Two-day tour to Luotian (ancient ice mortar, Bodao Peak, Tiantang Village)

Luotian is located in Huanggang City, Hubei Province, at the southern foot of the Dabie Mountains, about a 3-hour drive from Wuhan.

Luotian County is rich in tourism resources. The main attractions include: mountain and forest ecological tourism resources represented by Tiantangzhai and Bodaofeng; ecological pastoral and rural folk custom resources represented by Jiuzi River and Tiantang Valley; Sanlifan Hot Spring Hot spring tourism resources represented by Tiantang Lake and Bailian Lake; ecological lake tourism resources represented by Tiantang Lake and Bailian Lake.

Here you can enjoy flowers in spring, escape the heat in summer, enjoy leaves in autumn, and go skiing in winter. It is a recommended place for friends from Wuhan for short-distance leisure.

Luotian is rich in chestnuts, and September is the season when chestnuts are ripe. It is a good weekend trip to go hiking and beating chestnuts here.

Recently, I saw on the Internet that there is another niche attraction in Luotian - the Luotian Ancient Glacier Group, so I stopped by to take a look this time.

Navigation search: Luotian Ancient Glacier showed that when we were approaching our destination, the car was driving on the mountain road halfway up the mountain, but we couldn't find the glacier. It was easy to miss it. Later, I asked nearby villagers and found out how to get there.

First of all, you see this abandoned pavilion on the roadside. From here, take the path on the right. You can see many chestnut trees along the road, and mature chestnuts are falling all over the ground.

At the end of the road, I saw a house

There is a dirt road on the left. Going down from here, the mountain road is full of gravel and very slippery, so be careful. A sign was also erected here. This is an undeveloped scenic spot and poses safety risks. So be sure to pay attention to safety when playing.

Following the path all the way to the bottom of the valley, my eyes lit up and I saw the glacial mortar rock group.

Luotian Glacier is located at the junction of Hepu Town and Jiuzihe Town in Luotian County, Huanggang City, Hubei Province, with a total length of about two kilometers. Glacial glaciers are a natural landscape that was formed during the Quaternary glaciation period about three million years ago. Glacier meltwater carries ice debris and rock debris materials, and covers them from top to bottom along glacier fissures in the form of water dripping through rocks. The stone pit formed by the intense impact and grinding of bedrock is named "ice mortar" because its shape resembles the stone mortar used to pound rice in ancient times.

The stones here are lined up in rows and in various shapes, sizes, and shades. Some are like stone pots and stoves, and some are like various animals: elephant trunks, crocodiles in the water, etc. You can give full play to your imagination.

When you come here, you will marvel at the power and magic of nature.

The mountains here are green and gurgling streams flow out of the valleys.

You can clearly see the layered rocks under the stream

If you have time, you can take a long and slow tour along the river valley.

It was noon when we arrived and it was very sunny, so we only stayed for more than half an hour before leaving.

This attraction is quite good, I recommend it. Video appreciation

Bodaofeng is the core of the Dabie Mountains National Forest Park and is unique for its dangerous peaks, strange rocks and strange pines.

Bo Daofeng was originally called Hegao Peak. Because its peak towers into the clouds, the highest point is 1,408.2 meters above sea level. In the old days, white cranes often lived here. The ancients named it based on the meaning of "The crane's cry is heard in the sky" in the Book of Songs. Later, because Wolonggang under the main peak was shaped like a dragon and its spine was like a thin knife. In addition, in January 18th of the Republic of China, Feng Yuxiang's sharp knife regiment stationed here at night and worked with the local people to annihilate more than 40,000 people from the remnants of warlord Wu Peifu and Li Laomo. Renamed Bo Daofeng.

The scenic tour map is as follows: the highlight attractions are Wollongong and Tin Guoding. Yuanmeng Valley is another line walking down the mountain from the entrance of the scenic spot. There are some man-made scenic spots, but we did not visit them during this trip.

Follow the winding mountain road from the foot of the mountain to the entrance of the scenic spot on the mountain. Bodaofeng Resort Hotel is right opposite the entrance of the scenic spot.

Tickets for Bodaofeng are 40 yuan, and tickets for scenic spots are 28 yuan. Take the scenic bus from the entrance of the scenic spot to Dahuping on the top of the mountain in about 20 minutes.

From here, keep walking along the mountain road and tourist plank road, you will visit all the highlights, and finally walk down the mountain back to the entrance of the scenic spot.

