The park's main boardwalk climbs the length of the Huanglong valley, from the entrance at roughly 3,000 metres to the Five Colored Pool near the summit at 3,700 metres. The path is entirely wooden boardwalk, wide enough to accommodate the crowds that the park draws on busy days, and well-maintained throughout. The ascent passes through three distinct landscape zones: mixed forest at the lower section, then open rocky terrain as the tree line is left behind, then the mineral pool zone in the upper valley where the travertine formations dominate.
The travertine itself begins about halfway up and becomes increasingly dramatic as you ascend. The formations take many shapes: broad pools connected by low travertine dams, narrow cascades where calcium-rich water runs over a lip and leaves behind deposits in fringed curtains, and occasional flat sheets of near-white stone where the deposit has spread across a wide area. The Waterfall of Reeds and the Yingshou Pool, both in the mid-section, are among the most photogenic formations on the route.
The descent by the same boardwalk takes roughly an hour and a half. The cable car is available for either direction for ¥80 one-way and is genuinely useful — either for those who need it on the ascent or who want to save energy for a proper look at the upper pools rather than a rushed visit before the last bus.