#Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai Travelogue# - Lots of Beautiful Pictures to Teach You How to Explore Huangshan in a Weekend

After visiting Mount Huangshan, you won't want to see any other mountain.

My waist aches and my legs tremble.

I trudged through the summit with tears in my eyes.

Turns out, beauty can make you cry.

Ever since I learned I would be working in Shanghai, the place I most wanted to visit was Huangshan. But after summer passed and autumn got busy, I finally became a special forces tourist again on a weekend in late November. After work on Friday, I took a high-speed train from Shanghai to Huangshan. The next day I toured Huangshan, then went down the mountain and stayed in Hongcun. On Sunday, after visiting Hongcun, I returned from Hongcun to Huangshan North Station, then back to Shanghai. For a working person, I could only achieve my goal with such a tight schedule.

Regarding Huangshan, even before going I had mentally prepared myself to take shuttle buses and cable cars whenever possible. But despite that, I still had to hike over 10 kilometers on the summit, lasting 8 hours, carrying 8 kilograms of photography equipment. Along the way, I saw several girls who were on the verge of breaking down from the climb, and for the first time I myself climbed until both thighs cramped. But the beauty and awe of Huangshan can only be truly felt by being there in person. It's true! After Huangshan, you won't want to see any other mountain!

For a super popular destination like Huangshan, which has been hot for decades, there is almost no off-season throughout the year. However, in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai area, autumn weather is relatively stable, mostly sunny. So I personally think late autumn to early winter is a suitable time to climb Huangshan. In summer, you're drenched in sweat before you even start climbing, making it hard to continue. In winter, if it rains, you're even luckier – rain at the foot of the mountain might mean snow on the mountain, giving you a better chance to see rime ice or a sea of clouds. This time, I was freezing cold at the foot of the mountain, then broke out in a sweat while climbing, and got cold again after descending. By the time I reached Hongcun, I felt physically exhausted and chilled all over.

After work on Friday, I headed straight to Hongqiao Station. It was almost dark, the lights weren't on yet. After standing on the train for three hours, I arrived at Huangshan North Station. I had booked a homestay near the station, just a few minutes away. The conditions were like an ordinary county hotel – clean and hygienic, with good water. They also had a homemade Huangshan tour map, very detailed with annotations. So I studied tomorrow's itinerary, washed up, and went to sleep, because I had to get up at 6:00 AM the next day and catch a shared ride to Huangshan at 6:30.

Shared rides from homestays are already a mature industry. At 5:45 AM, a travel agency called to wake me up and remind me to be at the designated place on time. I got up immediately, washed up, and even had a bowl of Huangshan-style dry bamboo shoots with shredded pork noodles at the homestay – very authentic, slightly salty. I also took the opportunity to ask the owner about the routes on Huangshan. The owner said to go up via the front mountain and down via the back mountain; Bright Peak was a must-see; West Sea Grand Canyon was beautiful but time probably wouldn't allow; otherwise, just follow the main road.

Speaking of shared rides, it turned out to be a tourist bus – a 48-seater. The phone registration was also from XX China Travel Service. The fare from Huangshan North Station to the foot of Huangshan was 40 yuan, about 40 minutes' drive. The "conductor" suggested I buy a return ticket at the same time. I said I wouldn't be going back to the North Station; I was going to Hongcun. She said no problem – they had a fleet, and someone would contact me before I descended the mountain. Sure enough, while I was climbing, someone called me, saying I should call him when I reached the cable car going down, and then arrange a pickup point. And sure enough, at the agreed time and place, I got on the bus directly to Hongcun – very convenient. They even had a dispatcher, or maybe used a group chat to coordinate. The convenience was astonishing. How do you find it? Just stay at a homestay and ask the owner – this industry should be very mature now.

I bought the entrance ticket, shuttle bus, and cable car in advance on the Huangshan Travel WeChat mini-program. Although it was expensive, after climbing the mountain, I felt it was all worth it. Entrance ticket: 190 yuan; shuttle bus up from front mountain: 19 yuan; cable car up: 90 yuan; cable car down from back mountain: 80 yuan; shuttle bus down: 19 yuan; total: 398 yuan. Yes, that's the basic cost. Of course, if you want to hike the entire way, subtract 170 yuan, add at least 7 hours, and increase your step count by 30,000.

The ticket is worth it because Huangshan is truly beautiful, awe-inspiring, steep, and vast. How vast? You need to walk through several peaks, totaling 23,000 steps. From 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, I climbed. After climbing so many mountains, this was the first time my thighs cramped. When descending, my legs were shaking so much. Later, the muscles around my thigh knees were constantly trembling. With a 15-jin (7.5 kg) backpack, it was tiring, but I kept my head down and pushed forward, and when I looked up – wow. When I reached Bright Peak, I truly saw all the other mountains at a glance. After Huangshan, you won't want to see any other mountain – indeed, Huangshan's reputation is well-deserved.

The scenery along the way was really great, so I walked and took photos.

There are many online guides about Huangshan, of varying quality. My personal recommendation is to go up via the front mountain, because the scenery there is really beautiful – the essence is in the front mountain. Also, your physical strength is better at the start of the climb. If you start from the back mountain, by the time you reach the front mountain you might be exhausted and have no energy to appreciate the scenery. Also, for a scenic spot that is popular all year round like Huangshan, you must enter early! Early! Early! Otherwise, you'll be stuck in crowds and just see people.

When climbing Huangshan, travel light. Wear comfortable shoes, bring a bottle of water and a small amount of food. Carry a backpack to store clothes you take off, because it's cold at the foot of the mountain in the morning, but once you climb to the top, under the sun and with exercise, you'll get hot. For meals, there are places near Bright Peak and Tianhai Station. Actually, they're not expensive, especially when you see the porters carrying loads up the mountain – you'll understand.

Yes, Aoyu Peak is the mountain in front of me. To reach Aoyu Peak, I had to first descend and then climb up the opposite trail. Looking at it, it's exhausting and overwhelming.

When I saw Bright Peak, I headed toward it. Along the way, I passed Tianhai Station, which is the cable car station for West Sea Grand Canyon and also a lunch supply point. Most importantly, there are toilets and water sources.

From Bright Peak, I walked toward Flying Over Stone.

And thus I started descending.

Along the way, I reached an observation deck.

In front of me should be the mountain where West Sea Grand Canyon is located.

Below is West Sea Grand Canyon.

Once I reached the back mountain, the scenery wasn't as good as the front mountain, so I still recommend entering from the front and exiting from the back, because by the later part, it's only willpower that keeps you going.

When descending, I passed Paiyunlou Hotel and then arrived near Qingliang Terrace, where I saw cute Huangshan short-tailed monkeys. They were very close to me, so I took close-up photos. Tourists were also feeding them.

After photographing the monkeys at Qingliang Terrace, I came to what is basically the last scenic spot before descending: the Brilliant Brush Writing Flowers.

Seeing the Black Tiger Pine means the Cloud Valley Cable Car on the back mountain is very close – about 500 meters away. But it took me over half an hour to cover those 500 meters because there were so many people lining up to take the cable car down. When you think you're descending, you're actually already queuing.

After Huangshan, you won't want to see any other mountain.

Climbing Huangshan is indeed physically demanding.

Here are a few more beautiful photos of Huangshan.