After many years, I finally visited the Baoshan Stone Village in Lijiang. The village has many guesthouses and there are very few visitors. There are 2 roads that lead to Baoshan.

The Short route (4 hours) goes directly through the Jade Dragon Snow mountain scenic area. However, when you reach the gate, all tourists (Chinese + Foreigner) will be charged 185 Yuan for driving through the scenic area. They will know you are a tourist because they will ask each person in the car a question in Naxi language. If you can't reply you must pay. When you purchase the ticket, let them know you are going to Baoshan and you can use the same ticket for your return trip. Total drive time is 4 hours with only a short bathroom break. All passengers are charged 50 Yuan for the drive. (Total price - 50 + 185 = 235 + 4 hours).

The Long route (7 hours) goes around the Jade Dragon Snow mountain. Although it is only 26 km longer, it begins on the road to Ning Lang (Lugu Hu) which is still in terrible condition. The extra 26 km will take 2 hours because of the construction and traffic. Total drive time is 7 hours which includes bathroom breaks and stopping to eat. Chinese and foreign tourists will be charged 150 Yuan while locals only pay 50 Yuan. The reason tourists are charged more is because the driver must drive longer to avoid the Jade Dragon Snow mountain fee. (Total price - 150 Yuan + 7 hours).

I drove both ways on my visit to Baoshan and it is much more convenient to drive through the scenic area. There is an important piece of information. If you drive through the scenic area before the gates open, or after the gates close, then you can drive in for free. The Gates open at 6 am and close at 6 pm.

Anyone wishing to visit Baoshan should contact the drivers beforehand as there are only about 4-6 drivers who drive this route. They only speak chinese so make sure you have a translator call.

136-887-60248
135-088-89848
137-690-03663

www.hugoyunnantravel.com/des_lijiangb.asp?page=4

Thanks for the info, HFCAMPO. I almost passed through this route coming from the back way, coming down from Haba Snow Mountain, crossing the Jinsha Jiang at Daju (大巨), and then taking the road to Lijiang, but at the last minute I decided to cycle through Tiger Leaping Gorge and back to Lijiang that way. At the time, I thought I'd made a poor decision since I had to pay the 65 yuan to cycle through Tiger even though I wasn't really traveling there, just passing through. I didn't realize that I would have been charged 150 yuan taking the other route, even if entering at the back entrance.

This makes me want to cycle the route, planning to enter after 6pm when the ticket office is closed.

How's the quality of the road on the shorter of the two routes? Is it all paved?

Did you see any signs of the status of construction of the new road to Lugu, which goes past Baoshan Stone city, and crosses the Jinsha Jiang over the new bridge at Fengke (奉科)?

Do you have any pictures of Baoshan that you've posted online anywhere?

The pictures of Baoshan are posted on the link above. The Nasty road to Lugu Lake has been under construction for the last 8 years. I know because I have used it several times since 2004.

The road from Ning La to LuguLake (75 km) is just about finished although there was an interuption in work due to the recent earthquake a few months back.

Both roads (Long and Short Route) are relatively new and in good condition. Only the 26 km road from Lijiang to Lugu lake is a mess.

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