Hiking Qingcheng Back Mountain is one of the few hikes I’ve been able to find in China that isn’t crowded with people. Mount Qingcheng itself is popular, but the front side rather than the backside. It’s also a perfect day trip from Chengdu if you have the time.
Qingcheng mountain is known for its many Taoist temples (one on back mountain and multiple on front mountain). The front side of the mountain is more focused on checking out the temples and getting a few nice views, while the back mountain is more known for its scenic trails and cool, albeit small, temple at the top. Please note this article is specifically about Qingcheng back mountain and not the front mountain!
If you’re looking for a day trip away from the city of Chengdu, then Qingcheng Back Mountain is the perfect spot. It’s easy to get to, not too far from Chengdu proper, and the hike is perfectly doable within a day. You can even pair with hiking the famous Mount Emei, also located in Sichuan Province. It's also not far from Spicy Chongqing, another place worth checking out.
Beautiful bridges over running water at Qingchengshan
How to Get to Qingcheng Back Mountain
By Metro – Train – Bus (see specifics below the picture):
Time: Less than 2 hours: 30 minute train and a 30 minute bus + however far you are on the metro (about 40 minutes from downtown Chengdu)
Cost: around 34 RMB each way
Metro: 6 RMB (will vary slightly)
Train: 15 RMB
Bus: 13 RMB
Metro
Getting to Qingcheng might sound daunting, but it’s actually quite easy. The high-speed train from Chengdu to Qingchengshan is located at Xipu Railway Station, which is on the line 2 metro and is the last stop.
I was staying at Chunxi stop on line 2 in the downtown Chengdu area, and the metro cost 6 RMB and took me about 40 minutes to get to Xipu Railway Station. You can use the metro machines inside the metro to buy a single-use ticket (and you can press the button for English, so it’s very easy) and then hop on the subway. What’s also cool is they collect your single-use ticket at the end of your journey and re-use it.
High-Speed Train
Xipu Station is brilliantly set up so that the metro and rail tracks are built right next to each other. When you get off the metro, if you need to buy or pick up your ticket, go down the escalators and exit the station through the left hand side. Make an immediate left and you should see signs pointing you towards the Xipu Ticket Office. It’s right next to the metro station on the same side. Pick up or buy your ticket to Qingchengshan. The train will make 2 stops before reaching Qingchengshan. If you’re traveling during peak season or on the weekend, I’d suggest buying the ticket ahead of time on Trip.com or through WeChat; otherwise, it’s probably fine to just buy when you get there. Even if you have to get a standing seat, it’s only a 30 minute ride.
Once bought, exit the ticket office and make another left. You’ll see the entrance, where you have to insert your ticket when the workers tell you to. Find the seat listed on your train ticket and sit down for the 30-minute high-speed rail train ride.
Bus
When you arrive at Qingchengshan, you’ll have to go to the bus station to take the bus to the backside of the mountain (you also need a different bus to get to the front side of the mountain). Exit the train station and make a left. You should pass toilets and also see a large sign depicting which buses leave from there. Cross the street and the bus terminal is right there.
The bus I took wasn’t exactly numbered to get to the backside, but it was in the second row. Just ask for the bus to “qingchengshan houmian,” pronounced chingchungshahn hoemien.The bus costs 13 RMB each way (or you can buy round trip for slightly less, I believe) and takes about another half hour since you have to travel around to the back of the mountain.
Once you get let off the bus, walk up the street, buy your ticket to get into Qingchengshan hou mian, which costs 25 RMB, and start a –walking!
Total Cost of Hiking Qingchengshan
Transportation: 56 RMB + metro costs (so around 68 RMB total)
Entry ticket: 25 RMB
Boat: 2 RMB (cash only at the time I went)
Cable Car: (optional) 45 RMB one-way
Transportation is obviously the most expensive, but still incredibly doable. If you bring your own snacks and don’t take the cable car, than you can stick to a budget of under 100 RMB, which is less than $15 for a whole day trip of hiking.
The vast majority of famous hiking options in China are at least 100 RMB for just the entry ticket alone, so the fact that Qingcheng back mountain is only 25 RMB is incredible.
A boat you have to take to cross Caiyun Lake
When to Leave for Qingcheng
I’d recommend getting a train that leaves before 10:00 a.m. to be on the safe side. I normally don’t have an issue getting up early to go hiking, but I had gotten up early the day before and had been go, go, go, so I decided to nab a train that left at 9:33 a.m. I accidentally bought the ticket for Dujiangyan (the stop before Qingchengshan) because I thought that that’s where I needed to get off to get the bus (everything I read online said to take the bus from Dujiangyan bus station). Anyway, it ended up taking longer than expected to get there so I entered the park at around 11:00 a.m.
