Visit Baiyun Mountain in Luoyang and experience the most beautiful autumn
Preface
For those who love traveling, October is a wonderful season. It can be golden, green, or snowy. It also brings surprises and makes people unforgettable.
For those who have not yet set out on the journey, November is a special season. The encounters with migratory birds, the collision of colors, and the quiet waiting of the ancient villages all release infinite brilliance at this moment.
Baiyun Mountain
Baiyun Mountain is located in the primeval forest area in the hinterland of Funiu Mountain in the southern part of Song County, Luoyang City, Henan Province. It has a total area of 168 square kilometers, 204 species of animals, 1,991 species of plants, and a forest coverage rate of more than 98.5%. It is hailed as a "natural museum" by experts and scholars.
This is a World Geopark, a national 5A-level tourist attraction, a national forest park, a national nature reserve, one of China's top ten leisure resorts, one of the most beautiful places in China, and ranked third among Henan Province's top ten scenic spots. It is known as a "paradise on earth" and was promoted to a World Geopark in 2010.
The average altitude is 1,800 meters, and there are 37 peaks above 1,500 meters. Among them, Yuhuangding is 2,216 meters above sea level. It is the first peak of Baiyun Mountain and the best place to watch the sunrise and the sea of clouds.
With summer temperatures never exceeding 26°C, Baiyun Mountain is a leading summer resort in China. Its main scenic spots include the five major tourist areas of Baiyun Peak, Yuhuang Peak, Jijiaoman, Jiulong Waterfall, and the primeval forest, as well as recreational areas such as Baiyun Lake, the Alpine Forest Oxygen Bar, Liuhou Temple, and Reed Valley.
Precautions
1. Warm up before climbing and do warm-up exercises for 10 minutes.
2. Wear comfortable hiking shoes; bring enough clothes as it will be cooler in the morning and evening; bring enough snacks and tea to replenish your energy when you feel tired during the hike.
3. Pay attention to the rhythm, don’t just keep walking with your head down, and adjust the time for climbing and resting appropriately.
4. Follow the normal route, do not take undeveloped mountain roads, and pay attention to personal safety.
5. At night, you can see the Milky Way and the starry sky at Baiyun Mountain, and there is also what is said to be the most beautiful sunrise in the Central Plains, so photography enthusiasts are recommended to prepare equipment such as tripods and shutter cables.
Ticket Information
Adult ticket: Market price 75 yuan
Transportation fee: An additional transportation fee of 70 yuan is required to reach the scenic area from the ticket hall, including 60 yuan for going up and down the mountain, and 10 yuan for the minibus and tourist sightseeing bus within the scenic area.
Free ticket policy: Children under 1.4 meters in height, seniors over 70 years old with ID card or senior citizen card, soldiers with officer card, journalists with press card.
Yuhuangding Cableway: 60 yuan/person for the ascent, 50 yuan/person for the descent, 100 yuan/person for the full journey, free for children under 1.4 meters.
About Transportation
Baiyun Mountain is located in the hinterland of Funiu Mountain in the south of Song County, Luoyang City. It can be reached by public transportation or by car. Due to its distance from the city center, it takes about two and a half hours to reach the scenic area from Luoyang Station. It is recommended that you set off as early as possible to avoid the danger of walking on the mountain road too late.
1. Public transportation:
(1) Luoyang Bus Station: There are two special buses to Baiyun Mountain every morning at 7:30 and afternoon at 13:30. Luoyang Longmen Passenger Transport Center Station: There are two special buses to Baiyun Mountain every morning at 7:50 and 13:30. The return time from Baiyun Mountain is 12:30 and 13:30. The one-way fare is 45 yuan and the journey takes about 4 hours.
(2) Take a bus bound for Checun and get off at the intersection of Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area. The fare is RMB 31. Then take other means of transportation to the entrance of the scenic area.
(3) There are also buses that go directly to Baiyun Mountain from cities around Luoyang, such as Pingdingshan, Luoyang, Kaifeng, etc. Please go to the local bus station to check the tickets and fares.
