Choose the mountain day that fits your time

Cangshan has separate cable-car entrances, each serving a different outing. Gantong reaches Qingbixi 清碧溪, a stream and gorge area with forest walking nearby. Ximatan 洗马潭 has a lower and an upper section: the half-line trip ends at Qilongnvchi 七龙女池, while the full trip continues to the alpine lake. Zhonghe 中和 is a separate temple and forest outing west of Dali Old Town.

For a half-day, choose Gantong and return by the same line. You can decide how far to walk once you reach the upper station. For a mountain-focused day, choose full Ximatan and allow time for the stepped boardwalk above the upper station. For a longer forest walk, choose the southern route from Ximatan's middle station to Gantong. This last option needs tickets and road transport for two different entrances.

Gantong: pools, forest and a short return walk

A small waterfall enters the turquoise Qingbixi pool in Cangshan, between mossy rock walls, photographed in July 2008
Photo by JLDragon

Set your taxi destination to 苍山感通索道停车场 or 感通索道下站. This is the Gantong parking area and lower station, beside the lower-side temple approaches. Its station heights are 2,261 m below and 2,552 m above. Choose a return ticket if you will come back here.

At the upper station, first visit Qingbixi and the gorge viewpoints. The giant chessboard, 珍珑棋局, is another stop near the visitor area. This gives the outing a clear purpose even if you want only a modest walk: water, rock, forest and the chessboard, followed by the same cable-car descent.

For more walking, follow the signed stepped connection to 玉带云游路, the Jade Belt or Jade Cloud Road. Choose a short section admitted that day, then retrace it to Qingbixi and the Gantong upper station. The paved contour path has gentler stretches, but stream crossings and station connections still include steps. "Level trail" describes part of the walk, not the whole journey from the cabin.

Before setting off, get the final downward boarding cutoff at the station and set a turnaround time. Keep the return walk in your plan, rather than using the entire available time in one direction. Your road pickup is back at the same Gantong parking area.

Ximatan: full line for the alpine lake

Ximatan Lake with its Chinese stone marker and flowering shrubs along the shore
Photo by ZhaoScorpio

Use 苍山洗马潭索道下站, 天龙八部影视城西侧 or 影视城白鹤溪站 to identify the Ximatan lower entrance west of the Tianlong Babu film city. The lower station is at 2,234.5 m; Qilongnvchi middle station is around 2,800 m; the upper station is at 3,885 m.

Buy the full lower-to-upper return option when the lake is your aim. A half-line ticket reaches Qilongnvchi, not Ximatan Lake. At the gate, ask whether the upper section is operating before collecting the ticket. Wind and lightning can restrict the line to the lower section, changing the destination of the day.

From the upper station, follow the stepped boardwalk towards the lake area at about 3,920 m. The cabin saves the long climb, but there is still walking above the station. Choose this for high mountain scenery, exposed slopes and the lake; cloud can hide both the lake setting and views towards Erhai. Take a warmer layer than you use in Dali Old Town, and plan a morning start with a measured pace. The altitude and arrival guide explains how to fit a high excursion into your wider trip.

Return along the boardwalk to the upper station, descend via the middle station to the original lower entrance, then meet your driver there. Treat this as the main outing of the day. A long summit visit leaves a different timetable from a temple lunch near Gantong.

A longer southern walk, ending at Gantong

The practical direction is Ximatan lower station → Qilongnvchi middle station → southern Jade Belt path → Qingbixi → Gantong descent. Starting at the middle station lets you descend the connector first. The reverse direction ends with a substantial climb towards Qilongnvchi.

The connection between Qilongnvchi and the contour path includes 1,175 steps. These are the middle-station connector, not the boardwalk at the alpine lake. A two-section incline lift opened in May 2026; select it if it operates that day and ask its price at the station. A visitor paid CNY 30 per person for an ascent on 18 July 2026. That dated experience does not establish the October fare or a return ticket price. The lift also does not establish step-free access throughout the route.

