The mountain has changed over the years. Recognized as a very important, sacred mountain in Buddhism (there is a monastery near the top as well as several smaller temples and prayer areas) it used to require a 4 to 5 mile climb to the summit. While that is still an option, a cable car now runs to a station about 800 feet below the summit. The result is that a mountain that was once not frequently traveled is now one of the most visited attractions in Southern China. There were several thousand people on the mountain, and we had to wait three hours just to get in and on the trail. Hopefully this is not a view into the future of certain mountains in the US. An enormous amount of money is made by the park service or government by charging for entrance and the cable car, which the majority of people utilize.

Of course, we chose to climb, which was a great experience. The humidity in this sub-tropical region is intense, and even though it was only 70 degrees with a bit of rain, we've never sweated so much! Like many mountains and trekking areas in this part of the world, a lot of the trail is ancient steps and stairs. The route has over 8,000 stone steps and is quite challenging - I estimate it was over 4,000 feet in elevation gain given the steepness of the steps. There were more people on the trail going down than up (many take the cable car up and walk down), and overall we didn't go more than a few minutes without seeing more people. As with the rest of China, litter is an issue, which was sad to see in such beautiful surroundings. At the top of the steps is the cable car disembarkation point, and the crowds are intense. There are several other trails and summits to climb to visit various temples and prayer areas. Pre-cable car, one could have nearly the entire summit area to themselves. Now, you'll share it with thousands of others. If you get to this part of the world and brace yourself for waiting in line to access the mountain and get mentally prepared to be surrounded by a lot of other people, it's still worth a visit to this historic mountain.