2. Self-driving:
East Henan: Ningluo Expressway - Zhengyao Expressway - Yaoshan - National Highway 311 - Checun - Tianqiaogou - Baiyun Mountain
Western Henan: Shanghai-Shaanxi Expressway - National Highway 311 - Heyu - Tianqiaogou - Baiyun Mountain
Southern Henan: Erguang Expressway - Zhengyao Expressway - Yaoshan - National Highway 311 - Checun - Tianqiaogou - Baiyun Mountain
Northern Henan: Erguang Expressway, Lianhuo Expressway - Luoyang - Luoluan Expressway - Jiuxian - Heyu - Tianqiaogou - Baiyun Mountain
3. Foreign tourists:
Let's first take a look at Luoyang's transportation options. There are three train stations in Luoyang: Luoyang Station (also known as Luoyang Railway Station), Luoyang East Station, and Guanlin Station. Those traveling from out of town generally choose Luoyang Station. There's also one high-speed rail station, Luoyang Longmen Station (also known as Longmen Station), and one airport, Beijiao Airport.
① Luoyang Station: Friends from other places are advised to take the train to Luoyang Station, and then go to the Luoyang Bus Station opposite (Luoyang Yiyun Long-distance Bus Station) to take a special bus.
② Longmen Station: After exiting the station, go to Longmen Passenger Transport Center to take a bus. There are two special buses to Baiyun Mountain at 7:50 and 13:30 every morning.
③ Beijiao Airport: Like the high-speed rail station, you'll need to go to Luoyang Station first and then transfer to a special bus to reach Baiyun Mountain. The airport is approximately 10 kilometers from Luoyang Station and can be reached by taking bus No. 83, which takes about 50 minutes.
Accommodation
Since it is recommended to spend 2-3 days to visit Baiyun Mountain, you can choose to stay on the mountain or at the foot of the mountain. The accommodation at the foot of the mountain is near the ticket hall. These hotels can be booked on major travel apps. Most of them are private hotels or ordinary hotels. The prices are affordable, but the environment is average. It takes 40 minutes to take the scenic area's minibus to go up the mountain. If you want to watch the sunrise, it is not recommended to stay at the foot of the mountain.
The better hotels on Baiyun Mountain include the Baiyun International Resort Hotel, the Baiyun Renjia Resort Hotel, and the Yunzhan Hotel. The Baiyun Renjia Hotel is very close to the central station, making travel very convenient. The International Hotel is just opposite the Forest Oxygen Bar, with a restaurant next to it, and is quite close to the trailhead.
The Baiyun Renjia Resort Hotel where I stayed is located in the Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area. The surrounding environment is beautiful, the scenery is pleasant, and the air is fresh. The room rates range from 600 to 800. During the peak season, reservations must be made one week in advance, and the room rates are around 1,000.
The hotel faces the water and is nestled against the mountain, with streams nearby and towering mountains in the distance, fully demonstrating the characteristics of a mountain resort hotel that returns to nature.
The hotel's design incorporates elements of a mountain resort, incorporating harmonious elements of nature, such as wood effects, mountain stone, and forest animals. The interior is exquisitely elegant, spacious, and bright, with the soft furnishings featuring a unique sense of design and comfort.
In the early morning, a ray of sunlight shone directly into my room. I opened the curtains and saw the beautiful scenery of Baiyun Peak outside the window. I couldn't help but pick up the camera on the table to take pictures of the beautiful scenery outside the window.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, in your spare time, invite your closest people to come to Baiyun Renjia Boutique Resort Hotel and enjoy the beauty of this place to cleanse your soul.
local cuisine
The Luoyang Water Banquet is a must-try in Luoyang. Recommended dishes include pork slices in lotus soup, peony bird's nest, and fried meatballs.
Soup dishes include tofu soup, meatball soup, and donkey meat soup, all of which are quite famous. Luoyang's snacks are not very expensive and can be found at street stalls, such as lamb skewers, grilled gluten, grilled squid, beef balls, and fried rice cakes.
