[2025 Dengfeng Attraction] Travel Guide for Junji Peak (Updated Jul)

Song Mountains commonly known as "Songshan" is one of China's Five Great Mountains. It is situated in Central China's Henan Province and has a history of over thousand years. This mountains is suitable for adventure-looking individuals! Reaching the top of the mountains is quite a challenge as it will test your endurance and strength. There are a lot of transportation modes that you can choose. Ride a bus from Zhenghzou to Dengfeng and then a taxi from Dengfeng bus station to the foot of the mountain. There are also a lot of people prefer to hike overnight and see the sunrise. Worthy experience! You should try too! #historicallandmarks #henanprovince #songshan #china #summervacation

💥Hey everyone, today we're conquering Taishi Mountain, the leader of the Five Sacred Mountains! This iconic Central Plains peak favored by emperors not only boasts an impressive altitude of 1,490 meters but also carries thousands of years of Chinese civilization history. From Songyang Academy to ancient pagoda clusters, from Junji Peak to Fawang Temple, every site tells a unique story. 🏔️【Core Values of Taishi Mountain】 ✨Geographical Significance as Leader of Five Sacred Mountains: • Junji Peak stands majestically at 1,490m in Central Plains • First established sacred mountain among the Five Sacred Mountains • Outstanding representative of Songshan's geology and history ✨Rich Cultural Heritage: • Songyang Academy - birthplace of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism • Ancient trees witnessing 4,500 years of Chinese civilization • Songyue Temple Pagoda (Northern Wei) & Fawang Temple Pagoda (Early Tang) • Millennium-old Fawang Temple bestowed by Emperor Ming of Han 🌳【Must-Visit Attractions】 🔍 Songyang Academy: • Sacred site of Neo-Confucianism, prestigious Song Dynasty academy • 4,500-year-old "General Cypress" trees • Giant Tang Dynasty stele recording academy's history • Key highlight for Songshan's World Heritage application 🔍 Ancient Pagoda Complex: • Songyue Temple Pagoda (1,500 years old): ◦ Fusion of Indian and Northern Dynasties architectural styles ◦ Majestic silhouette of this millennium-old pagoda • Fawang Temple Pagoda (1,300 years old): ◦ 15-tiered dense-eave brick pagoda ◦ Surpasses Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in scale ◦ Equally renowned as White Horse Temple 🔍 Junji Peak: • Main peak of Taishi Mountain at 1,490m • Site of Empress Wu Zetian's Fengshan ritual platform • Breathtaking "Lofty as Mountain, Reaching Heaven" scenery 🚩【Hiking Route Guide】 ⏰Recommended Itinerary: 9:20 Depart from Songyang Academy → 10:00 Taishi Mountain Square (optional shuttle) → 11:20 Zhongyue Palace (start steepest section) → 13:00 Junji Peak Summit (Wu Zetian's ritual site) → 15:40 Fawang Temple → 17:30 End 💡Tips: • Shuttle available at Songyue Temple entrance • Panoramic mountain views from Junji Peak • Fawang Temple and Songyue Temple are nearby 💡【Cultural Insights】 Taishi Mountain is like a three-dimensional textbook of Chinese civilization: • Ancient trees witnessing 4,500 years of history • Academy preserving Neo-Confucian wisdom • Pagodas telling stories of architectural fusion • Junji Peak embodying the grandeur of "Lofty as Mountain" Standing atop Junji Peak, gazing at the sea of mountains, one can almost hear the ancient melody of "Song Gao" from the Book of Songs echoing through the valleys. This emperor-favored peak carries not only magnificent natural scenery but also the spiritual essence of Chinese civilization spanning millennia.

