2025-12-07 Songpan
A Day of Highlights at Huanglong
Another early start to the day, heading this time to the Huanglong National Park. A perfect clear day, promising a great day!
The road to entrance took about 3/4 of an hour, taking the 8 km long tunnel under a mountain to bypass a 4000m pass that the original road that used to be the link north from Songpan for all traffic heading to Jiuzhaigou as well.
Once through the entrance we got onto a cable car that whisked us to the top of the valley, where a shuttle bus took us to the boardwalks for walking access to the park. We could have avoided paying 80 rmb (about $20) and walked up the mountain instead; at an altitude of ~3000m this was not a viable option for us, though we did see people walking in the opposite direction. A saving that I think most of these people regretted!
As it was so early, the sun had not reached the valley, and it was very cold; I overheard one young woman say that she was 'so f___ cold' with chattering teeth. The snow and ice stretched out around us and the travertine pools were a solid sheet of ice where we commenced.
The boardwalks led upwards to do a loop around the pools, and by the time we had reached the uppermost level the sun had reached down to us and the ice was starting to melt at the edges of the topmost pools, where there was constantly flowing water.
From our vantage point we could see the cascading pools, all different shades of aquamarine, depending on depth and angle of the light - amazing and so beautiful with the surrounding mountains. Some mountains were covered in snow, others bare rock, all very steep and peaky.
We meandered down the boardwalks (like Jiuzhaigou, you are directed to keep to the path, which is really the only way to preserve this beautiful area from so much foot traffic), passing more pools, cascades and lots of snow and ice.
At a few places saw some otter-like creatures (a yellow throated marten) on the land, and there were birds flitting about in the forest. Despite the signs, people were attracting them with food, and the birds at least were tame enough to eat from your hand!
After a delightful walk down, we met our driver who took us back to Songpan via the old road, taking us over the 4007m pass, where we stopped to admire the view, get some very fresh air and slide about on the ice, before descending the winding road to Songpan. The road up was in good condition, with only one bend covered in a thin layer of ice and snow from an old avalanche, which our driver negotiated by cutting the corner on the rocky surface and bumping over a gutter. The road down was in very poor condition, with snow on some bits, lots of rocks on the road from the cliffs, and areas where previous landslips had occured and been repaired, and sections where it was obvious that a future landslip was in progress, with cracks on the road.
Safely arriving in Songpan old city, we had a little rest, then went exploring. A walk around the walls, a stroll through the centre, with the bustling stalls and streets with lots of people of all ages out and about, then it was time for dinner, then another stroll before bed, this time having a longer look at the dancing on the big parade ground.
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