The southern contour leg is about 4.5 km in a traveler's route record. Add the station connections, stream-side stops and descent arrangements when planning the full excursion. At Qingbixi, follow the signs to the Gantong upper station and use the correct one-way ticket down. Arrange your final pickup at 苍山感通索道停车场, rather than at the Ximatan entrance where you began.

Plan on 4 to 5 hours from the Ximatan lower entrance to the Gantong parking lot. Allow around two hours for the 4.5 km contour walk and stops, and budget the rest of your time for the middle-station connector, the steps at Qingbixi, and both cable car rides. Start in the morning, and ask for Gantong's downhill boarding cutoff so you can work backward through each stage to set your turnaround time.

Before committing, confirm that this southern section is admitted and ask both lines for their actual boarding cutoffs. The operator-sourced June 2025 notice opened Qingbixi to Qilongnvchi and Zhonghe Temple to Fengyandong 凤眼洞, while keeping Fengyandong to Qilongnvchi closed. No later reopening of that central link was found. A Gantong-to-Zhonghe throughwalk therefore crosses a documented closed section. The separate Qingbixi ascent path reopened on 12 May 2026; that does not reopen the central link. Thunderstorms and heavy rain can close the walking sections.

Gantong Temple and Jizhao lunch

Jizhao Nunnery main hall with its sign and courtyard plants
Photo by Kcx36

From Gantong's lower parking area, follow the signed uphill paths to 感通寺, then continue to 寂照庵. These temples are lower-side stops; the upper cable-car station does not deliver you to Jizhao. Visitor accounts describe a shorter stepped path and a longer sloping approach. An uphill estimate of 20–30 minutes varies with the actual drop-off and chosen path.

Jizhao's appeal is the flower and succulent courtyard, main hall, tea seating and rear garden. You can make this a temple outing from the lower parking area without buying a cable-car ticket solely to reach the temples. Walk back down to the same parking area afterwards.

If the vegetarian lunch matters most, put the temples first. A 30 June 2026 visitor report described buying an onsite meal card for CNY 20 per person, with service starting at 11:30 and a queue forming earlier. Use that as a dated price reference. Arrive before lunch, buy the card onsite, eat, then return to the lower cable station for a short Gantong outing after arranging afternoon boarding. A long traverse has a different schedule; plan the temple meal on another visit.

素斋 means a vegetarian temple meal. It does not establish vegan ingredients or halal suitability. Milk drinks called 抹茶牛乳 and 玫瑰牛乳 appeared in the same report. For specific ingredients, ask about eggs, dairy, stock and sauces; useful requests are 不加蛋、不加奶、不用肉汤: no eggs, no dairy, no meat stock.

If you have dietary requirements or food preferences, you can create a free dining card in Chinese to show staff before ordering.

Tickets, timing and what to take

Gantong's government-approved cable tariff of 25 July 2025 is CNY 100 per person return or CNY 65 one way. This is the ropeway component. Park entry and cable transport are separate components, while some products include both. Klook's Gantong return product is an English booking page for a return ride with geopark admission.

For Ximatan, the published tariff effective 28 November 2016 lists CNY 300 per person for full return and CNY 160 for lower-to-middle return. These are a published tariff baseline. On 13 October 2026, Qunar's selected adult products quoted CNY 318 for full return with geopark admission and CNY 190 for half return with geopark admission. Those are product quotes, not one price for every booking. Klook's full Ximatan product has an English purchase page. Choose the line and travel date, then read what the selected ticket includes.

The operator's November 2025 guide lists Ximatan entry from 08:00 to 16:00 during April–October, and Gantong ticketing/entry from 08:30 to 16:00. These are entry windows, not final downhill cabins. Ask for the descent cutoff when you collect your ticket. Operator contact: 400-900-1558.

Keep your voucher, order number and the original document used for booking ready. Some orders require exchange for a paper ticket at the stated counter. The operator’s guide names 身份证; use the actual document field offered by your booking service. Save both pickup names for a traverse. Bring closed walking shoes, water, a rain and wind layer, summit warmth and CNY cash for small onsite purchases. The packing section helps combine this mountain kit with the rest of your trip.

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