📍 Songshan Scenic Area, Dengfeng City, Zhengzhou, Henan 🗺️Route: South Gate of Mount Song → Junji Peak → Luya Waterfall → Main Gate of Luya Waterfall Scenic Area 🎫If only hiking, purchase the full-price ticket for Taishi Mountain at 50💰/person ⏰12:00−19:00 (7 hours) 👉🏻Photography takes about 2 hours. The difficulty is moderate, similar to Shenzhen's Wutong Mountain, with many steps. Both ascent and descent are mostly stair paths, so knee pads are essential❗️ 🎒Since all four of us carried heavy backpacks (no small bags), we just brought one bottle of water and knee pads each. Our snacks were leftover buns from breakfast. 👟Regular sports shoes are sufficient for this route—no need for hiking boots, just comfortable ones. 🍞Plenty of supplies along the way: mineral water starts at 3💰/bottle at the beginning and 8💰/bottle at the summit. Sausages and instant noodles🍜 are also widely available. 🚾Restrooms🚻 are frequent on the way up but scarce during descent, so use them when you see them to avoid long waits later. 🦯Hiking poles are helpful—recommended if you have them. ⚠️If starting after 12:00 PM, bring a headlamp. The dense forest canopy makes it dark quickly. 🕑12:00 Depart from the South Gate of Mount Song. 12:15 Reach "Gao Shan Yang Zhi"—5.2km to the summit. 13:00 Arrive at the hiking entrance with a ticket office and a photo spot at the "Central Sacred Mountain Mount Song" stone📷. 13:30 Finish photos + ticket purchase, enter via ID scan. 13:40 Reach Taishi Xiandu (Laojun Cave). 14:10 Arrive at the 3.5km marker (see photo). 15:10 Reach Sanhuangkou. 15:40 Summit at Junji Peak (6km). The sign there had a long photo queue, so we skipped it and descended (for us, anywhere can be a photo spot—we improvise and crowds follow😂). 🕓15:45 Start descending via Luya Waterfall. 16:20 At 7.5km, a tree grows horizontally across the path—we climbed it for a 30-minute photoshoot. 17:25 First restroom🚻 on descent (10.5km). 17:40 Reach Yixiantian (near 12km), paused for another 30-minute photoshoot. 18:20 See Luya Waterfall. A short walk leads to a suspension bridge. 18:55 Descent complete✅

Taishi Mountain offers three routes to the summit. Following the advice of the local innkeeper's daughter, I chose the Songyang Academy route for its convenient transportation and the opportunity to visit the academy along the way. Initially, I planned to take a bus and transfer to reach Songyang Academy. However, upon reaching the main road from the inn, I discovered a local minibus (¥5) that shuttles between Mount Song and Shaolin Temple, with a confirmed stop at Songyang Academy. I quickly hopped on and arrived in no time. To avoid the academy closing after descending the mountain, I decided to visit Songyang Academy (entrance fee ¥30) first. As one of the four great ancient academies, it was originally a Taoist temple before becoming a Confucian academy during the Song Dynasty. The most remarkable feature of the academy is its two ancient cypress trees, known as the General Cypresses, estimated to be 4,500 years old. These majestic trees are truly awe-inspiring. Exiting Songyang Academy and turning right leads to the mountain trail. On this Sunday, there were quite a few hikers. The initial 2 kilometers involve a gentle stone stair climb to reach the entrance of the Taishi Mountain Scenic Area (entrance fee ¥50). The trail consists entirely of stone steps, with a 3-kilometer ascent requiring over 4,000 steps. Although shaded by trees, the trail offers limited views, with occasional glimpses of mountain peaks at the turns. No wonder online reviews describe the trail as unremarkable except for the summit. After about 3 hours, I reached the highest point, Junji Peak (elevation 1,491.73 meters). I then descended the same way, completing the round trip of approximately 12 kilometers in about 6 hours.

