October 2020 Traveling through Western Hubei: A Free Tour of Hubei Full自驾 Record

Departed from Beijing at 7:30 on October 18, 2020, arrived at the foot of Mount Wudang. Had lunch at Hebi Service Area, donkey meat pie 25 yuan plus self-supplied food; refueled at Sinopec 100 yuan, refueled at Sinopec in Xinzheng Service Area 200 yuan; drove 1129 km on Jinggang'ao, Xuguang, Lannan, Erguang, Nindeng, Dengbao expressways, toll fee 471.91 yuan; stayed at Wudang Mountain Kezhijia Guesthouse 212 yuan, dinner at Old Flavor 1992 (stir-fried shredded pork with grass roots, crispy small stone fish, wild spinach, pan-fried tofu with vegetables, three fresh vegetable soup) 130 yuan.

Just outside the expressway exit is the visitor center at the foot of the mountain, surrounded by many guesthouses, convenient for dining and parking, with reasonable prices.

On October 19, 2020, climbed to the Golden Summit of Mount Wudang. Breakfast: Haidilao beef noodles plus Xinxin cake, Wudang Mountain shuttle bus 105 yuan/person, Golden Summit ticket 27 yuan/person, Wudang Mountain Penglai Inn 187 yuan, dinner 219 yuan (stir-fried eggs with flower dew vegetable, braised sword river fish, stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured meat); walked 15.12 km, 22,085 steps.

The inn I stayed at was in Qikeshu Village, one of the last ones along the hiking trail, a certain distance from Crow Ridge parking lot and not on flat ground. It's perfect for watching the sunrise; the landlady and her two sons were very warm and helpful, carrying luggage. If not watching the sunrise, there is no need to stay here; rooms on the mountain are small and cramped, so it's more convenient to stay near Crow Ridge parking lot.

On October 20, 2020, visited Nanyan Palace, Zixiao Palace, Xiaoyao Valley, Taizipo, and Mozhen Well in Wudang Mountain scenic area. Breakfast (Wudang hot dry noodles, steamed buns, porridge, pickles, eggs) 35 yuan, Zixiao Palace 15 yuan/person; drove from Wudang Mountain to Yichang via Fuyin, Dengbao, Hubao, and Three Gorges expressways 319 km, toll 179.51 yuan, refueled 220 yuan; Yichang Chuqiao Apartment 156 yuan; Brother Han Fish Restaurant (silver carp, fatty fish, bullfrog hotpot) 186 yuan; walked 16.01 km, 23,390 steps.

Xiaoyao Valley and Mozhen Well are not worth visiting. The loop trail at Nanyan Palace should be walked entirely; we were too tired from the previous day's climb and missed part of it, leaving some regret.

On October 21, 2020, visited Enshi Earth Heart Valley. Breakfast: soup dumplings 39 yuan; drove from Yichang to Earth Heart Valley 142 km, toll 70.4 yuan, Earth Heart Valley scenic shuttle bus 30 yuan/person; via Jianshi County to Suobuya Stone Forest 94 km, toll 14.25 yuan; stayed at Banshan Yunyin Guesthouse duplex family room 152 yuan (includes two breakfasts); dinner (local chicken soup, home-style tofu, stir-fried lettuce, scrambled eggs) 151 yuan; walked 10.46 km, 15,279 steps.

Earth Heart Valley has two parking lots: one at the visitor center, one at the scenic entrance. Self-drivers should park at the visitor center lot. The scenic route is one-way; at the end, you must take the scenic shuttle back to the visitor center to get your car. Many optional paid activities are available but not mandatory; those interested can try them, while budget-conscious or physically fit visitors can just walk around without issues.

