Recently, Siberian Cold Air flagship store’s gale cooling products shipped during the “Double Eleven” period have arrived on a large scale. Netizens said one after another: I didn’t want to wear long johns yesterday, but I want to wear a down jacket today! This round of cold snap has hit, and the first snow has fallen in many places. Winter has officially begun, and a winter fairy tale world covered in silver is coming. Some people and animals have expressed that they are so excited that they can't control themselves.
Playing in the snow has always been a favorite among off-road self-driving enthusiasts. In fact, we don’t need to travel thousands of miles and spend countless dollars just to take a look at the “powder snow” in Shirakawa-go, Hokkaido, nor do we need to travel thousands of miles to play in the ice and enjoy the snow in the “No. 1” snow town! If you just want to pursue fun and get close to nature, not far from Beijing, there is an irreplaceable snow resort - Ulan Butong, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia!
The snow quality here is more shocking and pure than Jiuzhaigou, more like a snow country fairy tale than Harbin, and easier to reach than Xinjiang! Compared with the distant Northeast, the transportation here is much more convenient; compared with the Northwest, where the cost is generally higher, its cost-effective advantage is also more obvious. This winter, drive with the editor to Ulan Butong and enjoy the fun of making snowmen, having snowball fights, enjoying the snow scenery, and experience the speed and passion in the snow!
The editor strongly recommends: 3-day self-driving tour to "Saibei Snow Village" Ulan Butong!
Day1: Depart from Beijing → Huairou → Fengning → Mulan Paddock → Yudaokou Scenic Area → Xiaohongshan Village, 450 kilometers by car;
Day2: Wucaishan → Princess Lake → Panlong Canyon → Toad Dam, 170 kilometers by car;
Day3: Ulan Butong Scenic Area → Pass through Saihanba Scenic Area → Chengde → Return to Beijing, driving 463 kilometers.
I believe everyone is familiar with Ulan Butong. After all, it is only 450 kilometers away from Beijing. Even office workers with little annual leave can easily take a self-driving trip to Ulan Butong! Friends in the South need not feel sorry either. The editor checked and found out that the air ticket from Hangzhou to Beijing is only 400 yuan per person during New Year's Day, which is less than 20% off. It's really cheap! You can also take the high-speed train from Shanghai/Hangzhou, which takes 4.5 hours and takes just a nap on the train. It is very convenient to rent or charter a car in Beijing. The ice and snow in the North are not as far away as you think!
The most important thing is that there are very few people in Ulan Butong in winter. Walking on the vast snowfield, two or three self-driving cars seem to have taken over the entire ice and snow! Moreover, the scenery of Ulan Butong in winter is truly stunning. Just take a photo and it will become an award-winning blockbuster! There are snow-covered pastures, grasslands, and birch forests, cattle, sheep, and horses grazing in the snow, and village smoke, fences, and trestles after snow. Under the warm winter sun, it forms a beautiful picture of the scenery outside the Great Wall! Curious about how beautiful and fun this place is? Read on!
TOP1. Saihanba National Forest Park, a forest and snowfield comparable to the forest farms in Northeast China
On the way to Ulan Butong, there is another place that must be visited. Off-road veterans who like to travel through jungles must know it! That is part of the famous royal hunting garden "Mulan Paddock" in the Qing Dynasty - Saihanba National Forest Park. It has a land area of 140,000 acres and is the largest forest park in northern China. In winter, the grass and trees in the paddock are withered, and the entire grassland is covered with thick white snow, which extends into the distance, intertwining with the distant sky to form the same color!
The scenic area gathers many large and small scenic spots such as Moon Lake, Sun Lake, White Birch Forest, and Qixing Lake. Clusters of white birch forests are dotted with boundless snowfields, which are absolutely comparable to the forests and snowfields of the Northeast Forestry Farm. It is one of the most beautiful places to enjoy snow in the north. ! In winter, the lowest temperature here can reach minus 40 degrees Celsius, but its popularity remains unabated! There are no shuttle buses in the scenic area. The best way to visit is to drive by yourself and stop as you go. There is no separate ticket for the scenic area, only a joint ticket with Yudaokou Scenic Area for 130 yuan/person.
