Yandangshan

By day, you walk among towering rhyolite pinnacles and visit Guanyin Cave, a multi-story Buddhist temple wedged inside a natural rock fissure. Return after dark when subtle lighting and the evening sky turn the peaks, including Hezhang Peak, into shifting silhouettes.

Plunging nearly 200 meters down a sheer volcanic amphitheater, this is the park's highest waterfall. In the rainy season it thunders into an emerald pool below, while in drier months the water disperses into a shifting veil of mist halfway down the cliff.

A flat valley floor leads to Lingyan Temple, framed by vertical monoliths like Tianzhu Peak and Zhanqi Peak. Twice daily, local performers staging the Lingyan Flying Crossing walk and slide along a high wire stretched more than 200 meters above the valley floor, a stunt rooted in traditional cliff-herb gathering.

Reached by trail or cable car, Fangdong follows a natural rock gallery carved horizontally into a sheer cliff face. The walkway crosses a swaying suspension bridge high above the valley and passes caves, shrines, and a popular cliffside cafe.

Less visited than the Three Wonders, this trail climbs past lower, middle, and upper tiers of a single stream. The middle tier is the standout, dropping over the lip of a hollowed volcanic cave where you can walk behind the curtain of water.

Yandangshan is not a single mountain you climb from bottom to top, but eight separate scenic zones spread across valleys. Use the green public shuttle buses in Xianglingtou to hop between trailheads rather than walking along the main roads.

Without context, the rock silhouettes at the Lingfeng night session can be hard to spot. Hire an official guide at the gate or walk slowly near domestic tour groups so you know exactly which footprints on the path line up with each silhouette.

Because Dalongqiu has a small catchment area, its volume depends heavily on recent rain. If a shower rolls through during your stay, head straight to Dalongqiu afterward to see the waterfall at full force.

Individual scenic zones require separate admissions or a combined multi-day pass linked to your ID. Foreign visitors must show a physical passport at the ticket windows and entry gates, and mobile payment via Alipay or WeChat Pay is standard everywhere.