Mount Hua is one of China's five sacred mountains and easily the steepest. From the base at Huayin, 120 km east of Xi'an, five granite peaks rise up to 2,160 metres in cliffs and pinnacles that early Chinese painters used as the template for the imagined landscapes of Taoist immortals. The most famous trail follows the original "Soldiers' Path" — a kilometre of stairs carved into the cliff, in some places so steep you climb hand over hand against an iron chain.
A cable car has made the West Peak accessible to anyone reasonably fit. From there you can walk a long ridge between the peaks all day, visiting Taoist temples and sleeping a night at the East Peak hostel for the sunrise. The longer route up — climbing the Soldiers' Path through the night — is a Chinese rite of passage and best avoided in summer when half the country is doing it.
Allow a long day, ideally a night and two days. Reachable from Xi'an by direct high-speed train (40 minutes) to Huashan North.