Walking into the deep mountains and dense forests, you can't feel the hot sunshine and breathe the fresh air, which is very pleasant.

The trails in the scenic area are well maintained and integrated with nature.

After climbing the mountain for a while, we arrived at Wollongong at the top of the mountain.

Wollongong Scenic Line is located in the mountains extending from the main peak in the middle of the scenic area. The entire ridge is shaped like a blade or a dragon. This line features dozens of unique scenic spots along the way, such as Wolong Pine, Tianchi, Eagle Foraging, Beauty Pass, Heroes Pass, Tianzi Pass, Peacock Pine, and Huagai Pine. You can fully experience the wonders of the pines and rocks at Bodaofeng. Strange and dangerous peaks.

From here, we walked on the ridge, with a winding path running from north to south.

Walking on the path along the ridge, you can often see huge rocks like this blocking the road, and the road is very narrow. In some places, it is so narrow that only one person can pass sideways, with cliffs on both sides.

You can also see various beautiful pine trees, which are somewhat similar to the scenery of Huangshan Mountain.

Going further, I saw an oval stone about 5 meters high and 4 meters in diameter, standing upright on the ridge. There is a stone basin on top of the stone, which is the Tian basin.

View the scenery below the mountain from here

Walking on the ridge, you can see the mountains and small mountains and feel like you are walking on the clouds.

You will also pass through several levels: Beauty Level, Hero Level, Emperor Level, etc. These levels are very narrow and may be difficult for fat people.

The emperor bent down, and a stone slab was leaning against the boulder. He had to bend down to pass.

After passing through this rest area, you will come to the scenic spot on Tin Guoding.

The scenic route of Xiguoding is full of rugged rocks and beautiful pines. The main attractions include Elephant Stone, Civet Stone, Cloud Viewing Platform, Immortal Mirror, Nantianmen, Beauty Pine, Yuanbaoshi, Xiguoding, etc. Here you can overlook the sea of ​​clouds, explore the mountains, and enjoy the feeling of being above the clouds.

Immortal Cave, this is the only way to go, you can only go down.

The top of the tin pot is composed of a huge white round granite. From a distance, it looks like a big pot upside down on the top of a mountain.

From here you can see the entrance to the scenic spot at the foot of the mountain.

Leave Tin Pot Top and follow the road down the mountain. The sun shines on the pine trees, wild flowers, and strange rocks in the mountain forest, and the light and shadow are mottled, which is very beautiful.

Walking downhill all the way, my calves started to tremble. If you are not in good physical condition, you really can't climb this mountain, so you can only take the cable car.

However, the cable car is currently not open. You need to consult the scenic spot in advance when it will open.

Generally speaking, the scenery of Bodaofeng Scenic Area is very beautiful, especially walking on the ridge of Wollongong. It feels like you are on top of the clouds and the mountains are at your feet. You are the only one who dominates. There are also the strange rocks along the road, each step provides you with surprising discoveries while climbing the mountain.

Ticket prices for scenic spots are not high and are great value for money. Highly recommended!

After descending from Bodaofeng, we drove to Luotian Tiantang Village. Prepare to visit Tiantangzhai the next day. At dusk, the mountains behind the town are dyed red.

Tiantangzhai Scenic Area is located at the junction of Jinzhai County, Lu'an City, Anhui Province and Luotian County, Hubei Province. It is located on both sides of Anhui and Hubei, forming two scenic spots. But the two provinces have reached an agreement. You only need to buy one ticket to visit these two scenic spots. Of course, you need people with excellent physical strength to do it.

Anhui's Tiantangzhai mainly features waterscapes, mountain peaks, waterfalls and other landscapes with complete supporting facilities. It is a 5A scenic spot. Tickets to the scenic area are 100 yuan/person, and transportation in the scenic area is 28 yuan/person. Famous scenic spots and special tours include Baima Grand Canyon, Longjian Peak, Baima Peak, waterfalls, etc.

Tiantangzhai in Luotian is a 4A scenic spot. The main features of the scenic spot are: climbing the main peak, viewing the sea of ​​clouds, walking on the glass bridge, and the 100-meter ladder. Tickets to the scenic area are 80 yuan/person, and public transportation in the scenic area is 28 yuan/person. The sightseeing elevator is 60 yuan/person for going up and 60 yuan/person for going down, and the glass plank road is 10 yuan/person. Tickets + bus are 108 yuan/person, and there are discounts for purchasing tickets online. The elevator round-trip discount price is 100 yuan per person, and the glass plank road can be included.