On October 22, 2020, visited Suobuya Stone Forest and explored Lichuan Tenglong Cave. Suobuya scenic shuttle 30 yuan/person; drove from Stone Forest to Lichuan 130 km, toll 66.5 yuan; Tenglong Cave scenic shuttle 20 yuan/person (if driving, park at the scenic entrance, no need to go to the visitor center and take the shuttle), cave tram 10 yuan/person; from Tenglong Cave to Enshi Grand Canyon 47 km; dinner at Xiaju Youduoduo (pickled vegetable Qingjiang fish, vegetable cake stir-fried with cured meat, wood ear eggs) 208 yuan; Miansuhua Inn 135 yuan; walked 16.91 km, 24,699 steps.

At Suobuya Stone Forest, take the scenic shuttle to first visit the innermost Qinglong Terrace, then successively Lotus Village, Mozigou, and Jiulonghui. The Tenglong Cave shuttle seems unnecessary; self-drivers can park directly at the scenic entrance without going to the city's visitor center.

On October 23, 2020, hiked the Enshi Grand Canyon and visited Daughter's City at night. Breakfast at Miansuhua 30 yuan; Grand Canyon scenic shuttle 30 yuan/person, parking 10 yuan for 6.5 hours, refueled 190 yuan, drove to Enshi Daughter's City 108 km; dinner at Tujia Courtyard 223 yuan (dried bamboo shoot cured spare ribs, cold mixed Brasenia, pan-fried Baiyang tofu, Tujia potato rice), stayed at Enshi Shanzhu Selenium Tea Guesthouse 273 yuan; walked 17.88 km, 26,113 steps.

Currently, only Qixingzhai scenic area is open at Enshi Grand Canyon. The elevation difference between taking the scenic shuttle and cable car is only about 100 meters; not taking the cable car and walking an extra Small Gate Tower Hill is also beautiful, adding 1-1.5 hours, which I think is worth it. Enshi Daughter's City is convenient for dining and accommodation, located on the edge of Enshi city, avoiding downtown traffic jams, and lively at night. However, charging parking fees is annoying—after spending hundreds on food and lodging, they still charge for such small amounts; so stingy!

On October 24, 2020, visited Tusi City, drove to Lion Pass, and explored Qingshuitang Village. Parking at Daughter's City 20 yuan, Sunshine Breakfast (beef tofu skin) 23 yuan, parking at Tusi City 5 yuan, drove from Enshi to Hefeng 219 km, toll 21.85+44.65 yuan; oranges 10 yuan, pomelo 5 yuan, wild kiwifruit 10 yuan; stayed at Hefeng Jiuyue Hotel 133 yuan, dinner at Shaojie Restaurant (Shao's Hezhang, crispy bee pupae, minced pork on crispy rice, three fresh soup) 129 yuan; walked 10.27 km, 15,000 steps.

Tusi City is a later constructed imaginary attraction, not worth time and effort. Lion Pass was half flooded, only partly open for visiting; driving on the floating bridge is a fun internet-famous experience, the first time I stood in the car's sunroof to view scenery, quite relaxed because everyone does it (supposedly during National Day holidays when crowds are large, self-driving is not allowed). Qingshuitang Village is like a rough jade—houses from the 1960s built on hillsides, clear streams, chickens and dogs wandering, women washing clothes and vegetables, men plowing fields and building houses, a peaceful and harmonious scene; I liked it very much.

On October 25, 2020, took a boat tour of Duobi Gorge. Breakfast (pan-fried tofu skin) 20 yuan, Pingshan Gorge ticket 218 yuan/person; refueled 177 yuan, drove from Hefeng to Muyu Town 563 km, toll 146.45+22.8 yuan; Shennongjia 1314 Hotel 130 yuan; dinner at Muyu Fanzhenxiang (stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured meat, pickled pepper with local eggs, braised cold-water fish) 166 yuan; walked 9.42 km, 13,767 steps.

