We wanted to visit Emeishan National Park, but we wanted to do it our own way. The top of this famous mountain is also famously easy access: a tourist bus ferries visitors to the end of the road, and there’s a gondola the rest of the way up. We, on the other hand, wanted to hike. The guide we’d been assigned assured us that this could not be done.
The night before our Emeishan excursion, the weather in China‘s Sichuan province was wild. There was heavy rain, and strong winds stirred the windows. Lightning flashing almost continuously, and loud peals of thunder woke us up in the night. It was exciting – but now we also had cause to worry about our hike! Lightning was still flashing when we got up before dawn to board the first bus up the mountain. However, as we drove the windy, forested road to Leidongping, the clouds dissipated and we got to see a lovely sunrise! The fine weather made us more determined than ever to enjoy at least some of the mountain on foot.
After a couple of phone calls to our agent overnight, we’d managed to get the message through that we didn’t just want to be driven up to the top of the mountain and back down again. The following morning, our guide seemed to better understand our preferences – and had granted us permission to explore Emeishan on foot. There was just one remaining problem: she insisted on coming with us.
We were hardly a few stairs up the path when our guide stopped at a souvenir stall. Kent and I waited patiently as the crowd from the bus caught up to us. A few minutes later, we stopped once again, this time at a refreshment stand. This time, we waited with somewhat less tolerance, watching the young and the old pass us by. At this rate, it might take us all day to reach the summit!
I knew we weren’t likely to have a solo summit experience like we often did in Korea: this was the middle of summer vacation and Emeishan is perhaps the most popular destination in Sichuan! And I did want to learn what I could of the history and culture of the place. But I also wanted to beat the bulk of the crowds and the afternoon haze. I felt I had to say something to our guide.
It was her turn to be patient with us. She listened to my concerns, nodding all the while, and agreed we could hike a little faster. But when she stopped again at yet another tourist stall a few minutes later, we couldn’t take it anymore. We bolted!
On our own, we began weaving and dodging on a speedy ascent that quickly left our guide and most of the other walking tourists behind. There’s only one way up and down from Leidongping, so we knew we’d soon meet up again. But in the meantime, we could hustle to the Golden Summit and enjoy Emeishan at its best.
About 40 minutes later, and we were on the Golden Summit! We were most certainly not alone up there. Hundreds of pilgrims and tourists alike arrived via the cable car. The peak was packed with people, temples and construction equipment. We explored anyways, grateful for a new peak on a sunny morning!
Visibility wasn’t great, as a haze was creeping in already with the rising July heat. But my favorite sight was nearby: a pagoda on the very highest point that made its own pretty little puff of cloud overhead!
Looking and photography session complete, we waited around to see if we could spot our guide. Lo and behold, we soon did: somehow able to pick her out of the swarming crowd. This time, she indicated that she genuinely understood what we wanted. Instead of trying to descend together, we made a solid plan to meet her again at the bus stop where we began.
We hopped down the mountain to Leidongping against increasingly formidable traffic. Our guide, having taken the cable car down, beat us back to the bus. She’d been doing some thinking. Would we like to hike to a temple and catch the bus at another stop, further down the mountain? Beaming, we said that we would. She procured a map for us, then, smiling back at us at last, bid us good luck and hopped on the bus.
Our temple exploration was a blast! There were playful monkeys and intricate temple buildings, all set in a lush forest. We got to stretch our legs on a gentle, well-constructed trail. The path was already chaotic with other hikers, but we were just joyful to be outside and active. And it seemed that so was everyone else we met!
This temple side trip didn’t extend our journey by very much, especially at our quick clip, but 10 kilometers of running never fails to improve morale. When we reached our stop, we were flushed and happy. Our guide was relaxing in the shade with a lemonade at Wannian Temple, and we all felt like we’d gotten what we wanted from our mountain excursion. On the bus back to the hostel, conversation flowed freely and we could enjoy one another’s company.
