I'm planning to go to Dali soon to hike in the Cang mountain range. I've read some reports online about different hikes, but was wondering if anybody good give me some firsthand knowledge. I'm interested in doing the huadianba hike and hiking along the ridge. Is the path to huadianba pretty easy to find? Is it possible to go from huadianba up to the ridge and head towards the TV station, and if so how long would it take? I'm thinking about camping at huadianba and then at the black and yellow dragon ponds before heading down to Dali. Does anyone know if the gondola up to the horse washing pond is running now?

I have a home in XiaGuan so I visit Dali Old Town quite often. I was there just a few months ago and the cable car and hotel is still NOT completed. If you have not visited the Dragon Eye cave, I suggest you go and take a look, the view from the top is wonderful.

www.hugoyunnantravel.com/des_dali.asp?page=3

Good luck

If you camp on Cang Shan keep a low profile .

We may be able to get you half way up with the jeep, contact me..
158 2525 6431
info@paraglideyunnan.com

www.ParaglideYunnan.com/

The cable car up to horse washing pond has been running for at least seven months now. It starts at the movie town and on the mountain a set of boardwalks has been built. When I went up there construction was not quite finished, but I do not think they are building a hotel there.

There are now 2 cable cars and a ski-lift . Facing the mountain from the old town. The one on the far left has been open for years. Take the car to the top, and you then walk steeply up the mountain to a horizontal traversing path. This is paved and very level it runs for several kilometers and then you can take a chairlift down (this would be the cable on the extreme right). There is also the new cable car that is between these two, running up from the studio city.

If you take the car on the extreme left, there are sign posts for the Chinese Grand Canyon. This is a steep ravine with a path that leads much higher up the mountain, and I believe that from there you can strike up to the summit (4000m approx).

So I heard last year that there was a cable car or lift of some sort being built almost all the way to the top of the range. Can anyone confirm or deny? Has it been completed?

I'm also curious if anybody knows anything about temperature and snow conditions this time of year on the highest peak. Any equipment recommendations for knocking down the high peak in a one-day hike from the old town?

Thanks.

I live in Dali and have hiked Cang Shan several times, and just went to Huadianba for the first time last week. Look up the article on this website by the foreigner who runs Hikedali (search for 'huadianba') He doesn't mention being able to climb up out of Huadianba towards the south - which is the direction that you're asking about (the direction of the Cang Shan peaks and the Black & Yellow Dragon Pools and TV tower). I also didn't see any trails heading that direction when I went - and Google Earth - of some usefulness in this situation - didn't show any that I can make out either. (You are checking this out on Google Earth, I hope)

For the path to Huadianba, follow the article's instructions; head towards the top of the water pipe. Again, Google Earth should give you a good clue how to proceed. You'll have to check in at a fire prevention shed, and then wind your way through tombs and then up a dirt road. Ask locals, also.

If you want to head up to Black and Yellow Dragon pools, then that's a separate hike from a different starting point. Getting a service (hikedali, or the one mentioned earlier on this page) to take you up isn't a bad idea, especially if your time is limited.

The gondola up near the Horse Washing Pond is up and running, but they usually won't let people who came up via the Gondola out to explore the mountain. You have to stay inside the Gondola station. Alas, you have to hike up in order to be able to summit.

In 2011, a young man who wasn't prepared for injury and the cold died on Cang Shan. Best of Luck! Stay Safe, and be prepared for emergencies. I'm sure you'll have fun.

The Horse-washing Pond lies between the Yuju and Ma Long Feng peaks in the Mt. Cangshan. It is 4,000 meters above sea level and legend says Khublai Khan washed his horses here after he crossed the Cangshan Mountains. The cable car begins at the Tian Long Ba Bu Movie Studio at an elevation of 2300 meters. The halfway point is the 7 Dragon Maiden Pool at an elevation of 2900 meters and finally ends near the Horse Washing Pond at an elevation of 3900 meters. A wooded path has been made including 2 viewing platforms. TICKETS: 240 Yuan.

I just returned from Dali yesterday and the cable car is up and running

Reviving an extremely old thread. I'm also thinking of doing a hike in huadianba. Am I correct in saying the start of the trail is this dirt track west of Fengyang as shown on google satellite images?

goo.gl/maps/gZUeJS1q7an

I guess there are also trails further north heading up over the bigger mountain, but those seem like they would involve 1500m of elevation gain, a bit more than I'd like for this hike.

Can someone confirm?

That's a road, you can drive up with 4x4 .

Yes it's a 900m vertical ascent. I do it by jeep...or ....