Autumn is usually a busy time for nature photographers. Soon after returning from northern Xinjiang, I headed to Guangwu Mountain 光雾山, located in Bazhong City 巴中市 of Sichuan Province, China. Lauded as “China’s No. 1 Red Leaf Mountain”, Guangwu Mountain, is a national 5-A scenic area as well as UNESCO Global Geopark. Guangwu Mountain translates to “mountain of light and fog” in Chinese, so-named because it is shrouded in mist year-round. Sitting at the heart of the Micang 米仓 Mountain range, it covers a total area of 830 sq km of which 580 sq km is the core scenic area featuring peculiar ridge and peak landform clusters, waterfalls, caves, and dense forests. It is arguably the largest crimson foliage viewing area in not just China but in the whole Asia. The color change starts from the mountain tops and gradually moves to lower elevations. The misty moist air here further enhances the vibrant crimson colors and the autumn red leaf scenery here is dubbed “the longest red carpet in Asia”. Due to its location in the mountains, Guangwu has long been hidden and little known. Nowadays, tourists, especially photographers, flock to Guangwu Mountain in late autumn, between late October to early November, to capture the misty mountains and stunning autumn leaves. Because of the many varieties (more than 40) of tree species here, the autumn leaves have many different shapes and shades of red. Unlike elsewhere, the leaves show a rare gradient change in color, from blue, green to yellow, orange, and red. I came here the last week of October, said to be the best time when the forests are ablaze with color, however I was told that because there was too much rain this year, the prime viewing time has been delayed for another week or so. Guangwu Mountain is divided into Guangwu 光霧 or Taoyuan Scenic Area 桃园景区, Micang 米倉 or Daba Scenic Area 大坝景区, and the Shibayuetan Scenic Area 十八月潭景区. The drive from Chengdu took about 7 hours. We stayed at Minyoun Guangwu Mountain Hotel 明宇豪雅飯店光霧山店 in Guangwu town, very close to the entrace to the Taiyuan scenic area.
Upon arrival, we rushed to Guangwu 光霧, also known as Taoyuan Scenic Area 桃园景区, and took the Yanzi Ridge 燕子嶺 (Swallow Ridge) cable car up to the top. There are many other sights in Taoyuan Scenic Area such as Micang Ancient Trail 米倉古道, Taiji Tiankeng 太極天坑, etc but the focus of our trip was the autumn foliage so we only did Swallow Ridge. From the upper cableway, we had to climb many steps before reaching the path going around the top of the mountain. Perhaps because we went on a Sunday afternoon, it was not too crowded.
The next couple of posts will be on the Micang 米倉 or Daba Scenic Area 大坝景区 where there is the highest concentration of autumn foliage. Stay tuned!
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