Three Days in Lushan: Moderate to High Intensity Hiking on the East and West Routes

My favorite moderate to high intensity hiking spots: Sandie Spring - Wulao Peak - Xiaotianchi - Dakou Waterfall. These require a certain level of fitness, so there are fewer crowds, and the higher altitude means better air quality! Guling Town on Lushan is small but full of life, with a vegetable market, restaurants, and supermarkets all clustered together. In the mornings and evenings, grandparents dance in the square and practice Tai Chi. The town’s restaurants always serve hot, freshly made meals, full of that home-cooked flavor—no pre-made dishes, which is such a blessing! Plus, none of us eat spicy food, and every restaurant can accommodate that! The sightseeing buses run in an orderly fashion. Although summer is peak season, everything is well organized. It’s a “small but complete” lively atmosphere. Day 1: Sandie Spring Departed from Wuxi, arrived at Lushan Station by high-speed train at noon, checked into a hotel near the cable car at the foot of the mountain. After checking in and ordering lunch delivery, took a taxi to the East Gate of Sandie Spring. The first day’s hike was 2.5 hours, all stairs, quite intense. Came down around 6 pm, took a taxi nearby, had dinner, and rested. Day 2: Wulao Peak - Xiaotianchi Early morning took the cable car up to Guling Town. It was still a bit early to check into the hotel, so we stored our luggage. After breakfast in town, took the sightseeing bus from the main street to Wulao Peak. The hike took 3.5 hours. Came down after 2:30 pm, had lunch on the main street, then returned to the hotel to rest. At 4 pm, set off again, first taking the sightseeing bus to Ruqin Lake, which turned out to be just a lake visible from the bus. The surrounding spots were crowded with tour groups, noisy and hot—definitely not suitable for peak summer tourism. Ruqin Lake and its surroundings are easy and suitable for all ages on the west route, so it’s very crowded. I quickly took the sightseeing bus to Xiaotianchi. The climb to the top takes about half an hour. There were people chanting scriptures, places to drink tea and eat vegetarian noodles. Unfortunately, the clouds were thick that evening, so no spectacular sunset. We descended early to catch the last half of the sightseeing bus back to Guling Town for dinner. After dinner, there was a concert in town. The evening breeze and a stroll made for a very pleasant time! Day 3: Botanical Garden - Dakou Waterfall The third day was the return day. Since staying in Guling Town made it convenient to watch the sunrise, we booked a business car in advance, leaving at 4:30 am and arriving at Yangtianping by 5:00 am to wait for the sunrise. After watching the sunrise at 6:10 am, we returned to the main street for breakfast at 6:30 am. Because we had to take the cable car back home in the afternoon, we chose easier spots. Took the sightseeing bus to Hanpokou, walked around, and enjoyed a panoramic view of the entire Jiujiang City. The round trip took about half an hour, leaving plenty of free time. I thought we wouldn’t have time to visit Dakou Waterfall, but we quickly took a car there. The round trip to Dakou Waterfall took 1.5 hours. This area is especially good for creek trekking, with many small streams in the forest. Like Sandie Spring, there are kayaking activities under the waterfall, but the space is much smaller and the scenery less spectacular than Sandie Spring. If you have to choose between Sandie Spring and Dakou Waterfall for waterfalls in Lushan, I highly recommend Sandie Spring! After Dakou Waterfall, we also visited the Botanical Garden, which records many plant species. Plant enthusiasts will really enjoy this place. With that, all the hiking and trekking in Lushan was complete. Around noon, we took the sightseeing bus back to the main street, had lunch, then took the cable car down the mountain and the high-speed train home.