Where to go hiking in Xi’an: 8 Great Hiking Spots

Spring has sprung, and now is the best time to go hiking and enjoy the scenery. Xi’an has many great hiking spots to recommend to you. Make sure you don’t miss out on West Mount Hua, Mount Tai Bai, Mount Li, Mount Cuihua and other attractions. For more recommendations, see below.

1、West Mount Hua

Mount Hua is one of the five famous mountains in China. It is the highest of the five mountains, with an elevation of 2154.9 meters. It is located in Huayin County, Weinan City, a historical and cultural site 120 kilometers east of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. It is located north of the vast Weihe Plain and the roaring Yellow River, and south of the Qinling Mountains. It is a granite mountain on the north side of the Qinling Mountain watershed. Thanks to the ever-changing natural scenery, the myriad forms of Mount Hua are vividly depicted, making it a national scenic spot.

Mount Hua is a cultural mountain with a rich cultural heritage and profound cultural connotations. Taoist culture, Yang family culture, cave culture, chess culture, stele culture, as well as historical sites, myths and legends, and poems and songs passed down by generations of literati have become the main theme of Mount Hua’s culture.

Ticket: 90 yuan in the off-season, 160 yuan in the peak season

2、Mount Tai Bai

Mount Tai Bai is located in Baoji, Shaanxi, at the foot of the Qinling Mountains, within the borders of Meixian, Taibai County, and Zhouzhi County. It is the main peak of the famous Qinling Mountains in China and the highest peak in the eastern part of the Chinese mainland, with an elevation of 3767 meters. The Qinling Mountains are a natural barrier between the north and south of China and a watershed between the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. As the main peak of the Qinling Mountains, Mount Tai Bai has a unique natural geographical environment. Its towering and majestic grandeur and its ever-changing climate have made it mysterious since ancient times, attracting scientists and scholars from both China and abroad.

Due to its geological landforms, mountain glaciers, springs and streams, forest communities, celestial phenomena, rare flowers and plants, and human history, Mount Tai Bai has formed a perfect scenic system, making it an ideal ecological tourism destination.

Ticket: 150 yuan and up

3、Mount Li

Mount Li is located south of Lintong District, Xi’an, a branch of the Qinling Mountains. The highest peak, Jiulongding, is 1301.9 meters above sea level. It consists of two peaks, Xiuling and Dongxiu, and its undulating terrain is covered with lush trees. From a distance, it looks like a dark grey horse, hence its name. Mount Li is also known as “Xiu Ling” because of its beautiful and lush scenery. When the sun sets in the west, Mount Li glows in the golden sunset, making it particularly beautiful, hence the nickname “Mount Li’s Evening Glow.”

Mount Li is known for its beautiful scenery. Legend has it that King You of Zhou built the Li Palace here, and during the Qin Dynasty, it was renamed “Li Mountain Hot Springs”. Emperor Wu of Han expanded it into a detached palace, and Emperor Taizong of Tang built a palace called “Tangquan Palace”. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang expanded it again and named it Huaqing Palace. As it is known for its hot springs, it is also called Huaqing Pool. The Five Rooms Hall in Huaqing Pool is where Chiang Kai-shek stayed during the “Xi’an Incident” of 1936. Mount Li is also the site of the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

Ticket: 45 yuan in the off-season, 70 yuan in the peak season

4、Mount Cuihua

Mount Cuihua is a national scenic spot with natural beauty. It is located 23 kilometers south of Xi’an, in the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains. It is 2132 meters above sea level and covers an area of 1785 hectares. It is famous for its “unique beauty in the Qinling Mountains” and the “Museum of China’s Geological Landforms.”

The Mount Cuihua Scenic Area consists of three parts: the Bishanhub Scenic Area, the Tianchi Scenic Area, and the Landslide and Stone Sea Scenic Area. Mount Cuihua was originally called Mount Taiyi. Legend has it that Taiyi Zhenren practiced here, hence the name. Since the Qin Dynasty, it has been a royal “Shanglin Yuan” (Royal Hunting Park) and “Imperial Garden”. Qin Shi Huang once hunted and relaxed here. Emperor Wu of Han once established a sacrificial platform for the sky here, and the Qin Sheng Palace was a summer palace for Emperor Taizong of Tang to escape the heat. It is considered a popular tourist destination in the three Qin provinces. In 1992, it was designated as the “Mount Zhongnan National Forest Park” and in 1997, it was recommended as one of the “Top Ten Scenic Spots in Xi’an”.

