December 7 Weekend at Huangshan Crowded

Weekend trip to Huangshan summed up in six words: great scenery, too many people. My friends booked tickets in advance for 9 AM today, entering through the South Gate. We queued for over an hour to take the Yuping Cableway to Guest-Greeting Pine. It was so crowded that we didn’t even try to squeeze into the best spot to take photos of the pine. The first two pictures show the spot for photographing Guest-Greeting Pine. After waiting a long time and still not getting in, we gave up and took a photo of the pine from above (third picture). We climbed all the way to Bright Summit Peak. Because there were so many people, a closer plank road was opened (the guide said this path is only opened when the main route is fully booked; normally it’s not accessible). The advantage was that with so many people, the slow queue made the walk easy. By the time we reached Bright Summit Peak, it was already noon. Looking at the scenery, it’s not really a must-visit spot overall. On the way down, we passed Dream Pen Blossoms (fifth picture), which was quite nice. We took the Yungu Cableway down the mountain. Overall, if you’ve never been to Huangshan, it’s worth visiting once, but with so many people, we’re not planning a second visit after this crowded experience. The pine trees on the mountain 🌲 are very distinctive; they only grow on the sun-facing side. The shaded side doesn’t grow, so the overall shape of Huangshan’s pines looks like layers of lingzhi mushrooms growing one on top of another. Tips: Huangshan Scenic Area ticket is 190 RMB per person (does not include shuttle bus). Shuttle bus is 19 RMB per person (one way, you need to buy tickets for both up and down). Yuping Cableway is 90 RMB per person, Yungu Cableway is 80 RMB per person. Be sure to buy tickets in advance to avoid long queues and the risk of not getting in when it’s your turn.