Lushan Mountain in Xichang: Complete Guide for a Half-Day Hiking and Summit

If you come to Xichang, Lushan Mountain is definitely worth rushing for❗️ The entire hike up Lushan offers great scenery👍 📍Location: Qionghai Lushan Scenic Area 🚗 For self-driving, navigate to "Lushan Scenic Area" to find parking, or drive directly to the "Guangfu Temple" parking lot (which shortens the climb) 📌Public transport: Take bus routes 105, 106, 158, 22, 306, 17, or the Lake Loop Line, all of which go directly to the "Lushan" stop. Get off at Qionghai Hotel and walk 200 meters forward to the hiking entrance. 🚌 Sightseeing bus up the mountain costs 5 RMB, one-way cable car 35 RMB, and slide down 40 RMB. 🎫 No entrance fee! No entrance fee! No entrance fee! The hike up Lushan is divided into three sections: Hiking entrance → Guangfu Temple → Sanqing Temple → Observation Deck, about 3.5 km one way / 7 km round trip, with a total elevation gain of 720 meters. The highest point is at 2,220 meters above sea level. Guangfu Temple has a viewing platform overlooking Qionghai and offers vegetarian meals (20 RMB/person), served from 11:30 AM. 📍Tips 1️⃣ Don’t use transparent plastic bags for food, and don’t eat or drink in front of monkeys; they will try to snatch your food. It’s better to carry a backpack. 2️⃣ Bring water for the whole hike; the second half is very dry and you need to stay hydrated. Water sold on the mountain is expensive. 3️⃣ It gets hotter as you climb, so wear a light jacket that you can take off when warm and put back on at the windy summit. 4️⃣ If you plan to reach the summit, bring a hiking pole. You can buy one online or at Guangfu Temple. The last part is steep and a pole can save effort. 5️⃣ Consider knee pads to protect your knees. Going up is easier than coming down, and your legs will tremble on the descent. 🌈 I started hiking from the entrance at 3 PM, reached Guangfu Temple in about 20 minutes, and got to the summit around 5 PM, just in time to watch the sunset. The descent takes about an hour, depending on your pace. If you can’t walk, there are private cars at Guangfu Temple for 5 RMB per person. Returning by bus during peak hours can be crowded; riding an electric scooter back and forth is more convenient. ❗Please carry out all your trash during the hike and do not litter. Protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility. When I went, there was a lot of trash on the ground, and staff were constantly cleaning. Overall, Lushan Mountain in Xichang is a great choice whether you’re a tourist, bringing kids to see the monkeys 🐵, or hiking to the summit to enjoy the view of Qionghai. The physical intensity is manageable, and kids can climb too, though the stairs in the second half are steep and tiring. But after reaching the summit, the scenery is beautiful and you can walk around the top. If you’re lucky, you might see the Tyndall effect in the sunset light ✨—I did. Isn’t life about climbing one mountain after another, solving one problem after another, to reach the summit and see a different view? And when you reach the top, you really feel a sense of accomplishment, like you’ve conquered the whole world.