Slightly less touristy than Shuangqiao Valley, Changping Valley was our second hike in Siguniang Mountain. The park entrance was also conveniently located a few steps away from our hostel. We still dragged ourselves to purchase our tickets at 7:00am to make sure we’d have enough time to finish the trail since there would be no shuttle bus through this valley.
While there wasn’t the Disney-esque shuttle bus through the park, there was still a short bus ride from the ticket hall to a beautiful Buddhist temple and the start of the hike.
The first 7 kilometers of the hike was on a boardwalk rather than a trail. Unlike Shuangqiao Valley, this felt more like hiking. I felt like I was truly in a natural park, not an amusement park. Yes, it’s still a boardwalk, but with distinctly fewer selfie sticks and more foliage. We did spot a pair of women in stilettos, but that’s a rant for another day.
After the first seven kilometers, the boardwalk ends and there is an honest to god trail, NOT A BOARDWALK. The trail is somewhat muddy in spots, but nothing too cray. At this point in the valley, most day hikers switch to “horse back riding” to the end of the trail. The horses are more like ponies and there is even a real life human being, ON FOOT, leading the horse along. Unless you really want to take a pony ride or are afraid of getting your heels muddy, the horse back riding is a bit pointless in addition to looking absolutely ridiculous.
No time for pony rides.
After about 20 kilometers of hiking, we stopped for lunch in one of about three places offering yak meat on sticks and in soup and very few options for the vegetarian in our group. We were smarter this day and actually brought a few rolls of Oreos, crackers, clementines, and granola bars in our bags.
Lunch Menu – Yak or Lamb
To get back to the bus, we had to walk along the same path and it was actually wonderful to see everything again in a (literal) different light. At the entrance of the trail, the temple was beautiful in a new way.
Walking through Changping Valley I felt like less of a tourist snapping selfies on my iPhone and more like someone actually taking a hike in the woods. Both were beautiful, but Changping’s mountains and paths felt a bit more majestic and less like walking in front of a backdrop. Both were beautiful, but completely different experiences.
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