Xihai Grand Canyon (West Sea Canyon)
西海大峡谷
The most thrilling canyon trail on Huangshan's back mountain, with cliffside walkways over a sheer abyss. A famous little train at the bottom carries visitors back to Guangming Peak.
The West Sea Grand Canyon, also known as the 'Dreamland Scenic Area,' lies west of the North Sea section of Huangshan. It is a circular trail that descends from Paiyun Pavilion to the canyon floor and then climbs back up via Tianhai. The full route is about 4 km with a height difference of nearly 500 meters. The walkways are carved into cliff faces, with hundreds of meters of gorge below. It is the most thrilling and photogenic section of Huangshan. There are two ways to visit. You can start from the Paiyun Pavilion entrance and descend (one loop or two). After reaching the canyon floor, you can take the West Sea Grand Canyon sightseeing cable car, a little train on rails, which costs 100 yuan one way and takes about 3 minutes, straight up to Tianhai near Guangming Peak. This saves about 1.5 hours of climbing. You can also hike the entire route there and back. The cable car operates from about 08:00 to 16:30. In winter, usually from December 1 to the end of March, the entire canyon is closed due to ice and snow, so check official announcements before you go. Admission to the canyon is included in the Huangshan ticket, so you do not need to buy a separate one. A good plan for the second morning of a two-day trip: watch the sunrise at Guangming Peak, then go to Feilai Stone, Paiyun Pavilion, the West Sea Grand Canyon, take the cable car up to Tianhai, continue to Aoyu Peak, and end at Yuping Tower. Note: the walkways are narrow, and some sections only allow one person at a time, so anyone with a fear of heights should proceed with caution. In foggy conditions with poor visibility, you may not see the canyon, so wait at Paiyun Pavilion for the clouds to clear. The descent steps are steep, so people with weak knees should use trekking poles. During peak season, the cable car queue can exceed 40 minutes.
Opening hours
About 07:00–17:00 (Apr–Nov); closed in winter
Nearby sights
- Flying-over Rock
- Lion Peak & Qingliang Terrace
- Furong Valley
- Huangshan Scenic Area
- Shixin Peak
- Lotus Peak
- Tiandu Peak
- Huangshan Hot Springs