Laojun Mountain
Today I chose the lazy way to climb the mountain. I highly recommend driving. There are plenty of parking spaces inside the scenic area, and parking is free and unlimited. When leaving the scenic area, the electric tram costs 5 yuan per vehicle, and the gasoline car costs 10 yuan per vehicle. The scenic area entrance fee is 100 yuan. No reservation is needed for vehicles entering the scenic area; just scan your ID card at the entrance. Park near the Yunjing/Zhongling cableway (Level 1 cableway). Currently, only one of the two cableways is open each day, with the same price, and opening is random. Today we used the Yunjing cableway, which costs 130 yuan round trip. The Level 1 cableway is a must-ride; otherwise, it's estimated to take 4 hours to climb to Zhongtianmen. After getting off the Level 1 cableway, walk 5 minutes to the Fenglin cableway (Level 2 cableway), which costs 80 yuan round trip. After getting off the cableway, go through the Fairy Tunnel to reach the Ten-Mile Painting Screen. The essence of the mountain scenery is all here; it's all flat ground, no climbing required, and every step reveals a beautiful view. When you reach the General Peak service area, be sure to use the restrooms; they are cleaner here than at the top of the mountain. This concludes the tour of the Ten-Mile Painting Screen. You can choose to take the elevator directly to the Golden Summit for 40 yuan, but it has been closed since March of this year. The only option is to hike, which took about an hour. When you reach the Taibai Service Area, be sure to check the route carefully. There are two paths: one leads to the summit of Funiu Mountain, requiring further hiking; the other is a gentler path directly to the Golden Summit, which you can see at the service area, behind the souvenir pavilion. Both paths eventually lead to the Golden Summit; choose according to your physical condition. Today I only visited the Golden Summit, Daode Mansion, Laojun Temple, and Jade Emperor Peak. They were very beautiful. I went in the morning and didn't get to see the lights come on at night. When I came down, I saw a long queue for the cable car, just like during the October 1st holiday. People say Xi'an only has peak season and peak-peak season, and this place seems to be similar. To get down, you can take the slide for 20 yuan, which takes you directly to the entrance of the second-level cable car. The entire trip took 4 hours.
Overall, Laojun Mountain has beautiful scenery and is worth visiting, but the overall cost is quite high. If you need to burn incense, bring your own, as it's more expensive on the mountain (30 yuan for 3 sticks). Wishing plaques are also available; 5 yuan at the foot of the mountain, 20 yuan on the mountain. There are many stalls at the summit; instant noodles are 12 yuan, but don't bring your own, as you'll need to pay an extra 5 yuan for hot water if you bring your own. There are also Mixue Ice Cream, Bawang Tea, Kuafu Fried Skewers, Zhengxin Chicken Cutlet, etc., with prices similar to those at the foot of the mountain, which are quite reasonable. Most people choose to go up the mountain around 1 pm because the Golden Summit is very beautiful when lit up at night. However, it gets quite crowded. Also, bring a coat, sun hat, umbrella, etc. It's cold on the mountain, especially at night.