There are three valleys you can visit in Four Sisters Mountain National Park which sits to the north of Chengdu. Shuangqiao Valley is to the west and by far the most developed with a shuttle bus travelling over 30km through the park to the end of the valley so due to the easy accessibility it’s not only the busiest section but also the most expensive and thus seemed the least appealing to us. Changping valley is in the middle and we were staying in a hotel at the start of this valley so it made the most sense to visit this one however I read many reviews from people complaining that the hike through the valley went through too much forest so had very limited mountain views. The final valley was called Haizi and it’s considered the most remote one with no transport options to access it. Horse riding however is popular here as the distance to reach the first sight in the valley involves 28km for the return walk. We were torn which hikes to pick but in the end we made a spur of the moment decision to hike a route that we’d heard very little about. It was along a ridgeline between Changping and Haizi Valley, we could make it a 14km loop hike but would gain a whopping 1000m. Either way it seemed like the best option as it offered a glimpse into both valleys, we just had no idea what to expect as I kept coming to dead ends when I researched the route and peoples photos looked pretty crap but heck, we gave it a go.

We set off nice and early under a perfect, cloudless sky and it didn’t take long to start getting views of the dramatic four sisters. The steps made the initial ascent very manageable and before we knew it we were up on the wide, grassy ridge. A little further along the trail split, right went down into Haizi Valley but we were skipping that and continuing on the high route and so far it looked like a great decision. We passed some sign boards that showed game camera footage of a wild snow leopard in the park which was crazy and apparently giant and red pandas live here too but I think your chances of seeing them in the wild are slim to none. I was concerned that this trail would also have blocked views from the forest but we had great 360° vistas the whole time. The mountains on the Haizi side were more hills than peaks, especially when compared to the pointy Four Sisters. Considering we were climbing 1000m elevation it was surprisingly easy going and we soon reached the highest point of the day at around 4000m where we stopped for a picnic lunch. There were a few horses and yaks free roaming the hills and we only passed a couple of other people so it was a lovely and peaceful hike and a great decision in the end.

The route downhill however was brutal with a descent of 800m in just 2.5km and the trail conditions were horrible as the recent rains had turned the path into sloppy mud. We were slipping and sliding all over the place so it was very slow going. Eventually we made it to the road where we could walk back to our hotel and for some reason there were dead animals all along the route. To start with there were two huge horses in the river and that seemed to be the theme as we walked along, a strong stench of death and then a yak or horse would be decomposing nearby. The whole hike took us 7 hours to complete.

Seeing as we saw two valleys in one day there was only really one option for the next day which was the popular Shuangqiao Valley and to be honest we were very sceptical about bothering to go there. The entry including the shuttle bus was £16 per person so it wasn’t cheap and we were worried it would be similar scenery to what we’d already seen but with crowds everywhere. In the end we decided to just give it a go, our time in China is coming to an end so we figured it would be our last hike.

We needed to get a shared taxi to the start of the valley and then we bought our tickets and boarded a bus that led about 30km to the end of the valley. Amazingly a boardwalk has also been built along the entire length of the valley, it’s probably one of the longest boardwalks in the world. The bus gained elevation as it drove through the park and the whole bus let out gasps when they got their first glimpse of the mountains. This valley doesn’t offer any views of the famous Four Sisters however it’s surrounded by equally dramatic peaks.

It was a crisp, cold morning with blue skies and a light dusting of snow overnight turned the area into a winter wonderland. It looked so magical with snow covering the ground and the trees were all frozen with ice crystals sparkling in the morning light. The bus pulled up at the end of the road and it was already quite busy with food venders set up and selling breakfast items which were steaming in the cold air. We managed to walk along the boardwalks and get some nice views before it got too busy and then we set off down the road to escape the crowds.

As soon as we left that area it was total bliss. The road looked incredible, leading to dramatic peaks in either direction and a little further along we spotted the start of the main boardwalk. We were the only people in the area and the first footprints on the snowy path, that is except for some animal tracks we followed. We weren’t sure what animal had left them but upon doing some research we think they might be from a red panda!!! How exciting!

