival long weekend, my wife and I decided on a spontaneous short trip the next day. Our destination: Baishishan Scenic Area in Baishishanzhen Town, Laiyuan County, Baoding, Hebei—a place she'd long wanted to visit. We set off from Beijing at 7 a.m. and drove 430 km round trip. Let me share all the details, hoping they'll be useful.
**1. Pre-Trip Preparations**
As I said, this was a spur-of-the-moment journey, so we prepared pretty hastily. After deciding to go the night before, we had only 12 hours until departure—including 8 hours of sleep and 3 hours for dinner out, leaving just one hour of actual prep. Basically, we winged it. So as someone who's been to Baishishan, let me pass on some tips.
First, **sun protection**. The highest point of Baishishan is around 1,900 meters. If it's sunny, the sun beats down hard. Put on sunscreen—you don't want to come back sunburned after a day out.
Second, **buy tickets in advance**. We bought ours on arrival. There are combo tickets; we got the entrance + round-trip cable car for 260 yuan per person. Had we bought them the day before, it would have been about 140 yuan per person—a big difference.
Third, **travel light**. There are lots of ups and downs on the mountain. Carrying too much just weighs you down. My advice: one bottle of water per person is enough. There are food stalls on the mountain and even a trendy café midway. I promise you won't go hungry.
Fourth, **mental preparation**. If you have a serious fear of heights, think carefully. Baishishan's terrain is steep, and the walking paths are built along sheer cliffs. The views are stunning, but every step can be a shock to the system if you're afraid of heights. My wife spent much of the time pressed against the rock face, inching along.
Fifth, **about pets**. The scenic area allows pets. We saw several families hiking with their furry companions. Bringing your pet along can be a unique experience. But if your pet can't walk far and tires easily, be cautious. If it gives up and you have to carry it back, you'll really have your work cut out for you.
Sixth, **what to wear**. Check the weather forecast before you go. A friend warned us it gets very cold on the mountain and told us to bring down jackets or rent a coat there. My wife and I figured that at this time of year, it shouldn't be that bad, so we just brought light jackets. I even changed from shorts to long pants at the entrance, worried about the cold. The forecast said around 21°C. Once up top, the first thing I did was silently curse my friend's advice. It was perfectly fine! With a 21°C forecast, shorts and a T-shirt would have been no problem. Following his advice, I was stuck carrying a jacket and rolling up my pant legs the whole way. Unbelievable! Remember, we're hiking—you'll sweat. No need for a down jacket. Of course, still dress according to the actual weather. If you know it's going to rain, don't show up in shorts and a T-shirt—then you might really need that coat.
We started from Beijing. Before you leave, fill up your gas and top up your windshield washer fluid. The round trip uses about half a tank, so you don't need to refuel in Hebei. My general driving route: from the Jinggang'ao Expressway (G4) to the Lailai Expressway (Laishui–Laiyuan). As shown on the map, there are many large trucks on this road—drive carefully. If you'd rather avoid heavy truck traffic, take the Jingkun Expressway (G5) and then transfer to the Lailai Expressway. I came back via the G5, and there were indeed fewer big vehicles. I won't dwell on the G4; let me talk about the Lailai Expressway. Most of it is a two-lane dual carriageway, with speed limits jumping between 80 km/h, 100 km/h, and 70 km/h inside tunnels. I recommend keeping your navigation on in detailed mode to avoid tickets that could spoil your trip. In the latter half of the Lailai Expressway, tunnels become frequent—really frequent. You'll pass two long tunnel clusters, one about 7 km and the other about 8 km, with a 70 km/h limit and solid-line detection cameras. Just follow your navigation through these sections. No matter how much the cars behind honk, don't speed or change lanes. If they're in such a hurry, let them fly. Ignore them. Safety comes first. After exiting the highway, follow your GPS to the East Gate parking lot. It's easy. The scenic area has its own car park. If it's full, you can park in a local resident's lot for 10 yuan a day. You'll want to park as close to the entrance as possible. Navigate to "Baishishan East Gate Parking Lot A." If there's no space, the villagers' private lots across the street are fine.
