Explore the secret of autumn appreciation in the Qinling Mountains, follow this self-driving route, and tell you how beautiful the autumn in Liuba is
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If you like autumn colors, you must drive to the Qinling Mountains for an autumn feast. Starting from late October every year, various trees such as metasequoia, cotinus, maple, and larch all over the Qinling Mountains begin to change color. As the temperature drops, the entire Qinling Mountains will become colorful and dressed up like a fairy tale world. .
The Qinling Mountains are not only the geographical dividing line between the northern and southern continents of China, but also the dividing line between the northern and southern climates. It is also the dividing line between the subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest and the temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest. The northern slope is cold and dry, while the southern slope is warm and humid. Walking into the Qinling Mountains, you will find a strong "north-south difference." This difference is not only reflected in the differences in geographical environment, climate characteristics, and cultural customs between the north and the south, but also in dietary habits. For example, pasta is eaten north of the Qinling Mountains and rice is eaten south of the Qinling Mountains. The north and south of the Qinling Mountains are completely different.
It is precisely because of the barrier and nourishment of the Qinling Mountains that the colorful and magnificent landscape of the 800-mile Qinchuan River exists. Liuba County, a small town in southern Shaanxi, hidden in the hinterland of the southern foothills of the Qinling Mountains, has developed rich mountain tourism resources due to its complex landforms, steep mountains, changeable climate, and large altitude differences.
With the opening of many expressways through the Qinling Mountains such as the Baohan Expressway, the shelved old national highways such as 316 and 244, as well as Gaojiang Road, Jiangmei Road, Shitai Road, and Chamiao Road in the county, On the contrary, it has become a favored route among self-driving travel enthusiasts. Below is my itinerary for the past few days. I hope it can provide reference for everyone’s travels (the route map is attached).
Gaojiang Road, the Internet celebrity highway in the Qinling Mountains that must be visited when coming to Liuba County, is 39 kilometers long. It starts from Gaoqiaopu, Feng County and ends at Jiangxi Ying Village, Liuba County. It is a road built on The backup highway in the 1950s was the main road connecting Jiangmei Road (from Liuba Jiangwozi to Mei County via Taibai County) and the Gaoqiaopu section of National Highway 316.
This highway through the Qinling Mountains is incredibly beautiful. It is also the only "China's Most Beautiful Mountain Village Tourist Route" in Shaanxi Province. On both sides of the road, on any hillside, the colors are intertwined like brocade and satin.
Starting from Liuba County and going to Gaojiang Road, you will pass by Zhangliang Temple. You can stop here briefly. The ticket is 50 yuan. Zhang Liang Temple was built in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. It is a temple dedicated to Zhang Liang, the advisor of Liu Bang, the founder of Han Dynasty. It is said that after Zhang Liang assisted Liu Bang in entering the Pass and defeating the Qin Dynasty, he retired and lived in seclusion here.
The first mountain that needs to be climbed on the way to Gaojiang Road is called Chaiguanling. Standing on the pass, you can clearly see the ancient plank road on the cliff in the distance. Liuba, known as the "Throat of Qin and Han Dynasties", "faces Bashu and has Qinchuan on its back". The Baoxie Plank Road, Lianyun Plank Road and Chencang Ancient Road that run through the north and south wind for hundreds of miles and have a history of more than 2,000 years. Historical allusions such as "Burning the Plank Road", "The Cold River Swells at Night", "Xiao He Chasing Han Xin under the Moon" all happened here.
Winding down from Chaiguanling, the leaves on both sides of the road have begun to change color. This road will also pass by Lianghekou Self-driving Camp, Shimen Wonders, the "Ginkgo Tree King" in the northwest, etc. It is worth mentioning that these places are open to the public free of charge and there are no tickets.
We continued driving and entered a place called Shimenzi Village. The street trees on both sides of the road were red and green, rich in color, and more and more tourists were parking along the road. The street trees on this road are mainly metasequoia, ginkgo, acacia, plane tree, golden willow, cherry blossom trees, etc.
In the early morning, the old man in the village and his two puppies were walking on the road - many short videos that became popular on the Internet were shot here - if you want to see such a scene, you have to be Got here before 9am.
After nine o'clock, there will be more and more self-driving tourists. The roads are full of people taking photos and checking in. It is already a luxury to take a photo with a clean background.
Along the road along the Haoba River, the houses in the mountains are colorfully dyed in autumn colors, and the simple and peaceful pastoral scenery makes people feel like they have entered a "paradise".
