Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山)

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山, Yùlóng Xuěshān) is not a single peak — it's a 35km chain of thirteen summits stretching north to south, the tallest reaching 5,596m. It's visible from almost anywhere in Lijiang on a clear day, but standing on it at 4,680m is the real draw. The mountain holds the southernmost glacier in the Northern Hemisphere, and on the way up you'll pass through pine forests, alpine meadows, and eventually bare rock and ice — four vertical climate zones in a single morning.

Three cable cars, three experiences. The Glacier Park cable car (大索道, Dà Suǒdào) is the one everyone wants — it climbs to 4,506m in ten minutes, then you walk wooden stairs to the 4,680m viewing platform. Tickets are strictly limited and sell out first. The Spruce Meadow (云杉坪, Yúnshānpíng) cable car is lower, calmer, and better for families — you walk a flat boardwalk through old-growth forest with the peaks as backdrop, and altitude sickness is rare. Yak Meadow (牦牛坪, Máoniúpíng) is the least crowded option, best for photographing the full 13-peak panorama. You can realistically do two cable cars in a day, but three is pushing it.

Blue Moon Valley (蓝月谷, Lán Yuè Gǔ) sits between the cable car stations and the visitor centre. The river here runs chalky turquoise from glacial sediment, cascading over small man-made dams — it's free once you're inside the scenic area and worth 30 minutes. Don't skip it.

Budget roughly ¥400-500 ($55-70) per person for the day: base entry, one or two cable cars, shuttle buses inside the park, and a DiDi from Lijiang Old Town (¥80-100, 40 minutes). Go on a weekday, arrive by 7:30 AM, and bring sunscreen — the UV at this altitude burns fast, even through cloud.