Arxan 2 Days 1 Night｜0 Cost to Chase Morning Mist + Blue Hour at the Unfrozen River, Avoid Crowds and Enjoy the Ultimate Autumn During National Day!

Girls👭! Just escaped from Arxan and still catching my breath, here’s a “0 cost autumn viewing” nanny-level guide for you! Don’t want to be stuck in crowds during National Day? Follow me and capture the legendary autumn scenery in 2 days📸
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🗺️ Quick Itinerary Overview (Lazy version for copying)
D1️⃣ Ticket Day: Forest Park Golden Loop (Heavenly Lake/Tuofengling/Santan Gorge…)
D2️⃣ Free Day: Morning Mist at Wusulangzi Lake → Fairy Tale Blue House → Blue Ribbon Unfrozen River
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🌅 D1 Paid Area Fast Pass Tips
7:30 First wave into the park = exclusive photo shoot! Sit on the left side of the shuttle bus for double the scenery
Climb 992 steps to the top of Heavenly Lake, wear sneakers👟, bring a warm patch for your waist!
On the way down Tuofengling, there’s a “hidden viewing platform,” turn back to see the heart-shaped lake💚
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💙 D2 Free Area Legendary Route (One-way, missing the exit means an extra 40km detour)
1️⃣ Wusulangzi Lake 06:50 Morning Mist
📸 Spot: Turn right 200m at the lake entrance to the deadwood pier, low angle for “Mirror of the Sky” shots
👗 Outfit: White down jacket + beige scarf, natural soft light filter in the mist
2️⃣ Blue House 09:00 Fairy Tale Check-in
📸 Spot: Sit on the fence with feet off the ground, the small windmill on the roof behind you⚙️ instantly feels like a Studio Ghibli scene
🎁 The little house is actually a forest ranger station, give a postcard✉️ to the volunteers to spread good luck
3️⃣ Unfrozen River 10:30 Blue Hour Moment
📸 Spot: Downhill to the right of the viewing platform, walk along the cattle path to the riverbank, backlit shots of “blue river + golden grass + cattle”
🌡️ Underground hot spring at 6℃ constant temperature, fingers in the water don’t freeze, perfect for “ethereal” close-ups
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🍗 Food List
• City: “Xing’an League Roasted Lamb Tail”🍖 So fatty it drips oil, dip in yogurt curds to cut the grease
• Heavenly Lake Service Area: “Xiaowei Noodle Shop”🍜 Hand-pulled noodles + wild mushroom broth, 25 RMB fills you up
• Bring your own self-heating hotpot🔥 Slurping noodles in 10℃ cold wind at the scenic spot, life complete
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🏨 Where to Stay
• Budget: Arxan city homestay 120 RMB/night, delivery milk tea arrives in 30 minutes
• Scenic: Heavenly Lake Service Area wooden cabin 380 RMB/night, open the window to a sea of snowy forest❄️
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🧣 Essential Clothing (Average October -2~8℃)
Top: Quick-dry shirt + fleece + 800 fill down jacket
Bottom: Thermal leggings + windproof ski pants
Accessories: Touchscreen gloves + knit hat + sunglasses (to prevent snow blindness)
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📱 Photo Presets
• Morning Mist: VSCO A4 filter, exposure -0.3, temperature -1.2
• Blue River: Lightroom blue saturation +20, golden brightness +15, contrast +10
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⚠️ Pitfall Guide
× Navigation to “Unfrozen River” may lead inside the forest farm, remember to select “Viewing Platform”!
× Forest area signal📶 is intermittent, download offline maps in advance
× Drones🚁 are prohibited, forest rangers patrol, violation fined 500 RMB
Save this guide, take 1 day off after National Day to avoid crowds, you can still rush on weekends!
Arxan’s autumn lasts only 20 more days, miss it and wait a whole year~