GUNUNG · People's Republic of China

Mount Hua

华山 (Huàshān)

Information

Elevation: 2.155 m
Country: People's Republic of China (CN)
Location / Range: Pegunungan Qinling, dekat Huayin, Provinsi Shaanxi — sekitar 120 km timur Kota Xi'an
Mountain type: Mountain
Volcanic?: No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates: 34.4833, 110.0833
Difficulty: Sedang–Berat (non-teknis tetapi sangat curam; ribuan anak tangga batu bertebing dengan pegangan rantai; atraksi 'Chang Kong' plank walk berupa via ferrata di tepi jurang)
Best Season: April–Oktober (musim semi & gugur paling nyaman); ramai saat libur nasional. Musim dingin dingin, licin & bersalju
Permits & Rules: Tiket masuk kawasan wisata Huashan (Huashan Scenic Area) wajib; kereta gantung North Peak & West Peak opsional. 'Chang Kong Cliff Road' (长空栈道) memerlukan tiket & sewa harness terpisah dengan batas usia/tinggi
Hazards: Tangga batu curam & sempit yang licin saat hujan/salju, kepadatan pengunjung ekstrem pada musim ramai, risiko jatuh di segmen berpagar rantai, hipotermia & angin kencang di punggungan puncak, eksposur tinggi di jalur papan Chang Kong dan tanjakan Yaozi Fanshen

Description

Mount Hua (华山, Huàshān; highest South Peak 2,154.9 m) is the 'Western Mountain' among China's Five Great Mountains, located near Huayin in Shaanxi Province, about 120 km east of Xi'an. This granite massif has a long religious history — a Taoist center with old temples on its slopes and summits — and is traditionally divided into five main peaks: South Peak (highest, 2,154.9 m), East Peak (the sunrise peak), West Peak (Lotus Flower Peak), North Peak (Cloud Terrace, the cable-car terminus), and Central Peak. Huashan is famed as one of the world's most nerve-wracking stairway climbs: the classic 'Soldier's Path' ascends thousands of stone steps carved into steep cliffs with chain handrails — past the Thousand-Foot Precipice, the Hundred-Foot Crevice, and the narrow Black Dragon Ridge — while the 'Chang Kong Cliff Road' (长空栈道), a shoulder-width plank walkway bolted to a vertical rock face, has become an icon of adventure tourism. Modern North Peak and West Peak cable cars now shorten the ascent for those who prefer not to climb the full stairway, though many pilgrims and hikers still go up on foot, often starting at night to catch the sunrise from East Peak.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Jalur Papan di Langit (Changkong Zhandao)

Ekstrem (papan kayu di tebing vertikal, wajib harness)

30–60 menit (atraksi samping)

A side attraction near the South Peak — not part of the main summit route — consisting of narrow wooden planks bolted to a vertical cliff face, traversed while clipping a harness to a safety cable. It is reached from the Heavenly South Gate area near the South Peak. Often called 'the world's most dangerous hike'; nearby is the steep Yaozi Fanshen scramble. Not for those afraid of heights.

Source

Lingkar Lima Puncak (dengan kereta gantung)

Sedang–berat (tangga naik-turun antarpuncak)

~8 jam (penuh jalan kaki) atau lebih singkat dengan kereta gantung

A popular itinerary to see all of Huashan's peaks: take the North Peak cable car up, then walk the stairway trail North → East → South (Luoyan, highest point ~2,154 m) → West Peak, and descend via the West Peak cable car. Done entirely on foot, the inter-peak circuit is about 13 km and takes ~8 hours. Moving between peaks takes 3–5 hours over many ascending and descending stairs.

Source

Tangga Surga — Jalur Tradisional ke North Peak

Berat (sekitar 2 km tangga curam, eksposur tinggi)

3–4 jam naik

Huashan's classic foot route, about 6 km from Huashan village (Huashan Gorge) up to the North Peak (~1,614 m), with around 1,500 m of elevation gain. It passes famous sections such as the Thousand-Foot Precipice (over 70° incline), the Hundred-Foot Crevice, and the narrow Black Dragon Ridge (Canglong Ling) before reaching the Golden Lock Pass where trails branch to the other peaks. Many hikers climb at night to reach the top for sunrise.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Hiking Mount Hua (Huashan, ~2,154 m at South Peak) in Shaanxi, one of China's Five Great (Taoist) Mountains, famous for steep stairway trails, five peaks (North, East, South, West, Central), and the cliff-hugging 'plank walk in the sky' (Changkong Zhandao) — often billed as the world's most dangerous hike. Hikers can take the classic Heavenly Stairs from Huashan village to the North Peak, or use the cable car and walk the five-peak loop. The videos and guides below — in English and Mandarin — document real experiences on the plank walk, the stairway trails, and the pre-dawn sunrise climb.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.