Beijiushui River Laoshan, Shandong, China

4Robert R 5:00 PM Apr 27, 2015

Beautiful deep valley with waterfalls, scenic views, and rushing rivers
Laoshan can be a touch confusing. It is the eastern suburb of Qingdao, it is a mountain area encompassing 446 square kilometers (172 square miles), and a beer brewed by the Tsing Tao brewery. I see a few reviews that indicate persons who have visited the various attractions in the Laoshan mountain range are a bit confused about which attraction they actually visited. The Laoshan Scenic Area (the one bordering the coast) can be reached by City Bus routes 104 and 304 with connections at the Tourist service area which is clearly marked in English and Mandarin. Beijiushui River is reached by City Bus routes 110 and 311, all of the buses for both areas have many stations along the downtown part of Hong Kong road. For Beijiushui, the buses last stop is the point where you can buy tickets and board bus 369 for the trip on up to the park. It is about 20 miles northeast of Qingdao. Your bus to either attraction will be going east (toward the sunrise) on HK Road when you board. Both areas require a significant amount of stair climbing to reach the scenic areas. Athletic or hiking shoes are strongly advised. There will be private individuals who may approach you offering rides to the park, possibly offering the ablity to get you into these park free. Caution is advised, these persons often will sneak you into the park over a hazardous foot trail that may require stepping over concertina wire (the wire used in prison facilities.) There is a village with restaurants and gift shops at the point Bus 369 drops off at the attraction. There are also vendors lining the route to the park selling snack items and beverages. The restaurants sell beer but, in the village, I saw none of the sidewalk vendors selling beer. After one enters the attraction, there are trail-side vendors who also have snack items and beer. The Beijuishui River forms a deep canyon with huge boulders in the riverbed. I was advised that October affords the best water levels for the river. Winter and spring are the dry season in Qingdao and the river had a very small volume when I was there in late April of 2005. Never the less, there are still many great views. I saw numerous persons drinking river water and filling containers with the river water to take home. The park pathway is made from stone with irregular step heights, unless you are in very good physical condition, the walk around the loop to see the waterfalls and the pagoda at the top will be challanging and leave you sore the following day. This is not a sprint event, take your time and rest when appropriate. Qingdao is a city of 8.71 million (the size of Chicago) and a populalr China tourist attraction. Weekends and hoildays during the warm months are going to attract big crowds, weekdays will be less crowded. Count on investing most of your day at Beijiushui, between the amount of time spent getting there and the time required to walk the entire loop route, you won't have much time to do anything else. The last buses back to Qingdao are at 4:40 pm. I would not depend on finding a taxi at the small town the Tourist Service facility is located.

4Barb3013G 5:00 PM Jun 24, 2013

Multiple Waterfalls with a Great Hike
The Beijiushui River is also labeled "Laoshan Beijiushui (West Gate) on some maps. This is one of the northern park entrances to the beautiful Loashan Mountain park. A ride from downtown Qingdao will take about 40 minutes. Tickets are bought at the entrance, then buses will take you about 1-2 km into the park to the beginning of the trails. The trails are extremely well built with either wood or chiseled rock. Many sellers will greet you around the entrance, but past them you will find a great view of the river valley full of large sun-washed boulders and rushing water. There remains some garbage on the trail as locals still need to learn to manage their own trash. The hike will take 3-4 hours to enjoy the various water pools at various levels. the Lion Waterfall is a must see. The hike up can be quite tiring due to the many steps, but well worth the hike.