Mount Song is divided into Mount Taishi and Mount Shaoshi. If you have a passion for the Five Sacred Mountains, checking in at Mount Song means you must go to the peak of Mount Taishi! This is already my second time climbing Mount Song, and I have organized some tips for everyone to refer to (there is no cable car, all by climbing). Navigation position: Mount Song Scenic Spot in Zhongyue Songshan (Personal travel mode: haha~~35/person, it takes only one and a half hours to get there from Zhengzhou) Cost Ticket: 50/person (half-price tickets need to be purchased on-site) Scenic area shuttle bus: one-way 15 Mountaineering equipment: water, snacks, power bank, Play duration: 4h up the mountain, 3h down the mountain Play route: Scenic area entrance - Mount Taishi Square Take the sightseeing car along the Songshan tourist road from the east side of the Songyang Academy (about 30min) (one-way 15/person) Mount Taishi Square--Zhongyue Xinggong--Junji Peak---Thread of Heaven-Lu Cliff Waterfall Scenic spot check-in points: Songyang Academy: One of the four major academies, you need to buy an additional ticket, or you can skip it. Mount Taishi Square: The location of the Mount Song big stone logo, also the mountain climbing ticket checkpoint. Junji Peak: The highest peak of Mount Taishi, with an altitude of 1492 meters. Thread of Heaven: A cliff crack less than one meter wide, about a hundred meters high, and about 170 meters long. Lu Cliff Waterfall: With a drop of 117 meters, you will pass under the waterfall when descending the mountain, feeling like a water curtain cave. Dining: There are supply stations on the mountain climbing route selling water and instant noodles Warm reminder 1. After descending the mountain, give your legs a massage to avoid leg pain. 2. Pay attention to sun protection!!! Otherwise, you will really get tanned. 3. The scenery on the mountain is not very stunning, but the scenery from the Lu Cliff Waterfall down the mountain is quite good, recommended! 4. You can return the same way when descending the mountain, or you can take the road from the Lu Cliff Waterfall, but the road down the mountain from the Lu Cliff Waterfall is longer, but definitely worth it. If you return via the Lu Cliff Waterfall, the exit and entrance are not in the same place, and you need to take a taxi back to Dengfeng, as there is no public transportation. 5. Mount Taishi and Mount Shaoshi are two different mountains, Shaolin Temple is on Mount Shaoshi, if you want to climb both, it is recommended to split it into two days, Mount Shaoshi has a cable car. When climbing, do not litter, there are quite a few trash cans nearby. There are many cats on the mountain trail, really lovely.

Songshan is divided into Taishi Mountain and Shaoshi Mountain. If you have a passion for the Five Mountains and want to check in at Songshan, you must go to Junji Peak in Taishishan! (No cableway, all by climbing) Navigation location: Songshan Scenic Area - Zhongyue Songshan (personal travel method: 35 yuan per person by car, it takes one and a half hours from Zhengzhou) Tickets: 50/person (half-price tickets need to be purchased on site) Scenic area bus: one-way 15 Mountaineering equipment: water, snacks, power bank Tour duration: 4 hours for going up the mountain, 3 hours for going down the mountain Tour route: Taishishan Square at the entrance of the scenic area Go up the hiking trail on the east side of Songyang Academy (about 30 minutes) Take a sightseeing bus along the Songshan Tourist Highway (one way 15/person) Taishishan Square, Zhongyue Palace, Junji Peak, Yixiantian, Luya Waterfall Scenic spot check-in points: Songyang Academy: One of the four major academies, you need to buy a separate ticket, but you don’t have to go. Taishishan Square: Where the big stone logo of Songshan is located, and it is also the ticket gate for climbing the mountain. Junji Peak: the highest peak of Mount Taishi, with an altitude of 1,492 meters. A Line of Sky: A cliff gap that is less than one meter wide, about 100 meters high and about 170 meters long. Luya Waterfall: The drop is 117 meters. You will pass under the waterfall when going down the mountain, and it feels like a water curtain cave. Food: There are supply stations selling water and instant noodles on the way up the mountain. Tips: 1. After coming down the mountain, give yourself a massage to avoid leg pain. 2. Pay attention to sun protection!!! Otherwise you will really get dark. 3. The scenery on the way up the mountain is not very amazing, but the scenery on the way down from Luya Waterfall is quite good. I recommend it! 4. You can go back the same way when going down the mountain, or you can take the road from Luya Waterfall. However, the road down the mountain from Luya Waterfall is relatively long, but it is definitely worth it. If you go back from Luya Waterfall, the exit and entrance are not in the same place, and you need to take a taxi back to Dengfeng. There are no buses. 5. Taishi Mountain and Shaoshi Mountain are two mountains. Shaolin Temple is in Shaoshi Mountain. If you want to climb both, it is recommended to split it into two days. There is a cable car in Shaoshi Mountain. When climbing the mountain, be sure not to litter, there are many trash cans nearby. There are many cats on the hiking trail, and I love them nearby.

