With its myriad of magnificent natural landscapes and profound cultural heritage, hiking is an excellent way to explore this vast land. Here are 10 classic routes that are popular among hiking enthusiasts, each of which can lead you to encounter unique natural and cultural beauty.
1. Daocheng Aden Small Loop: Walking into the "Last Pure Land of the Aqua Blue Planet"
The Daocheng Aden Hiking Route is known as the "last pure land of the aqua blue planet", connecting the three majestic sacred mountains of "Xiannairi, Yangmaiyong, and Xiano Dorji", and along the way, you can not only encounter clear alpine lakes, mottled glacier ruins, but also walk through dense primeval forests, every step is a deep dialogue with nature.
The section from Okikoji Temple to Milk Sea has a steep slope, which is a big test for the hiker's cardiopulmonary function; The five-colored sea will show a jewel-like luster with a gradient of blue and green under the sun, making it a beautiful blockbuster with every shot, which can be called the ultimate enjoyment of the fusion of photography and hiking.
- Geographical location: Daocheng County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan
- Hiking Trail: Aden Village→ Chonggu Temple→ Luorong Cattle Farm→ Milk Sea→ Five-Colored Sea (Small Loop Line)
- Mileage and altitude: about 12 kilometers (3800-4500 meters above sea level)
- Recommended time: 1 day (light round trip is sufficient)
- Best time: June to October (the sea of alpine flowers is gorgeous in July, and the autumn colors are strong and beautiful in October)
2. Lijiang Hiking Route: Stroll through karst ink paintings
Hiking along the ancient roads on both sides of the Lijiang River is a classic way to explore the karst wonders of Guilin. The route selects the section from Yangshuo Xingping to Yangdi, passing through quaint villages, verdant bamboo forest paths and clear riverside shoals along the way, each scenery is like a flowing ink painting.
Climbing to the top of Laozhai Mountain, you can have a magnificent panoramic view of the big bend of the Lijiang River; If you want to enrich the experience, you can also combine bamboo rafting on the Yulong River with hiking, and feel the agility of Guilin's landscape between movement and stillness. Walking to the yellow cloth reflection landscape, it is like walking into the background picture of 20 yuan, immersing yourself in the charm of "Wonderland on Earth".
- Geographical location: Yangshuo County, Guilin City, Guangxi
- Hiking Trail: Yangdi→ Langshi→ Jiuma Painting Mountain→ Xingping Ancient Town
- Mileage and altitude: about 20 kilometers (no obvious altitude climb, less difficult)
- Recommended time: 1-2 days (can be combined with bamboo raft sectional experience, flexible arrangement)
- Best Season: March to May (misty rain and hazy and elegant), September to November (clear autumn air, wide view)
3. Yangtze River Three Gorges Ancient Plank Road: Touch the memory of the thousand-year-old river
This hiking route stretches along the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, extending from Wuxia to Qutang Gorge, focusing on the section from Qingshi Village to Baidi City, where the original stone steps are preserved. Walking on the ancient plank road, the cliffs on both sides of the river are as steep as knives, and freighters come and go on the river, as if you can still hear the trumpet of the ancient slender man in your ears.
Walking along the Goddess Peak trail, you can overlook the magnificence of the first bay of the Yangtze River; Climbing to the top of Kuimen Chijia Mountain, you can also take pictures of the same classic scenery as 10 yuan. During the hike, you can not only look at the dangerous beach on the plank road, touch the traces of the slender stone left on the rock wall, but also listen to the cries of monkeys on both sides of the strait, and feel the shock of the precipitation of time in the thrill and peace.
- Geographical location: Chongqing Fengjie County to Hubei Yichang section
- Hiking Trail: Qingshi Village→Goddess Peak→ Qutang Gorge Plank Road→ Baidi City
- Mileage and altitude: about 30 kilometers (cumulative climb of about 500 meters, moderate difficulty)
- Recommended time: 2-3 days (can be combined with ferry connections to reduce duplicate routes)
- Best time: April to May (misty river, long artistic conception), October to November (full of autumn leaves on both sides of the river, rich colors)
4. Yubeng Hiking Route: Go deep into the hinterland of Meili Snow Mountain
The Yubeng Hiking Route is a classic on the Yunnan-Tibet Line, deep into the hinterland of Meili Snow Mountain, which can be called "a hiker's paradise". Starting from Xidang Village, you can enter the isolated Yubeng Village by crossing the Vietnam Zongqi Pass, which is divided into two core routes, the divine waterfall route and the ice lake route, which is the only way for Tibetans to turn mountains, and the ice lake route needs to pass through primeval forests and glacial meltwater areas, each with its own merits.
