Mount Hua Shan - The Sacred Hiking Trail

Hua Shan is located about 120 km west of the city of Xi’an in the Shaanxi province. The mountain has the reputation of being the most precipitous mountain of the world. Its steep rocky walls truly offer some views that you will remember! Its highest peak is the South Peak, which reaches 2,155 meters in the sky. South peak is the highest peak of the five sacred mountains of China. East Peak is 2,090 meters high and the best place to watch the sunrise. The other peaks are called West Peak, North Peak and Middle Peak.

Mount Hua or Hua Shan is a historic and religious place in China. Taoists have been climbing the dangerous steep and narrow hiking trails of the mountain for hundreds of years. Influential Taoist temples have been built on the hill and offer a place to rest for the exhausted pilgrims. 

There are different options for getting up the hill: Climbing the east peak takes four to six hours of ascending steep stairs and narrow path. Climbing the north peak takes 2-5 hours in which you travel about 6 km and 1100 meters vertically. If you are not that confident in your fitness, you can also take the cable car. The last option has two downsides: First, you will miss a lot of incredible views and you won’t be able to tell the stories of the dangerous paths that you passed heroically. Second, in the season the line might last over two hours! 

The mountain is famous for being the most dangerous hiking trail in the world. Ascending the peeks involves steep, close to vertical, staircases and some small tracks built into the cliffs sure not secured to western standards. However, the most scary part is the plank trail that as the name says just consists of wooden planks bolted onto the mountainside. There is not even a rail between you and thousands of meters of depth.