I’m a pretty fast hiker, and I was able to complete the whole loop (no cable car) and exit the park in 5 hours, by 4:00 p.m. However, the buses back to the Qingchengshan train station run until 6:30 p.m. so even if you were to take longer it wouldn’t be a big deal. This is a hike that doesn’t necessarily require you to leave before the sun rises to complete it. There are also high-speed rail trains back to Xipu Station until slightly past 10:00 p.m. at night.
Difficulty of Hiking Qingcheng Back Mountain
Log bridges over running water is common
Mount Qingcheng back version is not a very difficult hike. There are, of course, a lot of stairs, and the farther you go, the steeper they get. You can avoid this section by taking the cable car to get closer to Baiyun Temple at the top if you so desire.
If you don’t like going over running water (and even small waterfalls) on wood bridges (that are reinforced by cement), than you may not like parts of the trail. However, overall Qingcheng back mountain is a doable hike for anyone in halfway decent shape.
Steps getting steeper the farther you go
Hiking Qingcheng Back Mountain: Route Options
Fall foliage at the top of Mount Qingcheng
The awesome part about Qingcheng houmian is that the hiking trail is actually a loop. Many of the hiking trails I’ve been on in China have only been out and back, so the loop was refreshing.
When you buy your entry ticket to Qingcheng back mountain, it’ll have a little map on there. Unfortunately, it’s only in Mandarin so if you can’t read that than it won’t be super helpful.
There are two ways that you can start hiking. Once you walk through a part of the ancient village and go past the temple (which was largely destroyed in a 2008 earthquake and then rebuilt), and make a left, you’ll see a little plaza/square. There will be those little tour vehicles out in the front of it. If you choose to walk through that plaza, you can find the main entrance that most people take up.
The main entrance to Qingcheng back mountain
A beautiful waterfall on the hike
However, if you make a left and keep going straight up the road, around 10 minutes later you’ll find a sign pointing you to Wulong Palace. Take that right and start hiking up that way instead. This way is where they have all of the rope and log bridges going across flowing water, and it’s even less crowded and drop-dead gorgeous. The first hour or so is quite easy, and then once you pass where the cable car is it gets a lot steeper and you do a couple of switchbacks. Eventually you’ll pass some caves with Buddhist figures inside, and then reach the Baiyun Temple. From there, you can walk back the other way.
The main route from the plaza has a section, when you come to Caiyun Lake, where there’s no path. I didn’t realize this when I was coming down and freaked out, thinking that I’d have to backtrack the whole way. Don’t bother. Wait a few minutes and a boat will come over and take you to the other side. The ride itself is only a few minutes, and the boat costs 2 RMB . They only accept cash; so take some small bills with you.
The Peak: Baiyun Temple
Make sure you don’t just strut past Baiyun Temple like I almost did. You’ll see some incredible Buddhist figures placed into carved-out walls of a dimly lit cave that’s a little run-down. Take those stairs up and follow the trail to get to the temple.
If the rickety stairs scare you, there’s also a newer set built outside of the cave that you can take up.
Related Article: Exploring Huayan Temple in Chongqing, China
Buddhist figures in a cave before going up the stairs
One way to get to Baiyun Temple
The temple itself is quite small and a little run-down, which in my opinion made it seem more realistic and powerful. Baiyun Temple is named after a monk named Baiyun who supposedly came to this mountain, buried himself alive, and cultivated himself into becoming a Buddha. I have much to learn about Buddhism, so I can’t offer more information than that, but do your own digging up of information if you’re intrigued.
Additional Tips for Qingcheng Back Mountain
Do the whole loop! The hiking path is challenging but laid out well so that doing the whole loop is doable. The cable car was rarely used by anyone while I was there.
Double check the bus schedule: The bus ticket you’ll receive will have the times that the buses run on there. Make sure to review what it says so that you won’t miss the bus back.
Buy your train tickets online if you’re going during the weekend or a holiday: Tickets can sell out fast. Especially if you don’t want standing and want to reserve a seat, it would be wise to book online (I bought a standing ticket on the way back and it was fine). Trip.com and WeChat allow you to buy tickets, although Trip’s booking fee is quite hefty: WeChat’s is 10 RMB, but when that’s basically what your ticket costs it means you’ll be paying double for the train ticket.
So, if you're in Chengdu for a few days and want a day trip option that gets you away from the hustle and bustle of the city (AND other tourists), add hiking Qingcheng Back Mountain to your list of destinations!
Like hiking in China? Check out these other posts for hiking in different areas of China:
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