Back in our room, we did a hasty repack of our belongings and headed to the train station for our next adventure. Riding the train back to Chengdu felt so familiar: the agricultural-meets-urban landscape looked just like Korea. I had the feeling that I’ve had so often on our Sichuan Summer trip: what would it have been like if I’d stayed in China? What would it be like to live here? We would get to find out soon enough!
Know and Go! Emeishan
TRANSPORTATION
For the love of all that is holy, do this adventure on your own. Unless you literally just want to grab a selfie and tick the summit off your bucket list, you do not need a guide for Emeishan. Nor is the best way to experience it on a tour bus or in the shopping village at the bus stop. Do yourself a favor and take a hike. This is, after all, a mountain!
Why then did we have a guide, you ask? Chiefly because we needed special permits to go to Tibet earlier in our trip. We wound up using the same agency that booked our permits to arrange some other parts of our trip that were logistically challenging. I would absolutely recommend hiring a driver if you’re short on time and want to do a point-to-point hike. But a guide is not necessary unless you’re a real history or culture buff, and in that case, you’re going to want to be really choosy about who you go with.
The city of Emeishan is easily accessible from nearby Leshan (of Giant Buddha fame) or directly from Chengdu. There are public buses and even a high speed train. If you want to visit both tourist destinations, you can book a combo package with your agent or your accommodation in Chengdu. By far the most time-saving option, though, is to hire a driver – and that’s why we did.
If you’ve got a little more time to spare, you can navigate to Emeishan City on your own, then ask your host for the latest on the public bus times. You can take a bus from town straight to the top, or get out at one of the numerous stops along the way and hoof it to the summit.
HIKE & RUN
From the final bus stop at Leipingdong to the Golden Summit, you’re looking at around seven kilometers round trip. We did this section in around two hours, including a long stop at the peak. After a bit of a slow start, we hiked up in around 40 minutes.
We later did a really fun run in Emeishan’s foothills in the area around Chachangcun: stopping in at several temples and meeting monkeys along the way! The night before our Emeishan summit, we strolled around the beautiful bamboo forests in the Baoguo Temple area.
Can you hike right from town? Absolutely! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Had we have had just slightly more time or done a bit more research before we went, this is definitely the option we would have chosen. You can simply link up the various sections mentioned above to hike from town to the top.
I think this would make a great, albeit concrete and crowded, trail run because there are stalls selling food and drink every couple of kilometers. Note that the full journey from Baoguo Temple is nearly 50k! Many travelers who want a little more time on the mountain – but don’t feel the need to hike every inch of it – start slightly further up at Wannian Temple. This portion of trail is approximately 30 kilometers.
STAY & EAT
Emeishan City is a good base where you can find inexpensive hostels and numerous choices for dining. But you can also stay and eat on the mountain itself! The slopes and surrounding hills are dotted with monasteries, where you can bed down for the night in basic dorms. These also offer vegetarian food options for a fee.
A number of travelers stay in a hotel at Leipingdong in order to enjoy sunrise or sunset from the summit. But be aware if you do: this is the most hectic and congested part of the mountain, and might not be the tranquil, natural experience you’re looking for.
There are numerous food stalls alongside the trail all the way up the mountain. While this certainly helps hikers stay hydrated, it also contributes to problems with trash on the mountain. You may also see people buying snacks to feed the monkeys, despite this being an obviously terrible idea.
OTHER NOTES
Emeishan is a 3,099 meter peak in China’s Sichuan province. This is one of four famous Buddhist mountains in China. Emeishan’s Golden Summit features temples and Buddhist art, and is heralded as one of the best places to watch sunrise.
It’s a seven kilometer hike from Leidongping to the Golden Summit. We also did some running on the lower slopes of the mountain.
We visited Emeishan during a two-week tour of China in 2017, an adventure we called our Sichuan Summer.
It might be busy, but it’s beautiful. Enjoy Emeishan, hikers!