Climbing Mount Hua at Night While You're Young

📍 Xi'an · 👁 1 reads · ❤️ 59 likes

The idea of night climbing Mount Hua had been on my mind for a long time. I did quite a bit of research in advance and eventually decided to set off from Chengdu on a weekend, take the high-speed train directly to Huashan North, hike all night, and watch the sunrise.

You don't need to bring too many things when climbing Mount Hua; traveling light is much easier.

Clothing: We went at the end of June, wore quick-dry shirts, and brought a windproof jacket. Our pants were regular athletic pants. During the climb, we hardly needed the jacket; it only came in handy to keep warm while waiting for sunrise at the summit.

Supplies: You can bring some Snickers or compressed biscuits. Don't overpack food; everything is available on the mountain, though it's all carried up by porters, so prices rise with altitude. For example, bottled water is 10 yuan for 3 bottles at the base, 10 yuan for 2 midway, and 10 yuan per bottle at the summit. Don't hesitate to spend a little extra—when you're exhausted later on, carrying an extra bottle of water will make you much more tired.

Other essentials: ID card, cash (the Yaozifanshen and Changkong Plank Walk only accept cash), power bank and charging cable. A headlamp isn't necessary as the path is mostly lit, but definitely bring gloves!!!

Since we're desk-bound office workers worried about our fitness, we ultimately chose to hike from Yuquan Temple along the traditional 'one path up Mount Hua' to North Peak, then continue on foot to East Peak for sunrise. After sunrise, we explored South Peak and West Peak, then took the West Peak cable car down.

The night climbing route on Mount Hua is well-established now, with lights along the way to guide you—it's very safe.

Starting from Yuquan Temple, it takes about 5-6 hours to reach East Peak (7-8 hours at a leisurely pace). From the Mount Hua entrance to Shaluoping, the trail is mostly steep slopes with plenty of shops along the way where you can rest anytime. You'll reach that section in about an hour. After that, from Shaluoping to North Peak, you'll start climbing stairs. This is when you'll need gloves—for gripping the iron chains or climbing steps. They're the most useful item, so make sure you have them! Haha. P.S. Be sure to time your entry based on the sunrise schedule! Waiting at the summit is really cold, tiring, and miserable—try not to hang around up there for too long. We entered the mountain around 10 PM because we were worried about our poor fitness... and ended up freezing for over two hours on the mountain. Honestly, for young people with average fitness, 6 hours to the East Peak sunrise viewing platform is plenty; fitter folks can even do it faster.

After sunrise, spend the rest of the time visiting Yaozifanshen, Changkong Plank Walk, South Peak, and West Peak one by one, then take the West Peak cable car down. That wraps up the day's journey.

For this trip to Huashan North, we took the high-speed train around 3 PM on Friday from Chengdu East to Huashan North. After arriving in Huayin City, we casually grabbed a bowl of noodles near the station—the price and taste were both fine. Then the three of us spent 20 yuan on a taxi to Yuquan Temple (night climbs only enter through Yuquan Temple; you don't need to go to the visitor center).

On Saturday, after descending via the West Peak cable car, we ate and took the high-speed train back to Chengdu. So we didn't need any accommodation—we got home on Sunday and just collapsed at home all day.

Overall, climbing Mount Hua isn't as hard as you might think. But if you get the chance, I'd recommend doing a daytime climb as well—after all, at night you can't really appreciate the mountain's sheer danger.

Table of Contents

1. Night Climb on Mount Hua: Experiencing a Different Beauty

2. Night Climbing Route

3. Epilogue

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