A Day Trip to Laoxiancheng in Heihe Forest Park

May 23, Saturday. Planning a visit to Heihe Forest Park. Heihe National Forest Park is located in Zhouzhi County at the source of the Heihe River, over 140 km from Xi’an, taking more than three hours by car. The park straddles the upper reaches of the Heihe River, and following the river upstream, numerous waterscape spots showcase the Qinling Mountains’ diverse and dramatic water features, making it a prime destination for water scenery in the Qinling region.

I left home around 9 in the morning, took the ring road to the Beijing-Kunming Expressway, got off at Laoyukou, then drove onto the Guanzhong Ring Road. By 10:20, I arrived at Louguantai, rested there for over 20 minutes, and continued west along the Ring Road. At Mazhao Town, I turned onto the G108 National Highway and headed into the mountains. The G108 was in decent condition, not much traffic, quite easy to drive. Around noon, I reached the park entrance. But as it was still during the pandemic period, everyone had to scan a health code, causing a 20-minute jam before I could enter.

A quick stop at Louguantai.

The newly renovated Louguantai scenic area is nice; deeper inside, there are many grand halls.

Once inside the park, the road winds through the mountains. Most main attractions along the way have parking areas where you can stop and look around. We made a stop at Heilongtan (Black Dragon Pool) to snap a photo, took a short break, and then drove on.

Even before the park gate, there were rest stops to take photos and enjoy the scenery.

Suspension bridge beside Heilongtan.

Another ten minutes on, we reached Yixiantian (Thread of Sky). The Yixiantian section invites you to walk further in; we went a short distance, then turned back, spending about 20 minutes in total before hitting the road again.

The roads within the park are narrow, but luckily there weren't many cars, so driving was still fine. After another half hour, nearing Houzhenzi Town, we spotted a farmhouse restaurant and stopped for a bowl of oil-splashed noodles—generous portion, decent taste. By 2:30, after the meal, we continued toward Laoxiancheng.

A rest stop along the way.

Farmhouses across the river.

The scenery around the farmhouse was quite nice.

During the drive, there was a fork: one road leading to Laoxiancheng, the other to Dashugou Scenic Area. The main draw of Dashugou is the Juwengtan Waterfall, about a 10-minute detour, though the road is very narrow and passing other cars takes some skill. After parking at the end, you walk a few hundred meters to the waterfall—not huge, but worth a look before turning back.

The fork: left to Laoxiancheng.

The fork: right to Dashugou Waterfall.

After parking, a short trail of a few hundred meters.

Dashugou Waterfall, also known as Juwengtan Waterfall.

Back at the fork, we continued toward Laoxiancheng. Around 3:50, we reached Qinling Liang (Qinling Ridge). A further 20-minute drive brought us to Laoxiancheng. Laoxiancheng is a village, also called Foyeping or Foping, part of Houzhenzi Town, and recognized as a traditional Chinese village. It’s the only fortress town along an ancient thousand-year-old route, surrounded by mountains on four sides with a river flowing through—often called the ‘Shangri-La’ of northern China.

View of distant mountains from Qinling Liang.

Here’s an info board—take a look yourself.

Laoxiancheng village: pastoral scenes.

Laoxiancheng village: pastoral scenes.

Foping Ting Old City Cultural Relics Administration Office.

Village homes have all been turned into guesthouses.

Some family homes are quite nicely built.

Gateway of the old Foping Hall fortress.

Newly paved old road inside the fortress.

A traditional Chinese pastoral village.

Scenes inside Laoxiancheng village.

A villager’s home, offering meals and lodging.

The other city gate in the distance.

Laoxiancheng’s main draw is its rustic countryside scenery. The overall environment is pleasant—cool in summer but very cold in winter. If you have enough time, you could stay overnight. We spent less than an hour wandering around; there wasn’t really a place to rest, so we left a little after 5. Wanting to get off the mountain roads before dark, we drove all the way back to Louguantai, took another break there, then retraced our route home, arriving just after 8.