Summer (June–August) is the best time to visit Liupanshui, which markets itself as China's "Cool City" for exactly this reason: average temperatures around 19°C while the lowlands are suffering through 35°C heat. The city's elevation of 1,700 metres makes it a genuine refuge, and domestic tourism peaks in July and August when families from Guizhou's hotter cities arrive to escape the weather.
Spring (April–May) is pleasant and less crowded. Autumn (September–October) brings clear skies and comfortable temperatures. Winter is cold — below 5°C in January — but the area around Shuicheng occasionally gets snow, which transforms the Danxia formations into an unexpectedly photogenic landscape.
The Meihua Cultural Festival, a local winter event celebrating plum blossom season in February, draws modest crowds and is an interesting reason to visit in the off season.