As we continued driving, we found two straight peaks blocking the way, which the locals called Shimen Mountain. According to legend, there was a Shimen Temple on the mountain during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. According to the inscription, the two mountains were originally connected together, with a stone gate in the middle. The stone gate would automatically open when the rooster crows in the morning, and close automatically when no one passes by at night.
After a lot of effort, I finally climbed to the top of the mountain, but facing the last few meters of vertical cliff, I could only look at the peak and sigh. There is no trace of Shimen Temple on the top of the mountain, but there are traces of the road construction and the blasting of rocks. We see these two mountains now. Could it be that they were exploded from the middle during road construction?
The birds are chirping in the forest, the streams are gurgling, the thick tree trunks are covered with moss, and crystal clear water drops hang from them. The poetry is infinite and makes people's mood brighter.
Old slogans are still clearly visible on the walls of the yellowed old houses in the village.
At Shiyaoba Village, Yuhuangmiao Town, the end of Gaojiang Road, there is a king ginkgo tree known as the "No. 1 tree in the northwest". The tree is 4.4 meters thick and 26 meters high. It is nearly 20 years old. In 4000, it is said that it was planted by King Wen of Zhou himself.
After walking and stopping all the way, after seeing the ancient ginkgo trees at the Jade Emperor Temple, my stomach was already growling with hunger. However, although Yuhuang Temple is a town, there are not many restaurants in the town, so you have to continue walking and take National Highway 244 to Jiangkou Town to solve the lunch problem - it is said that Jiangkou Town is the largest town in Liuba County .
After having lunch in Jiangkou Town, we walked along National Highway 244 towards Taibai County, Baoji. We passed Moping Village, the last village in Hanzhong. Hidden halfway up the mountain was a group called Xu Jiashan. The residences in this place all have the Guanzhong architectural style, and the villagers also speak with a strong Guanzhong accent. The only way to enter the village is on foot, which requires passing through two mountains. Without a guide, it is easy to get lost. Due to space limitations, I will write a separate picture and text about Xu Jiashan.
If you don’t want to see the Ancient Ginkgo Tree King and Xujiashan, you can turn right after coming out of Yuhuangmiao Town and take Tuyu Road back to Liuba County - I think you can really experience it by taking this road The fun of traveling through the Qinling Mountains. This section of the road is purely winding in a steep valley, with twists and turns, ups and downs, and countless Z-shaped, U-shaped bends and 180-degree turns. One side is close to the mountain and the other side is a cliff. Standing at the pass and looking far into the distance, you can see the scenery of the Qinling Mountains at a glance, just like the paint bottle has been knocked over, the mountains and fields are dyed, like clouds falling over the mountains, so stunning...
Stay at the dam to see the Qinling Mountains The best place for sunrise is Taiziling. Unfortunately, it was mostly rainy days when I came to Liuba. The weather forecast cloud map showed that there was a chance of the sun rising at 6 or 7 in the morning, so I set out to reach Taiziling in the middle of the night. As a result, the mountains were covered with fog and I couldn't see anything.
The stronger the autumn feeling, the crazier the red leaves. Taiziling is the place where the red leaves first change color, red, yellow, green, brown..., clusters, pieces, layer by layer, colorful and picturesque.
On the way to Taiziling, you will pass by Shizigou Ranch - this was once the place where Zhuge Liang's army and horses were grazed. On the alpine meadows in the drizzle, small groups of cattle and sheep strolled among them. The colors of the larch trees looked more beautiful and charming because of the moist rain.
Descend from Taiziling, pass through Lion Valley, Lover’s Valley, and Guanghua Mountain to return to Liuba County. After watching the sunrise at Taiziling, you can also return in the direction of the fire shop. No matter which way you go, the scenery is still picturesque and unforgettable.
So, if you haven’t gone to the Qinling Mountains yet, you might as well start now, seize the tail end of this autumn, and experience the beauty of the Qinling Mountains by “stopping and sitting in the maple forest at night”!
Attached: Self-driving route schematic
Warm reminder: Liuba Tourism has limited reception capacity. It is recommended to book hotel accommodation in advance before departure, otherwise you may face the situation of having no room to stay. I recommend Loufanggou Boutique B&B not far from the county seat. This B&B is located in Xiaoliuba Village. It is all converted from private houses. It has a separate courtyard and is all-inclusive. The butler service is very considerate, but it is too popular and it is difficult to make a reservation. superior.
Food: Liuba is located in the south of the Qinling Mountains and is mainly rice-based. Alpine potatoes, bacon, bamboo shoots, fungus, mushrooms, etc. are all local specialties. There are also the top ten bowls of Liuba folk, which are all over the street. Gastrodia elata and American ginseng seem to be grown.
If you have any questions you need to know, please leave a comment below and I will answer them one by one.