On the first day, my ticket checked at 3:15 PM and I took the shuttle up the mountain. It took me 1.5 hours to complete the entire route, even if I had to hurry. The staff kept trying to get me to return back at Shihai, perhaps worried I'd delay their shift. I said, "You guys go ahead, I'll climb on my own." I left the park around 5:00 AM.
The next morning, I entered the park a little after 9:00 AM and completed the entire route in about 3 hours. First, I went up the stairs, then down them. It took a long time to complete the whole route, and I couldn't walk fast because it was all stairs.