Hiking to the Peak of Yang Tai Shan Mountain 阳台山

Posted: February 20th, 2012 | Author: LumDimSum | Filed under: A Day In My Life, Health & Fitness | Tags: Bei An He 北安河, Beigongmen 北宫门, Bus 346, hike, Justin Bedard, Yangtai Mountain, 阳台山 | No Comments »

Yang Tai Shan 阳台山 is a hike I tried once last winter, but only made it halfway up through the snowfall as one hiker fell ill and my shoes were drenched wet trekking through the snow.  We didn’t summit the peak as planned, but the scenery was stunning as it had been snowing all morning and everything was covered in white snow. Click here for photos and previous post of my hike on Yang Tai Shan 阳台山.

This time around, we were lucky to score a perfect hiking day.  Not too hot and (finally) not too cold, there was little wind and hardly any one in sight.

To get there, we took the subway to Beigongmen 北宫门 by the Summer Palace on Line 4 of the subway and then hopped on Bus 346 to Bei An He 北安河 (about 12 stops from Beigongmen). Total transport time is about an hour and a half (considering we met at Liangmaqiao subway station).

From bus stop to the entrance, we found our way by just walking up towards the mountains (which took about 30-40 minutes). Passing through the town, picking up extra water and snacks for the hike, we hopped over some railroad tracks and found our way to the mountain hike’s entrance.

Getting There: Over the Railroad Tracks @ Bei An He 北安河:

Random Statues by the Railroad Tracks

LumDimSum Snapshots of Yang Tai Shan 阳台山 Hike:

The entrance of Yang Tai Shan 阳台山:

We were told the hike would take about 3-4 hours and even with a speedy hike up with barely any breaks and hopping down the mountain twice as fast as we climbed up, the total hike to the peak and back down to the entrance was probably around 3 hours (but 4 hours from bus stop back to bus stop).  The hike was not very steep, but the uphill climb of rocky stairs seemed endless and I have my sore legs to prove it! 

And the Yang Tai Shan 阳台山 Hike Begins Up a Rocky, Cobblestoned Path:

Making our way between giant boulders and up towards the sunlight:

Slowly rising above the pollution with a better view:

Feeling ‘HAPPY’ all the way (It wasn’t me who graffiti’ed on the boulder):

At last we reach the peak:

And treated to a sight for sore eyes:

The view was a nice treat at the top, to rise above the hovering, low-hanging pollution and see the beautiful scenery around us.  On one side, we could see the trail that runs from Fragrant Hills to Summer Palace and the other side was Beijing from a distance.  

Feeling a bit like jello, with legs shaking and barely able to withstand the weight of my own body, we made our way back to Beijing the same way we came, but with a colorful sunset to bid us farewell.

A great hike, I highly recommend it to anyone who likes the great outdoors and wants to get away from the crowds of Beijing.  You’ll hardly run into any other people along the way and the scenery is lovely.  But be forewarned, your legs will turn to jello by the end!

And even a sunset as we say goodbye and return home:

---