In winter, you need to wear crampons to prevent slipping after snow, and in summer, you can see beautiful scenes of alpine rhododendrons and white snow-capped mountains. When passing through the primeval forest, there is soft humus soil under your feet and towering ancient trees beside you; Arrive at the waterfall and receive the baptism of "holy water"; Standing in front of the ice lake, watch the snow-capped mountains reflected on the lake, and face the sacredness and shock of the Kawagbo Snow Mountain.
- Geographical location: Deqin County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan
- Hiking Trail: Xidang Village→ Nanzongqikou → Yubeng Village→ Divine Waterfall/Ice Lake
- Mileage and altitude: 12 kilometers of the Divine Waterfall Line (2700-4500 meters above sea level), 14 kilometers of the Ice Lake Line (2700-3900 meters above sea level)
- Recommended time: 3-4 days (including rest in the village and adaptation to the high-altitude environment)
- Best time: May to June (rhododendron period), September to October (pleasant autumn colors), December to February (pure and beautiful snowy scenery)
5. Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Route: Challenge the "World's Deepest Canyon"
Tiger Leaping Gorge is famous as "one of the deepest canyons in the world", and the hiking route stretches along the steep canyon cut by the Jinsha River, forming a classic combination of high road and middle tiger leaping canyon trail. When hiking on the high road, you can overlook the river between the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and the Haba Snow Mountain winding like a thin line; The "Ladder" and "One Line of Sky" sections of the tiger jump require the use of hands and feet to experience the majestic momentum of the river roaring in the hundreds of meters of abyss up close.
Starting from Qiaotou Town, passing through the Naxi Accord Inn, the subsequent "28 turns" continuous climb is extremely challenging and very difficult to endure; The "Cool Your Balcony" at the Midway Inn is an excellent camera position to take panoramic views of the canyon, which can freeze the beautiful scenery of snow-capped mountains, canyons and rivers at one time. The Zhonghu jumping section needs to go down to the bottom of the valley through the "Teacher Zhang Trail" maintained by the villagers, and you can intuitively feel the shock of the waves crashing on the shore at the observation deck.
- Geographical location: Yulong County, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province and Shangri-La City, Diqing Prefecture
- Hiking Trail: Qiaotou Town → Naxi Accord Inn→ 28 Turns→ Tea Horse Inn→ Halfway Inn→ Zhongxia Hotel→ Zhonghu Leap (Teacher Zhang's Trail/Ladder)
- Mileage and altitude: about 25 kilometers (1800-2670 meters above sea level)
- Recommended Time: 2-3 days
- Best time: March to May (the river is turquoise and the scenery is fresh), September to November (autumn is crisp and the road conditions are good)
6. Kailash Turning Mountain Line: A Dialogue between Faith and Self
The entire mountain turning route is about 52 kilometers long and has an average altitude of more than 4,500 meters, which is a great test of the physical strength and willpower of the hikers. There are multiple rest and supply stations and accommodation points along the way, each with an interval of 4-8 kilometers, allowing you to flexibly adjust the pace according to your own condition.
The process of turning mountains is like a self-purifying practice - when you take off your oxygen mask at the Dolmala Pass at an altitude of 5,630 meters and breathe hard in the thin air, you can truly experience the power of faith. Along the way, you can also meet devout Tibetans who knocked on the door in three steps and felt their awe and piety for the sacred mountain.
- Geographical location: Pulan County, Ali Region, Tibet, where the Himalayas meet the Gandhis Mountains
- Hiking Trail: Tarchin → Qugu Temple→ Zhire Temple→ Zhuomala Pass→ Zunzui Temple→ Tarchin
- Mileage and altitude: about 52 kilometers (altitude 4600-5630 meters, high altitude needs to pay attention to high altitude anti-reaction)
- Recommended time: 2-3 days (can be flexibly adjusted according to individual physical strength)
- Best time: May to October (the best road conditions after the snow melts in June, and the starry sky in September, suitable for photography)
7. Gongga Turning Mountain Line: Surrounding the "King of Shushan"
The Gongga Turning Line revolves around the main peak of Gongga, the "King of Shu Mountain" at an altitude of 7,556 meters, from Laoyulin to Caoke Township, passing through well-known observation decks such as Lengkacuo and Zimei Pass. The surface of Leng Katso Lake can clearly reflect the Gongga Snow Mountain, and the blue ice landscape in winter is even more shocking; When the sea of clouds at Zimei Pass churned, the snow-capped mountains loomed in the clouds and mist, like a fairyland.
From the autumn color corridor of Moxigou to the thousand-year-old temple of Gongga Temple, the hum of the prayer wheel and the thunder of the avalanche in the distance are intertwined, forming a unique "natural Sanskrit sound". The yaks on the Geshe grassland paced leisurely, and the rock sheep on the rock wall jumped flexibly, these creatures became the "guardians" of this route, adding a bit of vitality to the hike.