After parking, head to the ticket office. Ticket types include: round-trip shuttle bus (about 30 min one way), round-trip cable car (about 8 min one way), or combinations. Choose what suits you. I covered buying tickets in the preparation section. One special note: if you're scared of heights, think twice about the cable car—it goes quite high and might make you uneasy. Because we'd already driven two hours, and my wife hadn't realized her fear of heights yet, we opted for the quicker cable car round trip. From the East Gate, take the cable car up to Xiangyun Gate to start your day.
Baishishan has three color-coded routes: Green, Blue, and Orange, as shown on the map. They're further divided into family-friendly, red education, and other themed routes. You can get a free map at the ticket office and pick based on your situation. We chose the Orange + Blue route combo, which turned out to be a great decision. If you're like us—no kids, want to hike more and see more—I recommend this path. Starting from Xiangyun Gate at 10 a.m., we returned at 5 p.m., so about 7 hours total. I didn't track the exact distance, but here's a detailed account.
At Xiangyun Gate, we weren't sure which way to go. Looking at the map, we saw the trendy café was on the Orange route. My wife loves photo ops, so we decided to go out via Orange and return via Blue. Why was our choice smart? Because most of the Orange route is downhill. Xiangyun Gate is at about 1,900 meters, and you descend to around 1,600 meters at the lowest point. True, people say going uphill is easier than downhill, but that's for unmarked, stepless mountains. In a developed scenic area like this, walking downhill is far less strenuous. There are occasional short uphill stretches, but overall it's downhill, making it easier than climbing up. You'll pass the Nature's Corner Café, a trendy spot where tired, hungry, or thirsty hikers can refuel. I suggest heading to its lower level—fewer people, same great views, and much more comfortable than the upper terrace. We grabbed a quick bite there and moved on.
Leaving the café, we continued on, snapping photos and soaking in the scenery, eventually reaching Feihuxia Cable Car Lower Station. This is where our route choice really paid off. By taking the Orange route from Xiangyun Gate down here, we dropped from 1,900 m to 1,600 m. Then we could take the cable car back up to 1,900 m. Don't underestimate that 300-meter difference—climbing it on foot would take half your life. If we'd gone the wrong way, Blue first then Orange, we'd have to trudge back up from 1,600 m. Just thinking about it makes my legs weak. Anyway, the Feihuxia cable car costs extra: 45 yuan per person. It goes up in a fast-slow-fast rhythm. When it slows down mid-air, don't panic. Those with a fear of heights... well, just don't look down—you'll be fine.
From the top of Feihuxia, we started the second half: the Blue route. It splits into a south path and a north path (they merge later). After surveying the mountain's shape (pretending I knew what I was doing), I guessed the south side would have better scenery. It did, indeed, have nice views (though I've no idea what the north path looked like). But the south path was really exposed to the sun. The walkways were mostly built along cliffs and suspended in the air. Again, if you're height-phobic, think twice (maybe the north path was just as hairy—who knows?). The north side has a red birch forest and a shorter distance. The south side has a glass skywalk, but it wasn't open (probably for the best—my wife was already terror-stricken, clinging to the mountain wall). The south path is also a bit longer. Pick according to your taste and fear factor. The whole loop offers plenty of sights, pleasant temperatures, and makes for a great hiking destination. If this kind of trail appeals to you, I'd recommend a visit. I'll share some of our own photos here. That wraps up the travelogue; I hope it helps anyone planning to go.
P.S. Food inside the park isn't pricey—corn dogs 3 for 10 yuan, corn on the cob 5 yuan each, quite reasonable. As you enjoy the beautiful scenery, please take your trash with you to keep it beautiful for everyone. Thank you!!
