Qinling Mountain Trekking

The mountains around Huayang offer serious trekking in a part of China that sees very few foreign visitors. The Qinling range reaches above 2,500 metres in this area, with forested slopes of oak, birch, and fir giving way to alpine meadows near the ridges. The trails are not well marked or maintained by tourist standards, and going with a local guide is strongly recommended.

Day walks from the village reach viewpoints above the valley within two or three hours. Longer routes take you deeper into the mountain forest where the wildlife density increases. The village hotel can arrange guides. The terrain is steep and the paths can be slippery after rain — proper boots and waterproof clothing are essential.

things to do sight
A story
The Qinling range runs east-west across central China and has served as a geographical and climatic divide for millennia — north of it is the wheat- growing, dry-climate Yellow River basin; south of it is the rice-growing, humid Yangtze watershed. The line between the two climatic zones passes almost exactly through the ridge above Huayang. Standing on the crest, you are on the boundary between north and south China in every sense — biological, climatic, and cultural.