- Geographical location: Kangding City, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan
- Hiking Trail: Lao Yulin→ Geshe Grassland→ Shangri Wuqie→ Moxigou→ Gongga Temple→ Zimei Pass
- Mileage and Altitude: Approximately 70 kilometers (altitude 3000-4920 meters, high altitude acclimatization is key)
- Recommended time: 5-6 days (allow enough time to adapt to high altitude and reduce high risk of reactions)
- Best time: May to June (alpine rhododendrons blooming, sea of flowers), October (high sunny day, clear snow-capped mountain landscape)
8. Wusun Ancient Road: Traveling through the secret realm of the Western Regions for thousands of years
The Wusun Ancient Road is a thousand-year-old ancient road spanning the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, starting from the Qiongkushtai grassland in Ili in the north to the Heiying Mountain in Aksubai City in the south. During the hike, you need to climb over the Akbulakda Slope at an altitude of 3,820 meters, and the clear water of Paradise Lake (Koksu Lake) is like a mirror, reflecting the surrounding snow-capped mountains, and the scenery is pure and moving.
Simple bridges have been built in some sections of the river, but in the rainy season, it is still necessary to cross the river with the help of ziplines, so it is recommended to check the road conditions in advance and make safety preparations. Along the way, you can also see the remains of the Han Dynasty border guard, the thousand-year-old rock paintings on the rock walls, and the summer pastures of Kazakh herders - wildflowers and snow-capped mountains in July, and the river flow decreases in September, making it the best time to cross.
- Geographical location: Tekes County, Ili, Xinjiang to Aksubaicheng County
- Hiking Trail: Qiongkushtai→ Baodun Daban→ Paradise Lake→ Akbulak Daban→ Heiying Mountain
- Mileage and altitude: about 120 kilometers (2000-3660 meters above sea level)
- Recommended time: 6-7 days (you need to bring professional river tracing equipment to deal with wading sections)
- Best time: June to September (July is full of mountain flowers, September is slower and safer)
9. Siguniang Mountain Changpinggou to Bipenggou: Unlock the geological code of the Hengduan Mountains
Siguniang Mountain is known as the "Alps of the East", and the route from Changpinggou to Bipenggou was rated by China National Geographic as "the key to unlocking the geological code of the Hengduan Mountains". The journey is about 36 kilometers, and hikers will climb from 3,250 meters to 4,668 meters above sea level, enjoying the depth of primeval forests, the vastness of alpine meadows, and the spectacular snow-capped peaks along the way.
The moss on the Tangbai Ancient Road records the traces of time, glacier meltwater pours down at the mouth of the mountains and rivers, and the sea of clouds surging on the red stone beach is unpredictable.
- Geographical location: Xiaojin County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan
- Hiking Trail: Siguniang Mountain Town (formerly Rilong Town) → Changpinggou → Mumule→ Chazigou Tail Pass → Bipenggou
- Mileage and altitude: about 36 kilometers (3250-4668 meters above sea level)
- Recommended time: 3-4 days (there are more tourists during the autumn foliage season in October, so you need to plan in advance)
- Best time: September to October (the colorful forests enter their peak period, rich and gorgeous colors), June to July (the sea of alpine flowers blooms, the scenery is fresh)
10. Tengger Desert Five Lakes Continuous Passage: Encounter the "Sea of Stars" in the desert
The Tengger Desert is the fourth largest desert in China, and the "Five Lakes Continuous Passage" is its most classic hiking route. Although the desert does not have high mountains, it has magnificent sand dune landscapes and lakes dotted with lakes, forming a unique desert secret place. During the hike, you can not only feel the vastness of the undulating sand dunes, but also appreciate the flexibility of the lake reflecting the blue sky, which is full of contrast.
The route will also pass through traditional Mongolian villages, where you can experience the life and culture of local herders and feel the unique style of grassland and desert. The oasis camp provides ample water supplies, and at night, the desert galaxy is clearly visible, and when you look up, you can encounter the bright starry sky, adding a romantic touch to the hiking journey.
- Geographical location: Inner Mongolia Alxa League Left Banner to Ningxia Zhongwei City
- Hiking Trail: Swan Lake→ Ulan Lake→ Suhaitu Lake→ Sun Lake→ Moon Lake
- Mileage and altitude: about 52 kilometers (1300-1460 meters above sea level, mainly desert terrain)
- Recommended time: 3-4 days (heavy trekking requires the help of camels to carry materials to reduce the burden)
- Best time: April to May (less sand and dust weather, mild climate), September to October (moderate temperature difference between day and night, high hiking comfort)
