Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Travel Guide

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain has many attractions, and good itinerary planning can improve the efficiency of your visit. Based on personal experience, here are some route suggestions. There are four main attractions to visit, namely the Glacier Park, Yak Meadow, Spruce Meadow, and Blue Moon Valley. Glacier Park requires taking the large cable car up the mountain, Yak Meadow is accessed by the medium cable car, Spruce Meadow by the small cable car, and Blue Moon Valley can be reached by taking the scenic area shuttle bus. Tickets for the three cable cars are sold separately, and the purchase already includes the cost of the shuttle bus taken previously. You can choose three out of the four main attractions so that the overall visit is not too exhausting, with the regret that you have to give up one attraction. Usually, most people will give up either Yak Meadow or Spruce Meadow, as these two spots have similar styles, both being large grasslands at the foot of the plateau, framed with the snow mountain, and are beautiful for taking pictures; visiting one is sufficient. Yak Meadow is more expansive with a broader view, and sometimes yaks can be seen, but its cable car is open on all sides (not suitable to take in bad weather). The cable car to Spruce Meadow is enclosed, but the area is relatively smaller, and the altitude is relatively lower, so altitude sickness is slightly less intense. The specific route is as follows, with a map attached for reference, corresponding to route A-2: 【Early Morning Departure】 Take the 101 bus express line from Lijiang to the Visitor Center, which takes about 40 minutes. If you want to watch the sunrise on the golden mountain, taking the bus may be too late, and it is advisable to book a car in advance. 【Morning】 Rent cold-weather clothing at the Visitor Center → Go to the Glacier Park ticket checkpoint → Take the scenic area shuttle bus → Arrive at the cable car station → Take the cable car to the 4506 viewing platform → Walk along the plank road to the 4680 viewing platform → Return to the 4506 viewing platform to take the cable car → Reach the shuttle bus transfer point. Glacier Park is the core attraction of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and takes a long time to visit, requiring half a day, which is more ample if arranged in the morning. Due to the high altitude, do not climb too fast to prevent strong altitude sickness. 【Noon】 After reaching the shuttle bus transfer point, there are two directions to choose from: one is to return to the Visitor Center; the other is to go to Spruce Meadow and Blue Moon Valley. If you want to go to Yak Meadow, you need to return to the Visitor Center first. There are more dining options at the Visitor Center than at other attractions, so it is more suitable to dine here. 【Afternoon】 After dining at the Visitor Center → Go to the Spruce Meadow ticket checkpoint → Take the scenic area shuttle bus → Arrive at the cable car station → Take the cable car to Spruce Meadow, then walk for ten minutes to reach the large grassland under the snow mountain → Play for 1-2 hours then take the cable car down the mountain → Take the shuttle bus to Blue Moon Valley (Shuiyue Pavilion stop) → Play for 2 hours then take the shuttle bus from Shuiyue Pavilion stop back. If you choose to go to Yak Meadow, after the visit, you need to return to the Visitor Center and then take the shuttle bus to Blue Moon Valley, which takes longer overall. Following this route, the visit ends around 3-4 pm, and after returning to Lijiang, pay attention to your physical condition to prevent 'delayed altitude sickness'.