[Weekly Travel] Autumn Exploration in Hanzhong, One-Day Tour of Liping Scenic Area

Hanzhong, Shaanxi, Liping National Forest Park, November 24, first week, 5/53. Hanzhong has a high-speed rail station and an airport. For autumn viewing, Liping National Forest Park and Longtoushan can each be arranged for a day, perfectly fitting a weekend. These two scenic spots are close to Guangwu Mountain and Micang Mountain in the neighboring province, but seem to have much fewer visitors, making the visit very relaxing. There is a direct shuttle from Hanzhong City to Longtoushan. Tickets can be purchased online via the WeChat public account "Hanzhong Junming Scenic Area Direct Shuttle" or platforms like Ctrip, and offline at the tourism distribution center near Hanzhong Station’s passenger transport hub. Since I have visited Longtoushan before, I chose to skip it this time. (Photo 18) There is a direct round-trip shuttle to Liping National Forest Park. Tickets can be bought online on platforms like Ctrip or offline at the tourism distribution center. The one-way trip takes about two and a half hours. The latter half of the route to the scenic area is all winding mountain roads, so those prone to motion sickness should prepare in advance. The sightseeing bus in the park runs one way, stopping at five attractions. You need to get off at each stop. The five open attractions in order are Yunu Peak, Maple Forest Waterfall, Zhonghua Longshan, Undersea Stone City, and Hongchen Gorge. After getting off at Yunu Peak, go down from the entrance, walk along the canyon to the exit, then take the bus to Maple Forest Waterfall. The distance is short, and the scenery overlaps with the final Hongchen Gorge but is not as good. (Photos 1, 2) Maple Forest Waterfall is mainly a small waterfall flowing down through a circle of maple trees. The sightseeing bus stops at a paid glass bridge entrance, from where you can walk directly to the base of the waterfall. Actually, walking a short distance along the road ahead also leads to the waterfall. (Photos 3, 4) At Maple Forest Waterfall, you can return to the boarding point to take the bus to Zhonghua Longshan, or choose to hike there. After climbing some steps beside the waterfall, the rest of the path is flat and easy to walk. (Photos 5, 6) Zhonghua Longshan is a unique geological phenomenon discovered after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake cracked the mountain. The mountain formed during the Ordovician period 400 to 500 million years ago. Geological movements shaped the mountain to resemble dragon scales, dragon spines, and dragon claws, with rock surfaces looking like a giant dragon. This is a typical karst landform, and many animal fossils called "Zhonghua Sinian Trilobites" have been found in these rocks. (Photos 7, 8) Undersea Stone City is an underground cave. After getting off, walk around the mountain to reach the entrance. If you are not interested in caves, you can walk a short distance straight ahead after getting off to reach the boarding point for Hongchen Gorge. On the left side of this path stand dense trees, which are quite photogenic during leaf color change. (Photos 9, 10) Hongchen Gorge is the largest open attraction. The sightseeing bus passes Tienshu Cliff and stops at the middle upper part of the gorge, claimed to be the best spot for photographing red leaves. (Photos 11, 12) The two ends of Hongchen Gorge are Heilong Pond and Jingxin Pond. After getting off the bus, you need to descend into the gorge. Going left leads to Heilong Pond, and going right leads to Jingxin Pond, which is also the boarding point for the sightseeing bus to exit the park. (Photos 13-17) If you choose to walk to Heilong Pond, you need to return the same way before heading to Jingxin Pond.