Ticket: 65 yuan and up

5、Mount Zhongnan

Also known as Mount Taiyi, Mount Difei, Mount Zhongnan, Mount Zhounan, or simply Mount Nan, it is a section of the Qinling Mountains. It extends from the western end in Meixian County, Baoji City, Shaanxi, to the eastern end in Lantian, Shaanxi, with thousands of verdant peaks and beautiful scenery. It is known as the “Fairyland”, the “Crown of the Cave Heaven”, and the “Best Fortunate Land in the World”. The main peak is located in Zhouzhi County and is 2604 meters above sea level. The couplet “Fortune as long as the East Sea’s flowing water, Longevity as long as the pines of the South Mountain” refers to this mountain.

Mount Zhongnan has a rugged terrain and winding roads. It has five large valleys and over 100 small valleys, stretching for hundreds of miles. The Zuozhuan (Spring and Autumn Annals) calls Mount Zhongnan “the most dangerous of the Nine Provinces” and the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) calls the Qinling Mountains “the obstacle of the world.”

Ticket: 45 yuan and up

6、Mount Jiuhua

Mount Jiuhua is located 20 kilometers south of Huxian County, at the southern end of the watershed between Zao and Tan. The main peak is 1700 meters above sea level, and at the foot of the mountain lies the Amitabha Temple.

According to stone inscriptions, the Jiuhua Mountain Temple existed before the Amitabha Temple. The temple was founded around the Sui and Tang dynasties. Before the Southern Song Dynasty, a high monk named Yigong from Sichuan lived and preached in the temple, and his disciples were numerous.

Mount Jiuhua got its name because the southern end of its ridge has nine peaks rising in succession, hence the name in reference to one of the four famous mountains in China, Mount Jiuhua in Anhui.

The Twelve Scenery of Mount Jiuhua: Denglzanwo, Qinglongling, Wangxiangtai, Lingyun Tower, Yu Jing Chi, Hu Pao Quan, Nan Tian Men, Duan Cheng Ya, Fo Ye Dong, Di Shui Chi, Shen Xian Dong, Tian Peng, etc.

Mount Jiuhua is one of the famous peaks of Mount Zhongnan. From the highest point of the mountain, looking east to the Gui Peak, it is towering and majestic, bright and beautiful. Looking west to the Gan and Lao valleys, there are ravines and valleys, waves crashing and surging. Looking south to the peaks of Mount Zhongnan, the mountains are clustered and surround you, with towering peaks. Looking north to the land of the Qin Dynasty, you can see thousands of miles of fertile fields, fields stretching as far as the eye can see.

Location: About 20 kilometers south of Huxian County, Xi’an, Shaanxi.

7、Mount Nangong

Mount Nangong, also known as Mount Bijia (Writing Brush Mountain), is a remnant of the Hualong Mountain branch of the Dabashan Mountains. The highest point is 2267.4 meters above sea level. Historically, it has been a well-known scenic and tourist destination. Nangong Mountain Forest Park is located in the eastern part of Lantian County, 92 kilometers from Hanzhou District, Ankang City. It covers a total area of 7648 hectares, including five scenic areas: Jinding, Dongshilin, Xishilin, Erlangping, and Lianhuazai, with an area of 2663 hectares, and 144 scenic spots and attractions. It is known for its unique, dangerous, wild, beautiful, and mysterious features, making it an ideal place for tourism, leisure, and summer vacations.

Nangong Mountain Tourism Guide

Type of Attractions: Mountains and Water

Location: Located in the Dabashan Mountains, 20 kilometers from the county seat of Lantian County, Ankang City, Shaanxi Province.

Ticket: 90 yuan and up

8、Mount Shaohua

Mount Shaohua is located in Baishui County, Shaanxi. The Baishui River flows around the foot of the mountain from the northwest. Here, the mountains are green and the water is clear, making it a serene and beautiful place.

Mount Shaohua is a limestone mountain with many original stone caves. Local people have built temples and enshrined deities in these natural caves along the mountain path, carved stone roads, built boardwalks, iron chains, and rafters. Climbing up, it is like a scaled-down Mount Hua, hence the name Mount Shaohua.

Mount Shaohua currently has attractions such as Qiyun Cave, Guanyin Cave, and Xiyi Cliff. Twenty meters south of the mountain, there is a dragon pool waterfall, one of the eight scenic spots in Baishui. Due to the narrow rock cliffs on both sides, a large stone about a zhang (about 3 meters) high blocks the flow of water, forming a large waterfall. When the water reaches here, it rushes and roars, cascading down. There are many poems and inscriptions by visitors from different dynasties about this place. Among them, the couplet “Hear the sound of the stone stream in the stone crevice, see the cold clouds and scenery, and the green mountains”, from the Yuanfu period of the Song Dynasty, is still preserved on the cliff face today.

Ticket: 60 yuan and up

Location: Shaohua Mountain National Forest Park is located in the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains, 5 kilometers southeast of Huayin County, Shaanxi Province, 85 kilometers west of Xi’an and 30 kilometers east of Mount Hua. It is located on the eastern Shaanxi tourist golden line.