In addition, Baiyun Renjia Hotel also has a restaurant where you can eat. I recommend the Luhun Reservoir fish hotpot here. It is delicious. The hotpot base is a high-quality base prepared by themselves. The fish fillets are chewy and flavorful, very delicious!
Beautiful scenery of Baiyun Mountain
*The most beautiful landscape gallery, Luhua Valley is full of Mid-Autumn atmosphere
The first choice for enjoying autumn in Baiyun Mountain is none other than Luhua Valley, which is the valley with the most concentrated scenery, the densest vegetation and the largest number of plant species in Baiyun Mountain.
Take a sightseeing bus to Luhua Valley, a leisure trail built by Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area in 2005 with an investment of one million yuan. The trail is more than 1 meter wide and 5 kilometers long. It is built along the river, nestled against the mountains and water, with towering ancient trees.
Walking on the leisure plank road and looking at the beautiful scenery on both sides, the color here is based on golden yellow, light yellow, brown, red and other colors, which make the Luhua Valley and even the entire Baiyun Mountain colorful.
Taking a stroll in Luhua Valley is a stroll in the truest sense. As you walk along, all your worries are thrown away.
Walking along the plank road beside Luhua Valley, we can encounter various small waterfalls from time to time, and the colorful trees make us very excited!
The Reed Flower Valley in autumn looks like God has overturned a dyeing plate, and the valley presents a gradient of red, yellow, blue and green. If you have not seen it with your own eyes, you would never imagine that such a small valley can be so charming in autumn.
Strolling through Luhua Valley, you can not only enjoy the alpine reeds, crocodiles playing in the water, Huanglongjing, Heilongtan, and other attractions, but also enjoy the comfort of the fresh and cool mountain breeze and listen to the singing of birds.
Black Dragon Pool, located in the middle of the plank road, is small but very beautiful. There are many similar pools in Baiyun Mountain. As the saying goes, where there is water, there is spiritual energy. These mountain springs flow through the streams step by step, making the mountain scenery of Baiyun Mountain more vivid.
Luhua Valley is about 5 kilometers long and takes 2 hours to walk through, but it is still worth the walk.
* Jiulong Waterfall Scenic Area, the most beautiful spot in Baiyun Mountain
Jiulong Grand Canyon connects to Luhua Valley in Baiyun Mountain. It is one of the most beautiful fractured canyons in the scenic area. The canyon is full of strange peaks and rocks, and there are many large and small waterfalls. When the canyon is shrouded in mist after the rain, it is like a fairyland on earth.
In late autumn, the different colors of grass and trees spread along the mountain ridges of the canyon, which is really amazing! This is a place that attracts people's attention and also a place that kills the camera shutter.
We took the scenic area's battery car to the Kowloon Waterfall parking lot and first visited the Kowloon Sky Bridge and the suspended glass plank road.
The Kowloon Skybridge soars over the Kowloon Grand Canyon. Walking on the glass skybridge and overlooking the surroundings, the entire Kowloon Grand Canyon appears before your eyes. The huge landscape paintings are extremely beautiful. Looking down from the highest point, there are cliffs below.
The whole person seems to be floating in the air, and walking on it is very exciting and thrilling. Standing on the glass skybridge is like standing on the clouds. Looking out from the Kowloon Skybridge, you can see the beautiful scenery at a glance.
After walking across the Kowloon Skybridge and a short distance, we headed to another challenging attraction, the glass plank road hanging on the cliff.
This plank road, suspended over 1,900 meters above sea level, overlooks a chasm. Located next to Wufutian Road in the Jiulong Grand Canyon Scenic Area, the 100-meter-long glass plank road, clad in transparent glass, looks like a giant dragon coiling above the cliff face.
The steep cliffs of Jiulong Waterfall are naturally inlaid with nine obvious quartz veins, which look like nine dragons playing with waterfalls, hence the name Jiulong Waterfall. The water of Jiulong River that converges here rushes down along the steep and high-drop fault cliff, forming the Jiulong Waterfall with a drop of 123 meters.