TOP2, a must-go place for photography enthusiasts - Toad Dam
Come to Ulan Butong for a self-driving tour, you will definitely regret it if you don’t visit Toad Dam! This place is like a snowy land hidden in the world, and it is also a classic photography treasure. As long as the weather changes a little, there will be countless photographers waiting here to "pick up treasures" with "long guns and short cannons". The landform of Toadba is very unique. It is a raised slope with ravines and depressions on three sides. Looking down from the slope, you can see a large birch forest, stacked terraces, and sparse old elm trees. There are also houses with smoke rising from their cooking stoves, full of primitive pastoral flavor.
I want to ask the editor what scenery is most worth seeing in Toadba? That has to be the world famous Toad Dam sunset! Such a beautiful scenery coupled with the setting sun at dusk, the shadows of the surrounding trees are reflected on the snow-white ground, as if time has stood still. Toad Dam is located in the Ulan Butong Grassland Scenic Area. It is recommended to drive or charter a car to visit. The ticket for the attraction is 30 yuan per person.
TOP3. Appreciate the "horse riding on the flying snow" + have fun with ice and snow sports - Jiangjun Paozi
Paozi is the Mongolian name for the lake. The reason for the formation of General Paozi is said to be that Kangxi personally came here to fight against the Junggars. The Junggar tribe set up a formation of ten thousand camels to fight against the Qing army's horse formation. After that, the Qing army fired ten thousand cannons. After defeating the Junggar tribe, the vibration of the cannon caused changes in the geographical structure of the area, and groundwater gushed out, forming the current Jiangjun Paozi. As soon as winter arrives, Jiangjun Paozi turns into an ice rink, the best place for off-road vehicles to play ice drifting, ice skating, and ice and snow skewers! If you are lucky enough, you can also see Jiangjun Paozi’s ice flowers (pictured below). How about it? Is it no worse than the blue ice of Lake Baikal?
To the south of Jiangjunpaozi, there is a long and narrow ditch running from north to south. This is where local people gather for grazing. You can see the spectacular scene of thousands of horses galloping and white snow flying. However, this kind of scene does not happen every day. If you want to shoot "horse riding on flying snow" in winter, you also have to rely on luck! In addition, there are many types of trees here, the terrain is flat and open, and there are some small high slopes, which is also very suitable for portrait photography. Seize the opportunity to take two beautiful winter photos, which will definitely make your trip worthwhile~
Safety guide for self-driving travel to Ulan Butong in winter!
In addition to being careful, self-driving on ice and snow also requires some driving skills. The editor will go on to say a few more words. Ulan Butong is also a well-known tourist attraction. Snow is removed on the main roads every winter, so even front-wheel drive cars can drive smoothly. Occasionally, when encountering some snowy roads, just be careful not to turn the steering wheel suddenly and keep You can pass smoothly at a constant speed. But if you want to go down the road and have fun on the snow, four-wheel drive is a must-have equipment. If you have the conditions, you can also put special snow tires on your car. If you are traveling with multiple vehicles, you can bring a tow rope just in case.
From driving experience: The main thing when driving in snow is to be slow, gentle and gentle. Drive slowly and apply the gas slowly, especially when starting. Do not start too hard, as this can easily cause slipping. Finally, the steering should be gentle and the steering wheel should not be turned too hard, because sharp turns can easily cause sideslip and cause the vehicle to lose control. As long as you pay attention to the above points, you can fully enjoy the fun of snow driving.
When playing in the snow in winter, the farther away the better. Ulan Butong has snow fun that is not inferior to any place, and it also has unforgettable snow scenery. This winter, take your family and go all the way north to the snow-covered Saibei Snow Village and start a wonderful ice and snow journey~
