South Peak (Landing Wild Geese Peak)

Ancient people called South Peak with an altitude of 2,160 meters (about 7,087 feet) 'Monarch of Mt. Huashan' because it is the highest peak of Mt. Huashan and also the highest peak among the Five Sacred Mountains of China. Tourists who summit South Peak are undoubtedly winners. Looking around when standing at the peak, surrounding mountains are luxuriantly green; the Yellow River wanders far below and everything seems small. Legend has it that the wild geese returning from the south often landed at South Peak, giving the area the name 'Landing Wild Geese Peak'.

At the top of South Peak, the Black Dragon Pool at the summit and the Greeting Pines on the southwestern cliff are two attractive resorts. At each side of the Landing Wild Goose Peak there are two peaks respectively called Songhui Peak (Pine and Juniper Peak) in the east and Xiaozi Peak (Filial Son Peak) in the west. The three peaks form a picture of a Titan sitting in a chair. The most dangerous place is called 'Changkong Zhandao' (a plank path built along the surface of a vertical cliff) which is about 4 meters (about 13 feet) long and about 0.33 meters (about 1.1 feet) wide. Below is the bottomless gulf which makes tourists shake with fear. In addition, there is a Taoist temple called Baidi Temple or Jintian Palace to be considered the host temple of Deity Shaohao.

West Peak (Lotus Flower Peak)

West Peak has very high cliffs standing erect with an altitude of 2,086.6 meters (about 6,845 feet). There is a Taoist temple called Cuiyun Palace before which a huge rock looking like a lotus flower comes into view, hence the name Lotus Flower Peak. There are another seven rocks beside Cuiyun Palace, which is said to be the place where Chenxiang (a main character in the movie Lotus Lantern) ripped the mountain to save his mother (The Heavenly Goddess San Sheng Mu). After visiting the five peaks, tourists can go down the mountain from the path on the east side of West Peak.

A must-see scenic spot - Xi Yue Temple - is available to those interested in Taoist culture. The Xi Yue Temple is 5 kilometers (about 3.1 miles) north of the foot of Mt. Huashan and it is one of the earliest temples in ancient China. Palaces and gardens are its main features, resembling the style of the Forbidden City in Beijing; thus the Xi Yue Temple gained fame as the 'Forbidden City of Shaanxi Province'. Admission to Xi Yue Temple is CNY 20.

Mt. Huashan Travel Tips:

Before climbing Mt. Huashan, you should know the following:
1. Wear sport shoes with soft soles; buy a pair of nylon gloves and a walking stick when necessary.
2. Eat high-calorie food and bring some with you when climbing.
3. Bring mineral water with you. Do not drink too much when thirsty; just sip it to keep your mouth wet.
4. It is windy in the mountain and especially humid in summer, so prepare some warm clothes (even in summer).
5. Sometimes it rains on the mountain, so take along a plastic raincoat.
6. Bring an electric torch when climbing at night.

While all necessary supplies can be bought at the foot of mountain, it is a better choice to prepare them yourself before coming to the mountain.

Transportation

By Bus
Tourist Buses No.1 (8:00-20:00 except the period from January to March 15th) are available at the east square of Xian Railway Station or you can choose to take the coach to Huayin City at Tangdu Bus Station located at No.17 of Changle Zhonglu east of Xian.

By Train
You can take trains at Xian Railway Station and get to Weinan City. Then you can take the autobus on Weinan Railway Station to reach Mt. Huashan. The autobus fare is about CNY 10. And you have to walk 1.5 kilometers (about 0.9 miles) before you reach Yuquan Temple at the foot of Mt. Huashan.

By Cable Car
Traveling on Mt. Huashan by cable car is another good choice for tourists. In the east side of Yuquan Temple there is an about 8-kilometer-long (about 5 miles long) cement road leading up to Wamiaogou where you can take the cable car directly to the North Peak of Mt. Huashan. And the top station of the ropeway is located on the east cliff of North Peak. The whole ropeway is more than 1,500 meters (about 4,921 feet) long and it takes you seven or eight minutes to reach the top. The runtime of the ropeway is: 07:00-19:00 (Apr.-Oct.); 09:00 - 16:00 (Nov.-Mar.).