Pingshan Gorge was the only ticketed scenic spot on this trip, purely for its reputation as China's "Semporna"; I'm pretty mundane too! The cliff-hanging plank road is similar to most Enshi scenic areas; the gorge stream is crystal clear to the bottom, but to take the internet-famous floating photos, you need direct sunlight on a clear day. Fortunately, I had no such pursuit. Boating through the gorge is quite atmospheric, and the most important prerequisite is that there weren't many tourists. During our visit, a rockfall occurred, terrifying those on the plank road—those on the boats in the gorge were extremely lucky. As a result, part of the scenic area was restricted, and later visitors could only experience half the route; we felt very fortunate.

There are several more desired attractions in Enshi, such as Yuanjiazhai, Dongjiahe, Mushan, Dashuijing, etc. It would be suitable to spend 2-3 more days, but my husband was in a hurry to return to Beijing, so we had to give up—leaving a thought for a future visit.

On October 26, 2020, climbed Shennong Summit and visited Tiansheng Bridge. Breakfast (wonton, beef noodles, potato cake, scallion pancake, eggs) 57 yuan, oranges 10 yuan, dinner at Diaoguo Impressions (Diaoguo stone fish, Shennong small flower mushroom, stir-fried Tianqi leaf) 213 yuan; Shennongjia 1314 Hotel 130 yuan; walked 18.28 km, 26,672 steps.

This was my second visit to Shennongjia. Last time I thoroughly explored Shennong Valley and was very tired, so this time I didn't go into detail; I walked the full routes of Observation Tower, Golden Monkey Ridge, and Banyan Rock. Tiansheng Bridge is still as beautiful and elegant, the best combination of nature and culture; the later cultural leisure and creative sections have character, and the vendors are not annoying.

On October 27, 2020, played in the water at Xiangxiyuan, hiked in Gallery Valley, saw colorful forests at Tianyan Scenic Area, and visited Xiangyang City on the Han River at night. Breakfast (wonton, porridge, potato cake, scallion pancake, eggs) 31 yuan, oranges 10 yuan, refueled 200 yuan, drove from Muyu Town to Xiangyang 333 km, toll 104.5 yuan; Xiangyang Fengzeyuan Hotel 143 yuan, dinner at Grandma Wang's Stone Pot Fish (fresh soup Jianglian, long-snout Qingjiang fish, baked bread) 172 yuan; walked 17.55 km, 25,632 steps.

Xiangxiyuan is small and beautiful, as always; but it opens later than other attractions—unaware of this, we waited at the gate, getting up early but arriving late. Hongping Gallery Valley I hadn't visited before; this time I did a full circuit, and Yixiantian was steep and long, quite strenuous. Tianyan Scenic Area is best for viewing colorful forests; this time the season was right, but unfortunately it was rainy and misty, so I didn't get good photos. The Swallow Cave used to have many swallows with nests on the walls, but now there are none—whether due to human disturbance, I don't know, but it left me quite disappointed.

Because of Guo Jing and Li Xiaoyao, I have always had a heroic longing for Xiangyang City; last time I stayed by the Han River, enjoying the river breeze and scenery, so I like this small city spanning the Han River. This time I specially came back to revisit the same places; everything is as usual, and it's good that it hasn't changed. The hotel chosen for its location was too old and cheap, so I gave Ctrip its first non-positive review—somewhat reluctant and helpless.

On October 28, 2020, departed at 7:00, drove non-stop 1069 km back to Beijing. Breakfast (soy milk, eggs, purple rice porridge, egg pancake) 12 yuan, refueled 145.56+170 yuan, toll 447.17 yuan.

[Free Tour of Hubei saved a total of 984 yuan/person in tickets: Wudang Mountain 130 yuan, Earth Heart Valley 120 yuan, Suobuya Stone Forest 60 yuan, Grand Canyon 110 yuan, Tenglong Cave 150 yuan, Tusi City 45 yuan, Lion Pass 100 yuan, Shennongjia 269 yuan.]

[Pre-departure supplies cost 180 yuan: 9 cans of mixed congee, 6 self-heating rice packs, a large bag of snacks (potato chips, dried tofu, dried fish, etc.), two pomelos.]