Day Trip From Xian to Mount Huashan, China

Mount Huashan is famous for some horrifying things, including the steps so steep you are basically hiking straight up (see here), and also for the plank walk which you can see here, which is just NO NEVER.

The mountain is located just outside of Xi’an, China.  To get here, you can take a bus from the Xi’an train station.  The bus takes about three hours and costs  22 Yuan ($3.52 USD)  You can also opt for a high speed train that leaves from Xian North train station (not the same one the bus leaves from.)  It takes 35 minutes, for 55 Yuan ($8.79 USD.)  You can also take a regular train, but there is really no logic in that.

Going to Huashan from the Xian train station:  the buses are located all the way to the right of the train station if you are facing it. You cannot miss them, there are a bunch.  The the destination is written on the bus in English (read the destination as buses to the Terra Cotta Warriors also leave from here!)

I traveled to Huashan on a high speed train and took the bus back.   Buses leave from Huashan back to Xian as they fill up. It took a while for us to have enough passengers to leave.   The bus was way too hot to sit on while we waited, so we lined up in the precious shady spot on a nearby curb.

My bus on the left, people sitting on the right:

hot bus back

When you get off the high speed train in Huashan, there are supposedly green buses to take you the rest of the way.   I got immediately latched onto by some taxi driver who kept shoving a map of the mountain in my face and I eventually got in his cab, fuming at myself the entire time because I know better.   Then he got out of the cab at the mountain to walk me up to the entrance.   The walk from the parking lot to the entrance is not long in a “Wow this is a really long walk!” way.  But it is VERY long when you have a cab driver inexplicably escorting you to the entrance.  The more I kept shouting “NO, YOU CAN LEAVE NOW” at him, while pointing at him to go back to his car and leave me alone, the more he kept shoving the map in my face.

I think, I am not sure, that he had planned to bring me up to the cable car.  This fit with several things, including him shoving the map in my face AND the woman he talked to about my tickets only selling me a ONE way bus ticket from the entrance to the cable car.  But I am not sure.  Either way, when you get to the mountain any which way you want to get there, there are a lot of people outside with official badges who will never let you pass unless you tell them what you want.  Then they bring you inside and tell the ticket agent what you want.  It is extremely frustrating and even if this is all legitimate and not a scam, you still feel like you are being scammed.

Once I was finally free, I took a bus to the West Peak cable car.  Or I took it somewhat near the West Peak cable car.  Once you get off the bus, you have to walk up a lot of steps to the actual cable car. I counted 504.   That is a lot of steps for us lazy people taking the cable car!
Mount Huashan climbing oneMount Huashan climbing twoalmost therebut wait theres moreThen finally, I am at the cable car!

Mount Huashan cable car
huashan cable car ride Mount Huashan cable car rideMount Huashan cable carMount Huashan cable carYou can see the steps below for people who chose to hike instead.

steps mount huashan steps mount huashan steps 2

Once you near the top, it looks like you are moving into the sun.  This hole in the mountain is the cable car stop.

Huashan flying into the sun

Whew, made it alive!

After exiting the cable car, it is still a walk up higher to the tea house.

huashan tea house up topOnce you are as far as you can go without committing to make it all the way to the tea house, you are here.  Note: second from the left is the walkway marker for the NO NEVER plank walk:

huashan markers

IMG_1214IMG_1215And of course, the final steps to the tea house:

tea house at topI really, really wanted to go to the tea house.  But as I stood there contemplating whether or not I would slip and die by sliding off the side of the mountain, I became more and more convinced that yes, this would be how I would die if I dared to walk up the steps.  So I did not.  I mean, LOOK AT IT.  Walking up seemed to be doable but walking down?   It is like you are just begging to slide and fall.  Also, let’s remember, I was still feeling a recent fall down the steps at Longsheng Rice Terraces.

Sigh.

Despite my being a scairdy cat, this was still a fantastic day.

15 thoughts on “Day Trip From Xian to Mount Huashan, China

  1. Mike

    For some reason, when I look at your blog in Chrome, some of the posts show up incomplete. Like, there are lines of text that are just not visible. When I open it in IE, I have no such issue. Is this something you’re aware of?

    Reply
    1. jennifer Post author

      No, that is very weird. Are you talking about on the main page or individual posts? The posts on the main page are truncated and there should be a “read more” option to see the rest of the post.

      Reply
      1. Mike

        I don’t mean that they’re truncated, I mean that in the middle of a post (whether on the main page or the individual post), there are lines in the middle just missing. If I had a way to post a screenshot here, I would.

        In Chrome, I see:

        The mountain is located just outside of Xi’an, China. To get here, you can take a bus from

        opt for a high speed train that leaves from Xian North train station (not the same one the

        is really no logic in that.

        If I copy and paste that same exact paragraph, though, I get:

        The mountain is located just outside of Xi’an, China. To get here, you can take a bus from the Xi’an train station. The bus takes about three hours and costs 22 Yuan ($3.52 USD) You can also opt for a high speed train that leaves from Xian North train station (not the same one the bus leaves from.) It takes 35 minutes, for 55 Yuan ($8.79 USD.) You can also take a regular train, but there is really no logic in that.

        I have no idea why it isn’t displaying. When I view it in IE, I get what should be there.

        Reply
        1. jennifer Post author

          Thanks for the heads up. It shows on my monitor fine (in Chrome) but if its not on yours, its probably malfunctioning on other people’s too! I will definitely try and figure this out, thanks so much for bringing it to my attention!

          Reply
          1. Mike

            It could easily be my version of Chrome, since it’s outdated and I’m at work so I can’t update it. I seem to recall this happening on my phone too, but I have no signal at work so I can’t look at that either. 😛

          2. jennifer Post author

            I have no signal either at work, such a pain. I am also about to leave for the airport so I will deal with this tonight. Thanks again!

  2. Mike

    Also, in the comments section right here on this post, I can click on (but not see) the date/time for each of the comments.

    Reply
  3. Matt

    This is a great experience to have either by hiking or cable car. Especially the dangerous-looking plank. That’s some crazy place. I’d like to visit it sometime.

    Reply
    1. jennifer Post author

      I watched some videos of the plank walk and it seems that there is a spot where to get between the planks, you have to walk across with your feet in foot holes in the mountain. No no no no no no no no noooooooooooo.

      Reply
  4. Theo

    hi there, some queries. I am intending to go Hua Shan and I really want to go to the tea house. So my first question is, is there actually a tea house that serves tea? Reason for asking is because, i havent seen anyone taken pictures of the teahouse or actually having tea there. Secondly, I am definitely not a hiker. So I am going Huashan for the purpose of seeing the view and also walking the death trail. May I know which is the best way to go without having to hike? I understand the death trail is at the South peak. So how do I end up at South peak without having to hike? Appreciate if you could help me, if you happen to know the answers. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. jennifer Post author

      There is a tea house atop the West Peak – I have a picture of it in this post! I did not walk up to it because I was petrified of falling down while descending. But yes, it does serve tea and food, it is a real restaurant.

      From what I have read, it is easy to get to the plank walk from the West peak. You can take the cable car up. There are signs everywhere pointing you to it. I was so freaked out being up there that I did nothing but wish I would not slip and die while taking photos. I thought that I would at least walk to the plank walk, even if I was not going to do it, just to see it. But I was just way to freaked out.

      Good luck to you!

      Reply

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