Guide to Hiking Mt. Huashan at Night

While most people are sound asleep in bed, some have braved the challenging Mt. Huashan at night, and are waiting for the gorgeous sunrise on the East Peak of the mount. The dark sky turns bright little by little; the first ray of sunlight bursts between the blue sky and red clouds; and as the sun fully rises, the sky is dyed luminous gold. After enjoying these fantastic views, you’ll feel that chill on the mountain peak doesn’t matter and fatigue is worth it.

To admire the stunning sunrise, the only way is to hike the Mt. Huashan at night, which basically takes you 6 to 9 hours and is very exhausting. The Mount Huashan is famous for its precipitous cliffs and dangerous passes, and it’s not even easy to hike up it in the daytime. But for the sunrise, why not add such a unique activity to your Huashan tour?

Mt. Huashan at Dawn

Sunrise above Huashan Mountain

 Generally, it’s safe to climb Mount Huashan at night, and the reasons are as follows.
(1) The entire night hiking trail is illuminated, and you don’t even need to bring a flashlight or headlamp.
(2) All the steep paths along the trail are lined with iron chains, so that tourists can grip them to keep balance and smoothly pass through.
(3) Dangerous passes of Mt. Huashan such as the steep and narrow Black Dragon Ridge will be closed at night, and people walk along the gentler path nearby as an alternative.

All in all, safety is almost not a big issue during the Huashan Mountain night climb, and you can let go of this concern, and focus on warm keeping and energy replenishment.
  Duration: 3.5 hours
 Difficulty level: ⭐️⭐️
 From the Jade Spring Temple on the mountain foot, you can find a path to the east and it can lead you to the Mount Huashan Ticket Gate. After you check in, you will hike on the easiest segment along the night climb trail. During the first 1.5-hour-long journey, the path is all step-free, which means you can walk on it smoothly and stop to enjoy the night scenery from time to time. The gurgling stream flows beside the hiking path, and stars twinkle all over the night sky.

Once you see the Primordial Chaos Stone with a protruding white-snake-head-shaped rock, you begin to hike on the path with steps. After a climb for about 30 minutes, the Water-resonant Rock will draw your attention with the splashing sounds. By the rock is a platform, on which you can enjoy the distant city night view illuminated by scattered lights.

In short, this segment is not so strenuous, but it’s still advised to hike on this segment at an appropriate pace, so that you have enough strength to complete the following segments.
  Duration: 1.5 hours
 Difficulty level: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
 Once you pass through the Cloud Gate, you get to the bottom of Thousand-foot Precipice. As you see endless narrow steps on the steep slope before your eyes, you’ll feel the increase in the difficulty level of the hiking trail. Some people choose to wear gloves here and use both their hands and feet during the climb. Besides, to climb over this dangerous pass safely, it’s suggested to grip the iron chain beside the way to keep balance.

As you finally managed to climb over Thousand-foot Precipice and Hundred-foot Crevice full of steps, even more await you. The subsequent section Laojun Furrow features nearly 600 steps on the slope, and all you can do is take the steps one by one. As you continue to climb, without realizing it, you have arrived at the North Peak, the lowest of Mt. Huashan’s five main peaks.

In addition to mountain paths with more than 1,000 steps, this segment further features slightly dimmer illuminations, so it’s necessary to focus on the trail ahead in case of any accidents.
  Duration: 1.5 - 2 hours
 Difficulty level: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This segment is a test of endurance, on which you will alternately hike on slopes and steep trails. After you walk through a quite narrow section of trail, you will see an almost vertical line of light, which marks the iconic Black Dragon Ridge of Huashan Mountain. This pass is both narrow and precipitous with plenty of steps, and basically doesn’t open at night. Tourists have to hike on the nearby Flying-fish Ridge with a gentle slope. The next Golden Lock Pass is the only path from the North Peak to the other four main peaks, and some tourists with limited strength choose to stop here and wait for the sunrise.

Golden Lock Pass after Sunrise

In the following sections, you’ll find the slopes are gentler and there are fewer steps on the trail. Besides, you’ll pass the Middle Peak, with no need to reach its top at night. Some people choose to pause on the path from the Middle Peak to the East Peak, to wait for the sunrise and also add some clothes. It’s perfect to climb to the East Peak when the sky begins to lighten up, so that you can get to the viewing platform just before the sunrise time.
 Even though the difficulty level of this segment decreases, it still poses a challenge to your strength and endurance. So, you need to budget your climbing time properly in case you miss the most beautiful sunrise scene. After you arrive at the East Peak, please be sure to add clothes in time so that you can wait for the sunrise warmly.

 Notes:
1. After viewing the sunrise, you can continue your climb to explore the highest South Peak of Huashan Mountain, and then descend the mount through Huashan Mountain Cable Car from the West Peak. This route is chosen by most of the night climbers.

2. For those who want to brave the popular Huashan Mountain Plank Walk on the cliffside of South Peak, please remember to book the ticket on your phone in advance and go directly to the starting point of the plank walk after viewing the sunrise.

3. It’s possible to hike up the Hushan Mountain and return by the same way, but the whole journey is extremely exhausting and takes over 12 hours. Only those who have super good physical strength and prefer an economical Huashan tour would choose such a route.
 April to October is the best time to hike up the Mt. Huashan at night, because the weather in this period is generally pleasant. Even though the temperature decreases as you climb to a higher position on the mount, it’s basically in a comfortable range, and you just need to add clothes in the peak area.

It’s quite suitable to make a night climb on the Huashan Mountain in summer from July to September, since you don’t need to prevent sunburn as you do in the daytime.
 1. Clothes for keeping warm in the middle-to-end stage of the night climb. In summer, bring a hard-shell jacket or lightweight down jacket and long pants; and in spring and autumn, a thermal-fleece jacket or down jacket and windproof long pants are suggested. If you insist on hiking up on a winter night, please bundle up and bring a thick windproof down jacket, outdoor fleece pants, warm accessories, warm stickers, and crampons just in case. Plus, to deal with sudden rain at night, a rain coat is necessary. 

Warmly-dressed Tourists on Mt. Huashan

2. Energy foods such as chocolate, energy bars, and beef jerky, and also necessary bottled water. You don’t need to pack too heavily, since you can buy bottled water from concession stands scattered along the trail.

3. Gloves for gripping the iron chain of the Thousand-foot Precipice and clambering on some steep sections.

4. A foldable hiking pole for reducing pressure on the lower limbs and keeping balance.
 1. It’s wise to check the forecast about Huashan Weather in advance and make your climb on the evening before a sunny day, to make sure there’s a higher possibility to see the sunrise.

2. It’s not suggested to reach the peak too early, or you’ll have to wait for the sunrise for long in the cold mountain winds. People with great physical strength can start their night hiking on the Huashan Mountain between 22:00 and 23:00, and for those with average physical strength, 21:00 - 22:00 is the recommended time to start the night climb.

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