What, Zhengzhou Songshan is boring!? ||📍This weekend I want to go out and turn around, and I don't know where to play with my friends, so I just say to go to climb Songshan⛰️ When I go, 'Little Songshan' is really 'Little Songshan'⛰️ Below👇🏻 is our arrangement🌟 1⃣️Time ticket 🎫 Departure: Friday afternoon 5~7 Anyang to Zhengzhou student ticket 12.5💰 yuan, Zhengzhou central station bus to Dengfeng passenger station 27💰 (directly to the window 25) Return: Dengfeng passenger station to Zhengzhou central station 25💰 (bought at the window) Sunday morning 8:30~10:30 will Anyang full ticket 25💰 2⃣️Mountain climbing⛰️⛰️⛰️ arrangement🆒 Saturday morning 9~afternoon 6 📍Up the mountain: Songyang Academy-Taishi Mountain Square-Zhongyue Xinggong-Sanhuangkou-Junji Peak⛰️4.5h 📍Down the mountain: Junji Peak⛰️-Baihe View-Meteorological Station-Yixiantian-Luyao Waterfall 4h 📍I stayed on the top of the mountain for more than half an hour. It was really exciting to climb for four and a half hours. I took pictures and enjoyed the scenery. The view from the top of the mountain was really spectacular. ps: (The wind is really huge and cold, wearing a hat and mask and shivering) 3⃣️Attention attention⚠️⚠️⚠️ 📍Be sure to buy a climbing stick at the door, usually three yuan is really useful (supporting me when my legs are countless times without strength) 📍If you want to go back to school or catch a train after climbing in the afternoon, don't go down the mountain along the Luyao Waterfall route, you will walk to collapse and your legs will tremble, just go back the same way, walking the Luyao Waterfall route is really pure climbing, basically no attractions. 📍After arriving, take a taxi directly back, you have already completed the up and down mountain journey, the road behind is a normal road, it is already very dark around six o'clock, don't mind walking to the ticket check again, because there are at least four kilometers left, it takes about an hour, basically all are by taxi, at that time your physical and emotional limits have been reached. 4⃣️Total cost 228 (and friends two people taxi accommodation aa) Fare 102💰+ taxi 22💰 (we went to Dayu City for dinner after going down the mountain) Accommodation: two nights aa after 56💰 📍Eating: Friday and Saturday night snail powder milk tea big chicken plate 112 (friends please me hehe don't let me spend money) + Saturday climbing bread mineral water 25 + Sunday morning Zhengzhou East Square opposite a small rice porridge set meal 13 📍Other: hat sunglasses climbing stick 48 ps: (Don't buy sunglasses in the supermarket near the passenger center for 27 yuan, the price is only 20) Songshan entrance five yuan one I really cry ah ah ah 🌎🌎🌎 📍The meaning of climbing mountains I understand, in addition to being able to harvest the scenery along the way. You can also constantly surpass yourself in physical fitness and endurance. Once you choose to hike up the mountain, there is no way back, no matter how difficult the road ahead is, you must grit your teeth and step forward until you see the scenery on the top of the mountain. Only when people calm down can they know what they want, and they can find a very magical power in nature. Mountain climbing can test a lot of things: human patience, tenacity, physical fitness and willpower. This is just like life, life is a process of constantly climbing upwards, calmly facing various challenges.