China has some of the greatest mountain ranges in the world and scores of national parks with hundreds of miles trails and paths. Hikes vary from easy strolls through the forest to challenging mountain treks. There are also towering cliffs and a few glaciers for the experienced mountaineers. The choices are endless but getting to the trail heads is sometimes a problem. In some places there are huts and lodges you can sleep in, but as a rule it is a good idea to bring a tent along for overnight trips.
The Beijing area offers plenty of hiking opportunities. Beijing is surrounded by a horseshoe of mountains, with many peaks more than a mile (1.6 km.) high, not to mention numerous sections of the Great Wall, with almost limitless hiking possibilities. Great Wall Hike between Simatai and Jinshanling is one of the better options; the ten kilometer hike is almost completely on the wall itself. There are some steep ups and downs but nothing that is too difficult or too. The hike can be done either way but most people start in Jinshanling and finish in Simatai, with their tour bus dropping them off and picking them up. The village of Fanzpai is a good jumping off point to mountains with remnants form the Yuan period and rock engraved with Sanskrit and Tibetan, most likely left by traveling monks.
Taishan, about ten hours bus drive form Beijing, is China's most sacred mountain and one of China's most popular tourist sites. Respected by Taoists and Confucians, it covers an area of 426 square kilometers and is 4,700 feet high. Taishan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stone steps lead almost all the way to the summit, where there is a hotel, noodle stands and souvenir shops. Many people stay at lodges and rise early to catch the sunrise and splendid views of the North China Plain before the mists and clouds arrive. People hiking at a leisurely pace can climb the 6,600 steps to reach the summit in about six hours. Just after the Pavilion That Reaches the Sky, the stairway becomes noticeable steeper. One has to negotiate 18 tortuous turns to reach the South Gate of Heaven.
Huangshan Mountain (320 kilometers southwest of Shanghai) is considered one of the most beautiful spots in China. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Huangshan has 72 peaks and covers 154 square kilometers. There are numerous different routes up different peaks.The steep pathways and sets of stairs that serves as trails to the summits of the peaks are among of the most popular hiking routes in China. Many visitors hike up and stay at lodges near Lotus Peak and hike up to the summit early in the morning before the clouds come in. The Heavenly Sea, a wide, flat peak with dips in the rock, and the Brightness Peak are also popular. The park also contains waterfalls, graceful pine trees, unusual rock formations, hot springs and many spectacular views. A road, often choked with tour buses and cars, leads about halfway up the mountain to the main trail head, where there are numerous hotels and guesthouses. Some trails are so popular they have been closed due to overuse.
Mount Emei is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The summit of the 10,000-foot-high sacred peak is called 10,000 Buddha Peak. The numerous hiking trails, some of which follow dizzying cliffs, are filled with pilgrims. Many of the temples are dominated by nasty rhesus monkeys that extort food from tourists and harass pilgrims. At the Emei monastery female tourists can hire young men to carry them to the top of the mountain on their backs.
Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the world's deepest gorges: the distance between the Yangtze River and the top of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain above is 12,000 feet. There is a popular two- or three-day, 17-mile hike in the gorge between the villages of Daju and Qiatou.
Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan and Xinjiang offer some of the best trekking, hiking and mountaineering in the world.