After visiting the Jiulong Waterfall, we took the Jiulong Cableway back to the Jiulong parking lot. The Jiulong Cableway is the first high-altitude sightseeing cableway in Luoyang. During the cable car ride, we can once again appreciate the geographical features of the Jiulong Canyon.
*The most beautiful scenery is on the dangerous peaks, climb to the top of Yuhuang Peak
We took the scenic area's sightseeing bus to the Yuhuangding Cableway Station. On the way to the cableway station, we passed Baiyun Lake. Baiyun Lake on Baiyun Mountain is not particularly large, but the scenery is beautiful. The sun shines on the emerald green lake, and the light ripples on the water.
Baiyun Lake is surrounded by a long corridor. Strolling along the corridor and circling Baiyun Lake, you will experience the comfortable life of the people living deep in the Baiyun area.
Baiyun Lake is a great place for leisure and relaxation. You can come here for boating during the day and for a walk and enjoy the moonlight at night.
To save time and energy, you can take the Yuhuangding Cableway up the mountain. When you take the cable car up the mountain, you will have a very broad view. At this time, the charming scenery of Baiyun Mountain with its layers of colorful trees and overlapping green and golden colors becomes more obvious.
Get off the cable car and walk 500 meters to reach Xiaohuangshan. The main peak here is 1,845 meters above sea level. Here you can see attractions such as Feilai Stone, Guangming Peak, and Jade Rabbit Worshiping the Moon.
The endless mountain ranges stretching out ahead resemble cascading waves, a scene reminiscent of Huangshan Mountain, yet more subtle. The jagged rocks and towering pines, each graceful and graceful, embody the charm, beauty, and wonder of Huangshan Mountain, earning it the name "Little Huangshan."
Since the construction of the Yuhuangding Cableway, there's no need to worry about not being able to reach the summit. The mountaintop views, which usually take three hours to see, can now be reached in just a few minutes by cable car, and the climb to the summit takes less than an hour. This not only brings convenience to travelers with limited time, but also satisfies those who are not suited to long mountain hikes.
"There is no mountain higher than man, no road longer than feet." This poem by Wang Guozhen has inspired countless climbers. The higher the mountain, the higher the peak; the longer the road, the more people have walked. Only you can control yourself, and hope lies ahead.
Jade Emperor Peak, known as the "Top of the Central Plains", is indeed worthy of its reputation. With an altitude of 2,216 meters, it is the highest mountain in the Central Plains and the highest peak in Baiyun Mountain. It is considered to be the place closest to the Jade Emperor, and hence the name "Jade Emperor Peak". If you don't go to Jade Emperor Peak, you have come to Baiyun Mountain in vain!
The steep peaks before us embody the charm, beauty, and wonder of Huangshan. Many of its natural landscapes are a true recreation of Huangshan, a tradition passed down from one generation to the next. Standing here and gazing around, a thousand peaks compete for beauty, each one a unique spectacle, towering cliffs, each with its own unique character.
Baiyun Mountain offers many beautiful sights, and it's also a great place to watch the sunrise, sea of clouds, starry sky, and mountains. If the sea of clouds is just a sea of golden and white clouds, a bit monotonous, then the sunrise will definitely bring you a surprise. This autumn, don't miss Baiyun Mountain!
The central square of the scenic area is densely packed with ginkgo trees. Although not as large as those at Wuma Temple, they are still very beautiful. Ginkgo leaves cover the entire ground like a golden carpet. Choose any angle and you will see a beautiful scenery.
In Wumasi Township, not far from the Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area, there are more than a dozen century-old ginkgo trees. Maybe because of the cold weather this year, they are expected to turn yellow by the end of October. Friends who have time can go and see it, it is very shocking!
Conclusion
Although I am a travel expert and a native of Henan, I have not been to many scenic spots in Henan, and this is only my second time to Baiyun Mountain.
After this "reconnaissance", when I have time, I will bring my parents or lover to Baiyun Mountain again in spring, autumn or winter to wander in the quiet time.
I also hope that we will meet again on our next trip!
