Mount Yuelu, Hunan, China

5Haoze Wu 5:00 PM Jul 20, 2022

Perfect choice for leisure outdoor hiking
If you are a local there or have been living there for quite a long time, you definitely would know several trods from whether Central South University, Lushanna Road, Hunan University or Hunan Normal University. And, all those trods could provide an unique experiences regardless the weather or time. We chose to hike from the trod beginning from National Supercomputing Center in Changsha, along side the Denglu Alley, to Chuanshipo Lake on the Mount Yuelu. Wlaking on the trod through the forest uphill after rainny days could be slippery and muddy, but the fresh air and the smell of the damp mud is so engaging. After reaching the top of the hill near the television tower, panoramic view of Xijiang River and the other side of the city would definitely be the bonus of the trip.

4Mitch 5:00 PM Apr 27, 2021

Pleasant Trek
This is a decent little mountain walk, and extremely convenient to get to, located just off the metro 2 line. Once at the mountain, you can take a bus or a cable car up to the top (though the cable car was not operational when we went). The bus costs about 40rmb. We opted to walk up. It’s a fairly easy walk as it’s all along a paved road. There aren’t really any sights to see or side paths to take until you get closer to the peak. At that point there are a number of divergent paths that weave through the forested mountainside. There’s no terribly difficult hiking though as there are a lot of stone paths and steps to take, but some are quite steep and get very slippery with the rain so be sure to wear appropriate footwear. Thing a to see include Aiwan pavilion (highly recommended, nice colourful vegetation and a little lake, great for photos), yunlun palace (a decent little stop over with a good view of the city if it’s not foggy), Yuelu academy (separate admission price for this, but worth it as it’s a lovely space with great architecture, gardens, and bits of history (in English) scattered throughout) and a number of other monuments and pavilions that function more as welcome distractions on a calming walk through nature. Definitely something recommended if you are stopping over for more than a day in Changsha, as you can easily spend the majority of your time here if you want to see everything g (we trekked from 11-4 and still didn’t see everything).