Five peaks
Granite spires.
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A towering mountain near the town of Huayin, about 120 km east of Xi'an, the «Western Mountain» among China's Five Great Mountains, nicknamed the «steepest mountain under heaven» for its sharp granite peaks piercing the clouds. It has five main peaks, the highest being the South Peak at about 2,155 m, linked by paths cut into the rock along the edge of the abyss and steep stairways clinging to the cliffs, with dizzying views over the valleys and surrounding peaks. Its most famous and daring experience is the plank walk on a near-vertical cliff, where visitors move clipped into safety harnesses, while those preferring the easy way take a cable car to the North or West Peak and walk between the summits. Entry costs CNY 160 from March to November and CNY 100 in winter, the North Peak cable car about CNY 80 one way and the West Peak cable car about CNY 140, and the plank walk about CNY 30 with a safety harness, per visitor guides. Fast trains from Xi'an take about an hour, and it is a full-day trip. The plank walk is not for anyone afraid of heights, and it's cold on the peaks.
Granite spires.
On the cliff.
To the summits.
Near Huayin, about 120 km east of Xi'an
By fast train to Huayin in about an hour, then a bus to the mountain entrance; it's a full-day trip.