One of the quintessential Chinese mountian hikes unknown to most westerners is Sanqingshan (Mount Sanqing) located in Jiangxi province, about 8 hours by bus from Shanghai. A sacred Taoist mountain, Sanqingshan offers a day hike on it's more than 13 km of cantelevered trails around breathtaking granite spires and peaks.
New Gondola to Hiking Trails on top of Mountain
There are two ways to get up to the cantilevered trails on the mountain, a 13 km hike up the back side from the site of the old gondola lift (not used by many) or the new gondola from the new tourist development site. A one day plan to walk up and down plus the trails on top (the real reason to visit Sanqingshan) is almost 40km and not advisable. If you want to walk it, a stay at the hotel on top is highly advised.
Chinese Hiker Queing for the ride up
Overview of part of the trail system.
At the top of the Gondola, the cantilevered walkway begins and leads up and around to the peaks of Sanqingshan. Most tour groups make the circut in about 4-5 hours with varying stops for snacks and rest.