Walking along the boardwalk was absolutely magical, the trees were twinkling, the snow on the floor was crunching under each step and mountains were rising all around us. We knew we’d made the right choice to come to this valley now and understood why it’s the most popular and accessible area, the views were phenomenal.

Further down the track we crossed the road and followed the boardwalk to a pond which wasn’t on my map. It offered fabulous reflections of the snow capped mountains and a couple of lovely spots to sit like on a handmade wooden lounger and in a beautiful wooden pavilion. We couldn’t believe that it was just us and one other person at the pond, where was everyone else? It was so unlike all the other parks we’d visited in China.

Further down the road we realised what was happening, the locals all catch the bus to the end of the valley, take some photos and then hop on the bus to the next main sight, take some photos and repeat. Chinese people hate walking, it’s something we’ve noticed across the country but it was funny seeing to what extent they hated it because the road was packed with people taking photos. Where we stood it was an empty road behind us, yet they were in such a crowded area so all their photos had other people in them and they didn’t even seem to care.

There was a white gompa on the hill to the right of the crowds so we headed up to check it out. The windows had beautiful paintwork around them and while I was taking photos I realised the mountains were perfectly reflected in them and you could still see the Buddha statue through the glass, it was absolute perfection. We followed the grassy hills down, past grazing yaks until we found a nice spot to enjoy our lunch.

After 8km of walking we arrived at the first lake where we bumped into a few more people and some of them were acting outrageously. There were lots of yaks grazing on the pastures and two kids began chasing them, the poor animals were frantically running away (but could have just as easily chosen to charge them instead of run away). We told the parents to not let their kids do that and respect the animals and their space and they actually spoke a little English and seemed to understand saying to their kids “it’s dangerous, stay away from them”. Moments later the kids chased the yaks again and this time a worker who was picking up yak shit (it’s so strange how China manages national parks, instead of leaving the poo to fertilise the ground they pick it up to make the area look tidy) spotted the kids and shouted at the parents, no idea what he said but I imagine it was something along the lines of “control your shitty kids you useless, careless, incompetent parents!” They tried calling the kids but they were so badly behaved that they ignored them and continued to chase the animals.

We continued walking around the lake and from there we opted to take a bus a few kilometres down the road where we would walk to the next lake but when we got to the bus stop to get off the driver picked people up but didn’t open our back door and went to drive off. All I could shout was ‘ni-hao’ (hello) which is a funny thing really if it was in England and someone just kept shouting hello at the driver. He eventually heard us, slammed on the brakes, said something we didn’t understand and eventually opened the doors after I said ni-hao a few more times. We soon realised what he was probably trying to say “the boardwalk is closed from this bus stop”. We opted to ignore the sign as it was only written in Chinese so we stepped around and continued on the boardwalk, hoping we wouldn’t have to turn back at some point. We took note of a few sections of the river where we’d be able to cross and make our way to the road should the path be un-walkable but the only problem with the route were a few slightly sunken and wobbly boards.

The bigger problem we had were the yaks who were everywhere including babies on the boardwalk ahead of us. There was no way to safety get through with the big-horned mums staring at us and babies mooing and grunting for their mums. We stood there and pondered what to do for a while when we suddenly heard someone calling across the river. We wondered if it was someone telling us to get off the boardwalk but then we realised it was the owner of the yaks and he was calling them for feeding time. A mass migration (kind of) of yaks began moving towards the river and clearing the path for us to pass through, hooray.

The next lake we reached was another popular bus stop but the opposite side of the lakes were always nice and quiet so we enjoyed a little stroll before making our way back to the bus stop and calling it a day. Getting back was easier said than done, the bus system was so bizarre as they drove about 5km and told everyone (in Chinese) to get off and go on another bus. This happened four times!! We were so fed up by the end of it but eventually we made it to the exit, hopped in a shared taxi and rested our legs in our hotel room, hiding under the duvet with the electric blanket on full. What an epic final park to visit in China.