One-Day In-Depth Hiking Tour of Wudang Mountain

One-Day In-Depth Tour of Wudang Mountain

First, the key point: for those with good physical fitness, one day is enough to visit the entire Wudang Mountain (excluding time for worship and incense burning). Some online sources say you need two days, but that’s completely unnecessary. I visited every must-see spot, deliberately stopped to rest for 40 minutes to kill time, and still arrived at the Qiongtai bus stop at 15:30. The last bus seems to be at 17:30, so I had nearly 3 hours to spare—even a slow pace would suffice. For reference, here is my route and schedule.

1. Itinerary and Time Arrangement:

First, purchase the ticket for the next day in advance.

The ticket includes the main scenic area entrance fee and the shuttle bus fee. In September 2022, there was a discount, and it also included the ticket for the Golden Summit at the top.

I ascended from the Nanyan Palace direction, taking the Ming Dynasty Sacred Path to the Golden Summit, then walked down to Qiongtai and took the shuttle bus down the mountain.

The night before, I stayed at the foot of the mountain at the hotel I booked, Wudang Donglai Inn. I woke up at 6:30 AM, walked 1.5 km to the scenic area gate, where everyone queues to enter. Ticket inspection started at 7:30. I directly found the shuttle bus heading toward Nanyan Palace (actually, no choice was needed at the start).

I got off at every shuttle bus stop and visited all the attractions: starting from Mozhen Well, Taizi Slope (also known as Prince Slope), (Xiaoyao Valley was said to be under maintenance and not open), Zixiao Palace, and finally Nanyan Palace (the last stop).

Mozhen Well is located on a slope to the left of the bus stop, about a 5-minute walk uphill to the complex.

Mozhen Well takes about 10–15 minutes to explore fully, then return the same way to the bus stop and wait for the bus. At this point, you must take the bus heading toward Nanyan Palace, and you need to go to Taizi Slope.

Taizi Slope is described as the largest architectural complex in Wudang Mountain. From the bus stop, walk uphill about 10–15 minutes to the gate. It takes about 30 minutes to walk through all the buildings. Return the same way, board the bus, and go to Zixiao Palace.

Zixiao Palace has more magnificent architecture. The bus stop is right at the entrance. It takes about 30 minutes to tour the whole place.

After Zixiao Palace, continue by bus to Nanyan Palace, arriving at the terminal around 9:30. I got off and had a bowl of beef noodles for 20 yuan at a small restaurant. Although there were only two small pieces of meat, the broth was quite rich. I also bought a bag of French bread and a bag of sunflower seeds for 40 yuan at a nearby shop. I had brought 6 bottles of water from the foot of the mountain. At 10:10, I officially started from Nanyan Palace.

The Nanyan Palace scenic area is nearby, with buildings constructed on the edge of cliffs, surrounding the mountain.

Dragon Head Incense (Longtou Xiang) is a incense burner hanging over a precipice, with a distance of about 2 meters. Who knows who built it—legend says that in ancient times, people risked their lives for good luck. During the Kangxi era, an imperial decree banned lighting incense there.

View of Nanyan Palace from the opposite distance.

After leaving Nanyan Palace, I returned the same way and followed the signs to Langmei Shrine (this supposedly saves energy and time).

From Langmei Shrine, I proceeded uphill along the Ming Dynasty Ancient Sacred Path, passing Chaotian Palace, First Heavenly Gate, Huixian Bridge, and Second Heavenly Gate. This section has many uphill steps. From Second Heavenly Gate to Third Heavenly Gate is quick, and then I basically reached the top (Chaosheng Gate at 13:06). Following signs, I went up to the Golden Summit to see the copper-gilt Golden Hall at the peak of Wudang Mountain.

The summit is small; 20 minutes is enough to look around. At 13:50, I started descending. Soon I reached the fork heading to Qiongtai. Initially, the steps were uneven stone, slightly slowing me down, but later they became well-made stone steps. Feeling my descent was too fast, I sat down to rest for 40 minutes to pass the time, ate some snacks, checked my phone, and enjoyed the breeze. I arrived at the Qiongtai bus stop at 15:30, and the descent bus took about 30 minutes to reach the foot of the mountain.

Below is a route map I found online; the ascent times are roughly similar. You can refer to it.

2. Key Points:

- Online sources say you need two days for Wudang Mountain, but that’s truly unnecessary. If you board the early bus, you have enough time to visit all the attractions.

- I arrived very late at 11:00 PM the previous day at Wudangshan West High-Speed Rail Station. I took a regular taxi to my booked hotel, which cost 65 yuan for only 13 km. The taxi driver claimed it was a night trip with an empty return, which seemed exorbitant and suspicious to me. Because I wasn’t sure how long the station’s nucleic acid test and other checks would take, I didn’t book a ride-hailing service in advance. Actually, the nucleic acid test at the station took only 5 minutes. I recommend booking a ride-hailing service in advance.

- Food at the Nanyan Palace small shop is a bit expensive, but that’s to be expected at a scenic area. If you have time, buy some snacks at the foot of the mountain, but don’t overdo it—you’ll be down the mountain in half a day anyway.

- I booked Wudang Donglai Inn online. Let me say a few words about this hotel: it’s a new hotel with antique decoration. The smell has mostly dissipated (still slightly there; I’m sensitive to smells). The room is very good, facing the road, but it’s not a main road, so there are very few cars. Opposite is Wudang Mountain, very quiet. However, it’s about 1500 meters from the gate. I arrived late and hadn’t eaten during the journey. The hotel has no vending machine, and since it’s not near the scenic area, there are no food shops. But the front desk lady was very warm-hearted and gave me a bunch of her own snacks, saying I could order takeout. The hotel location is quiet, the room is clean, and on the second floor there is a terrace with seats to relax. If I come again, I’ll stay here—the 1500-meter walk to the gate is not a problem. Also, there are cooking utensils on the second-floor terrace; you can cook. I chatted with an older woman who said that if you inform the hotel in advance, they can prepare meals for you.

3. Costs: 483 yuan

- Transportation costs not included; I happened to be in Wudangshan on business, so it was on the way.

- Taxi from station to hotel: 65 yuan

- One night accommodation: 140 yuan

- Ticket: 168 yuan + meal at Nanyan Palace 20 yuan + snacks 40 yuan + dinner after descending 50 yuan