12.1 Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Trip

It’s not as cold on the snow mountain as you might imagine; a regular down jacket is enough, but it’s best to wear fleece-lined socks, thermal pants, and warm underwear. For the outerwear, don’t just wear basic layers underneath. Gloves of medium thickness are fine—they won’t restrict movement too much or be too cold. When the sun is out on a good weather day, it feels much warmer. 1⃣️ First, prepare in advance ⭐ Cable car + round-trip bus (140 RMB 💰 ⏰ Book in advance at 8 PM one week before via “Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Service”) We booked the Glacier Park cable car tickets for 8:00-8:30 AM (there are fewer people competing for tickets around noon and afternoon time slots). The latest you can take the cable car is 9:00 AM. ⭐ Spruce Meadow (40 RMB 💰 Also available for purchase at 9 PM one week in advance) We bought tickets for 11:00-11:30 AM; these tickets usually don’t sell out. 2⃣️ Departure by bus 101: (15 RMB 💰) We arrived at Zhongyi Market Station around 7:10 AM and reached Jade Dragon Snow Mountain around 8:00 AM. Snow mountain tickets 🎫 (student tickets 50 RMB, only for undergraduates and below; ticket sellers and inspectors will be on the bus near the stop; adult tickets 100 RMB can be bought in advance). p2 You can see the sunlit golden mountain at the visitor center. 3⃣️ Tour route: Main cable car → Snow Mountain → cable car down → bus → Spruce Meadow → cable car up → cable car down → bus → Blue Moon Valley → bus → Visitor Center (Parking Lot 3) ⭐ Snow Mountain: There really aren’t many people at this time, so no long queues. You might have to wait a little at the stone monument engraved with the altitude. We didn’t go to the highest point because we felt a bit physically exhausted at the time; it requires climbing a long staircase to reach 4680 meters, so we strategically gave up. The experience is the most important part of traveling. ⭐ Spruce Meadow: After taking the cable car down the mountain, take the bus—just one stop—to the Spruce Meadow cable car station. After getting off the cable car, there’s no need to take the electric cart; it’s not far, and walking while enjoying the scenery is quite nice. Spruce Meadow is super photogenic (p6-9). The altitude here is 3240 meters, so remember to use oxygen and replenish energy. ❗Note: After visiting Spruce Meadow, return the same way to take the cable car and then the bus to Blue Moon Valley. ⭐ Blue Moon Valley: Get off at Shuiyue Pavilion, which is the next stop after Spruce Meadow. After getting off, you can see the lake. The afternoon sun is strong, making the water sparkle beautifully, though I couldn’t capture it well in photos. 🎒 Bring: oxygen bottles, glucose water, sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves, scarf, sun hat if you’re afraid of sunburn, ibuprofen. (We had 3 oxygen bottles for two people and didn’t finish them; check the capacity. We bought ours at MT for 15 RMB/3 bottles: 1600+1400+1000 ml) (We didn’t bring glucose and didn’t eat much; we were too busy having fun and really felt physically exhausted.) 💧 Hot water points: Visitor Center, second floor of Spruce Meadow cable car station, a bit ahead in the restroom after getting off at Blue Moon Valley. 4⃣️ Return trip: Take bus 101 at the Visitor Center and buy tickets on site. For those worried about altitude sickness, make sure to rest well the night before. You can slowly breathe some oxygen before going up. If you feel dizzy or unwell, sit down and rest. Remember to replenish energy. The scenic area has grilled sausages, grilled meat, corn, and instant noodles. If you have a headache at night, you can take an ibuprofen, but this only treats symptoms, not the cause. Rest and oxygen are still the best remedies. Hope everyone has a comfortable and happy trip~