Now that the Tiantangzhai cable car is out of service, it will be very tiring to climb up and down the mountain. Although there is a Xiaohuashan elevator, it only solves the problem of a small section of the mountain road. The facilities of Luotian Tiantangzhai need to be improved to attract more tourists.

The scenic tour map is as follows

Tiantangzhai is very large and has two tourist routes: the Philosopher's Peak tour route and the Tiantang Grand Canyon. You can only choose one tour per day.

In the past, the Philosopher's Peak cableway was open. You could take the cableway up the mountain and then walk down the mountain to visit the Philosopher's Peak line.

But now that the cableway is out of service, there are only two terminals for scenic buses to enter the mountain. One is the "Sightseeing Elevator Station" leading to the sky ladder and glass plank road, and the other is the "Bamboo Forest Station" which is the entrance to the hiking mountain.

If you have good physical strength, you can choose to hike up the mountain from Zhulin Station. We just finished climbing Bodao Peak yesterday, but if we are not strong anymore, we choose to take a bus to the sightseeing elevator station.

There is a short climb up the mountain from the bus stop to the elevator. Considering our physical strength today, we bought a round-trip elevator ticket worth 100 yuan, and we could walk on the glass plank road for free. (It’s really expensive)

After getting out of the elevator, we started climbing the mountain.

Because the cableway in the scenic area is closed, starting from "Xiaohua Mountain", it takes an hour to climb to Queqiao, and then another hour to climb from Queqiao to reach Philosopher's Peak, and then return the same way, which takes a long time. Therefore, you need to decide which attractions to visit based on your travel time in advance.

The plank roads here are built along the outside of the cliff. Walking along the plank road, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Dabie Mountain from a distance.

The peaks of Tiantangzhai are mainly granite and granite gneiss, which have weathered into a landform surrounded by mountains and lined with peaks, forming the unique mountain scenery of Tiantangzhai Forest Park.

Xiaohua Mountain is 1102m above sea level. You can see a hiking trail that is only a few feet wide. There are steep overhanging rocks on both sides. It is very dangerous on the peak ridge. Now a wider trail has been built along the mountainside, making it more convenient for tourists.

Looking at Xiaohua Mountain from here, you can see the elevator and glass plank road.

You can go up and experience the glass plank road in Xiaohua Mountain.

It’s still tiring to climb up the mountain road, so take a look at the scenery along the way.

It feels great to be at the top of the mountain and see all the small mountains.

Climbing up here, you can see Paradise Lake in the distance.

After climbing for more than an hour, we finally reached Magpie Bridge.

Many prayer boards for marriage and children are hung on the pine trees here.

At this point, I was too tired to climb anymore, and I no longer had the energy to climb Philosopher's Peak. I hope that the cableway in the scenic area can be operated again in the future, otherwise it will scare away many tourists and miss the beautiful scenery of Philosopher's Peak.

We headed back down the mountain from Magpie Bridge and walked around the glass plank road to experience it.

I went up the mountain from the entrance of the scenic spot at 8:30 in the morning and walked down the mountain at about 12 noon. By this time, my physical strength had reached its limit and my legs were trembling. It was really unbearable to climb the mountain for two consecutive days. Fortunately, we bought an elevator for the return trip, which reduced our physical strength a little.

At the entrance of Tiantangzhai Scenic Area, I also saw a 318 check-in card.

The scenery in Tiantangzhai is still good, but the supporting facilities are not perfect, and it is very tiring to play and requires some physical strength. Moreover, tickets and transportation fees are relatively expensive.

At noon, we ate the famous local hanging pot in Tiantangzhai. I chose chestnut stewed chicken with radish, dried tofu, tomatoes and other vegetables underneath. It tasted good.

On the way back, I saw the mature rice fields on the roadside beginning to turn yellow, indicating that the harvest was about to begin.

There are many Chinese tallow trees along the way, and you can go here to watch the red leaves in autumn.

In just two days, we visited the ancient Luotian ice mortar, walked on the ridge of Bodao Peak, felt the beauty of Tiantangzhai, tasted local delicacies, and purchased fresh local chestnuts. This trip was full of rewards, although it was very tiring. , but this is what traveling is about.