Recommended Trekking Routes for Weekends near Chengdu

With more than half of Sichuan Province being mountain areas, which include some of the most beautiful valleys in China, trekking is a favorite pastime in the region. Not far from the Chengdu Basin lie the mountains that edge the Qinghai Plateau, the highest plateau in the world, and among these mountains are trekking trails that are suitable for a short, weekend trek.

Trekking - A Favorite Pastime in Sichuan

While most trekking in Sichuan covers anything from 3-4 days to as long as 11-12 days, there are those who want to head off into the wilds and spend a couple of days exploring this beautiful region. Here are some popular trekking and hiking routes in Sichuan, during which you can explore the beauty around Chengdu city in 2 or 3 days.

Mount Emei Hiking Tour

Mount Emei, or Emei Mountain, is located 185 kilometers to the southwest of Chengdu, at the rim of the Chengdu Basin, with the peak of 3,099 meters above sea level. Emeishan is the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains in China. With its breathtaking golden summit at sunrise, the impressive cloud-sea below the peak, and the rich Buddhist culture of the area, Emeishan is definitely a place not to miss when traveling in Sichuan. With three popular trekking routes in the area around the mountain, there is plenty of adventure to choose from, and plenty of amazing views to be seen along the way.

Plenty of amazing views in Mount Emei.

Getting to Emeishan is fairly easy from Chengdu. A car can be hired in the city to take you to the area, which takes around an hour, or there is the option of a train direct from Chengdu to the Emeishan Railway Station via the Chengdu-Leshan-Emeishan Intercity High Speed Railway. The station is around three kilometers from Mount Emei, and there are both city and tourist buses that can get you closer, even as far as just below the peak. The Station at Emeishan only serves the high-speed trains, and there are 22 trains to Emeishan every day, connecting with Chengdu, Shuangliu Airport, Leshan, Jiangyou, Mianyang, and Meishan. From Chengdu it takes around an hour and a half to get to Emeishan Station, and the average cost of a first-class seat is around 78CNY.

Specially designed to take you deeper into Mount Emei, a 3-day hiking tour is the perfect long-weekend break. One of the highlights of a tour here is the Baoguo Temple, the largest of the temples on Mount Emei, situated at the foot of the mountain. The temple has several beautiful, serene gardens, a huge library of Buddhist sutras, and a massive porcelain Buddha, as well as the second largest bronze bell in China, weighing in at around 25 tons.

Baoguo Temple - The Largest of the Temples on Mount Emei

The hiking part of the tour takes part over two days, and if you have only the weekend, this is a great way to spend it. From the base of the mountain, the Mount Emei hiking tour takes in the Wannian Temple, halfway up the mountain, Before moving on to the Golden Summit. There is a guesthouse where you can stay at the summit, so you can get up early to watch the sunrise light up the peak of the mountain in a golden glow, before moving to the Huazhang Temple, with its Golden Buddha Statue of Puxian, before heading back down. There are eco-cars that can take you down the mountain, or you can return to Wannian Temple and take the cable car to the foot.

Jiuzhaigou Hiking Tour

Jiuzhaigou National Park is a nature reserve in northern Sichuan, which is well-known for its multi-level waterfalls and serene, colorful lakes. Stretching across northern Sichuan, the valley offers a stunning landscape of turquoise lakes, bubbling streams, and lush forest, surrounded by tall, snow-covered mountains. Nicknamed “Jiuzhai Paradise”, even its remoteness has not stopped it from becoming a very hot hiking destination.

Hiking around colorful lakes in Jiuzhaigou National Park.

The area around the Jiuzhai Valley is a distinct four-season climate, with blooming flowers in the spring, lush meadows in summer, colorful red and yellow forests in the fall, and winter snows and icy waterfalls. A great way to see the fairyland for a short weekend is to take a 3-day tour to Jiuzhaigou from Chengdu by flight, which also takes in the Huanglong National Park.

Travel to the area can be done by flying from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou airport, where you can transfer to your hotel for a good night’s rest. The trek starts with Jiuzhaigou Valley on the first day, which covers only 6.5 kilometers, giving you ample time to take in the breathtaking scenery of the lakes and waterfalls, as well as getting the chance to experience some of the local culture of the Tibetan-Qiang minority group in the area.

Lush Meadows in Summer

On the second day, there is a short drive to get to Huanglong National Park, where you can walk along the wooden path beside the hundreds of terraced lakes. One of the highlights of this trip, is the Five-color Lake, a series of terraced ponds that range in color from the highest to the lowest. With its beautiful scenery and virgin forests, this UNESCO site is known as a “Fairy Land on Earth”.

Mount Siguniang Trekking Tour

A very popular trekking location for Asian hikers, Mount Siguniang, or the Four maidens Mountain, is located in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Prefecture, around 200 kilometers west of Chengdu. Getting there is best done by car from Chengdu, which will drop you off in Rilong town, ready to start your trek. The most popular trekking route in Mount Siguniang is the 2-night trek from Rilong to the summit of Dafeng, the lowest of the four peaks at only 5,025 meters.

Mount Siguniang - A Very Popular Trekking Location

The Siguniangshan Scenic Area comprises of four adjacent mountain peaks, which are known as the “Four Maidens”, and are: Dafeng, Erfeng, Sanfeng, and Yaomei Feng. The unspoilt natural beauty of the park, as well as the famous Ice Climbing Festival, are just some of the main attractions of the park.

5 Days Mt. Siguniang Changping Valley to Bipeng Valley Hiking Tour

The hike itself takes two days, with the first day spent on the challenging part of the trek to the Dafeng base camp at 4,400 meters, where you will stop for the night, before continuing in the morning on the 3-hour trek to the summit. The trek to the base camp goes through the Haizi Valley, which is famous for tis alpine meadows and stunning lakes. Although the height to the summit from the base camp is only 615 meters, it is a 7-8 kilometer hike to get there, but the view from the peak is worth the climb, and you will have chance to witness the sunrise on the peak.

Mengtunhe Village Camping Tour

Mengtunhe Village is located in Mengtunhe Valley, where there is an ancient battleground from a China-Tibetan war many centuries ago. The battleground is one of the best destinations for camping. The starry sky is absolutely spectacular at night, and you can see the red and yellow leaves in autumn, and the mountain azalea in spring. From Mengtunhe Village to the battleground, there is around 30 minutes trekking, and each weekend from late April to early November, it is very crowded there. Especially in autumn, when the leaves turn red and gold, and many students from colleges in Sichuan go there for painting.

Mengtunhe Village - The Best Destinations for Camping

Located in Li County, in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Mengtunhe Valley is one of best tourist scenic spots in the area, and lies at the foot of Xuejian Mountain, across from Xuelongbao Mountain. The mountains sit in the transition zone between on edge of the eastern Qinghai Plateau, above the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The area is covered with thick, dense forests, crystal-clear lakes, and snow-covered mountains. A popular climbing route for tourists and mountain climbers, it is a 2-3 day trek to reach the base camp.