The East Peak, also known as the Chaoyang Peak, is 2,096.2 meters above sea level. It is the best place to watch the sunrise. The East Peak consists of one main peak and three subsidiary peaks. The peak where the Chaoyang Terrace is located is the highest. The Yunv Peak is in the west, the Shilou Peak is in the east, and the Botai is slightly to the south. They are arranged in an orderly manner and each has its own charm. The Botai is an isolated peak. There is a stone pavilion and a stone chessboard on the top of the peak. It is said that Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin, once played chess with Chen Tuan and lost Huashan Mountain, so it got the name of the Chess-playing Pavilion. The second dangerous path on Huashan Mountain, the “Somersault of the Sparrow Hawk”, must be passed through to reach the Chess-playing Pavilion from the East Peak, which is one of the famous dangerous passes on Huashan Mountain. The top of the East Peak of Huashan Mountain is covered with giant juniper and tall pine trees, with thick shade blocking the sun, and the environment is very quiet and secluded. There are dozens of landscapes on the East Peak. There are natural stone patterns on the cliff on the side of the East Shilou Peak, which look like a huge palm print. This is the “Immortal Palm of Huashan Mountain” listed as the top of the Eight Scenic Spots in the Guanzhong area. The story of the Giant Spirit God opening the mountain and guiding the river originated from here. To the north of the Chaoyang Terrace, there is the Yanggong Tower, which stands far away from the Yanggong Tower on the West Peak. It was built by General Yang Hucheng, and there are four characters “All Things in Order” inscribed by General Yang Hucheng on the tower.
The West Peak, also known as the Lianhua Peak, is the best place to watch the sunset, with an altitude of 2,082.6 meters. It is a complete huge rock, formed naturally. The precipice is thousands of feet high, as if cut by a knife or saw. Its steep, majestic, and masculine and upright posture represents the shape of Huashan Mountain. Because the huge rock on the peak top resembles the petals of a lotus flower, the ancients called it the Lianhua Peak or Furong Peak. Li Bai’s poem said, “The rock makes a lotus, and the cloud makes a platform.” Standing on the peak and looking into the distance, the surrounding mountains undulate, the clouds spread in all directions, the surrounding fields open up like a screen, and the Yellow River and Wei River wind. Standing in it, it feels like entering a fairyland, and all worldly thoughts are swept away. The stone color on the ridge of the West Peak is dark green, resembling a giant dragon, so it is called the Dragon’s Back or the Small Canglong Ridge, which is one of the famous dangerous paths on Huashan Mountain. There are numerous landscapes on the West Peak, such as the Cuiyun Palace, Lianhua Cave, Giant Spirit’s Footprint, Stone Split by an Axe, and the Cliff of Self-sacrifice, accompanied by many beautiful mythological legends. The Yanggong Tower on the peak was built by General Yang Hucheng and has his inscription.
The South Peak has three tops on one peak, with an altitude of 2,154.9 meters. It is composed of the Luoyan Peak, Songhui Peak, and Xiaozifeng. It is the highest peak of Huashan Mountain and also the highest peak among the Five Sacred Mountains. The ancients respectfully called it the “Head of Huashan Mountain”. There is also the Jintian Palace built in the Ming Dynasty on the South Peak, also known as the Baidi Temple, which enshrines the God of Huashan Mountain, Shaohao. On the highest rock, there are two big characters “Zhenyuan”. In addition, there are also Laozifeng, Alchemy Furnace, and Bagua Pool on the South Peak, and these scenic spots are all related to the legends of Laozi. On the top of the Luoyan Peak, there is the Yangtian Pool. The pool is a natural concave on the rock. The water in the pool is less than one foot deep. It doesn’t dry up in drought and doesn’t overflow in flood. It is always green, which is one of the ten mysteries of Huashan Mountain throughout the ages. On the south side of the peak, there is a thousand-foot sheer cliff, standing upright as if cut by a knife, overlooking a deep fault valley below, separated from Sanshan Mountain and Sanfeng Mountain. On the mountain road from the South Peak to the East Peak, there are also the Bizhao Cliff, Nantianmen, and the Plank Road in the Sky. The Bizhao Cliff is the cave where the famous Taoist Chen Tuan once hid to avoid the imperial edict summoning him to serve as an official.
Usually, it will be reserved according to the route. Among them, the Dongfeng Hotel is the most popular because the Chaoyang Peak for watching the sunrise is just dozens of meters away from the Dongfeng Hotel.
The Xifeng Hotel is located on the West Peak of Huashan Mountain. If the Dongfeng Hotel is fully booked, the Xifeng Hotel is also a good choice. It takes about 40 minutes to walk from the Xifeng Hotel to the Chaoyang Peak. If you want to watch the sunrise, you need to set out quite early.
In fact, you can also watch the sunrise and sunset on the North Peak. It’s just that the sunrise on the North Peak is not as good as that on the Chaoyang Peak, and the sunset is not as good as that on the West Peak.
The Wuyunfeng Hotel is located between the Canglong Ridge and the Golden Lock Pass. It is the only way to the main peak areas of the East, West, South, and Middle of Huashan Mountain. If you don’t know where to stay, you can choose to stay at the Wuyunfeng Hotel, because you can go to each peak from here, and you can also watch the sunrise at the Wuyunfeng.
Required Time: Generally, people with good physical strength and who exercise regularly may need about 5 – 8 hours to reach the top. If people are slower or have slightly poorer physical strength, they may need a longer time.
Required Time: Taking the cableway to go up the mountain can save a lot of physical strength and time. The whole visiting process takes about 4 – 6 hours.
Required Time: Compared with the West Peak Cableway Route, after taking the North Peak cableway to go up the mountain, you need to climb to a certain height to reach other main peaks, so the required time may be a little longer, about 5 – 7 hours.
Required Time: It takes about 6 hours.
Two-day Tour: ā Generally, you can start from Yuquan Courtyard in the morning and walk up along the only ancient path of Huashan Mountain. Arrive at the North Peak at noon. You can take a short break at the North Peak and have lunch. Then pass through the Ca’er Cliff, Heavenly Ladder of Huashan Mountain, Canglong Ridge, and Golden Lock Pass to head for the West Peak. Appreciate the sunset on the top of the West Peak. After the sunset, head for the Dongfeng Hotel (it’s about a forty-minute walk, and you may need to walk at night). Stay overnight at the Dongfeng Hotel.