Come enjoy the beautiful autumn colours, gentle hiking paths, ancient temple, kayaking and more at Maofeng mountain in Baiyun district, Guangzhou.

For years we have always gone to one particular area of Maofengshan (Pinyin: shān-mountain) as we love it (You can read about attractions there in my post) but last week I suggested entering the official ‘Maofeng Mountain Scenic Area‘ for a change and we ended up having a wonderful day out there!

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In order to welcome the Year of the Snake, we wanted to visit the old taoist temple, built around 200 years ago. It is small and not particularly fancy but that’s what makes it feel authentic and appealing. No crowds, just a few people burning incense. Peaceful and quiet, which added to the beauty of its location high up on a mountain.

Just look at that view!

Note: Right next to the temple is a small Communist museum of sorts, with a few rooms displaying items, such as old TV sets, radios, telephones, etc. from times gone by. I did not care much for the communist part of it but it was certainly interesting, for my son especially, to see the old equipment, which I remember so well from my childhood but which he can now only see in museums!

The hike from the temple to the top of the mountain is very child-friendly and doesn’t take long. The signs are in English so you can easily navigate your way around and decide which path you wish to take. If you follow the main hiking path, which is the one leading to Tianhu-Sky Lake (Pinyin: tiān-sky, hú-lake), as we did, your child will love the hundreds of colourful windmill fans welcoming you to the area!

The waterfalls might be artificial but they sure look gorgeous surrounded by winter foliage! We went around noon as we wanted to have a picnic lunch up there and it turned out to be a good decision since the place was very quiet with only a few families camping or kayaking, enjoying the beautiful environment and stunning weather!

This part of the mountain is hardly natural. In fact, it does feel a bit too perfectly-manicured for me (we know how Chinese like their parks to look perfectly natural!) but I still found it very visually-appealing, especially the red maple trees! I mean, who wouldn’t appreciate their vivid, blood-red leaves? They aren’t exactly common in the city so my son was very interested in them and we collected a few to dry them later.

Locals seem to be obsessed with bald cypresses in the autumn/winter, taking loads of photos in all positions imaginable, and I can’t entirely blame them, they do look beautiful, standing out among the various shades of green. As pretty as the bridge looked, its biggest advantage was, of course, the ability to run up to the middle point and then run down the steep slope at full speed! My child could do it endlessly or at least to the point of exhaustion, if we let him!

Tip: There is a simple cafe next to the bridge, where you can enjoy a cup of tea (not sure about the food there) and from which you can take great shots of the lake!

Tianhu is small (compared to other Sky Lakes in China, of which there are MANY) but it’s super pleasant to stroll around it, go kayaking, feed the black swans or the largest ducks I have ever seen! You could even get married there, if you feel so inclined, as there is actually a beautifully-located marriage registry there!

Needless to say, the biggest joy, according to my son, was the water-shooting gun. Always a winner with younger kids:) 2min costs 10rmb, there are also 5min and 8min options and you simply scan the QR code. You might want to check the gun before you pay as, when we went, one was leaking and spraying water all over the place resulting in the child using it getting absolutely soaked!

This part of the scenic area was our favourite! You can’t see it from the lake so we had no idea this beautiful, shaded area with swings, benches and other family-friendly attractions was there. I’m pretty sure that water was drained from this side of the bridge specifically to create this play area for kids and families. My son decided to take it upon himself to drag the small, wooden boat out of the mud (not easy for a 4 year old) and totally exhausted himself but what fun it was! I saw little toddlers as well as kids around 10 playing there as it’s one of those areas that seemingly doesn’t have much for kids and yet it has plenty if only they use their imagination, even better if they can play with other kids! There was no shouting, no queueing, no pushing, just simple outdoor play with whatever the kids could find. Loved it.

By that time, even though we did have a picnic, we got hungry again and decided to head back down to the temple area and drive 20min to our favourite countryside restaurant. We did consider hiking up all the way to the peak but were told it would take 1,5-2 hours (return), which was simply too long for me to go without a hot meal. I am a foodie, don’t judge:) If you do fancy climbing the peak in the late afternoon though and get very tired or would like to see the city night view from the top, you could even stay in one of the hotels there.

As is often the case in China, the restaurants in Maofengshan area don’t look particularly appealing or even inviting, especially if you visit outside the usual dining hours, they tend to be rather untidy and it’s not rare to see staff smoking in the kitchen but if you can look past that, as I have learnt to, trust me, just go, whatever the time of the day, GO. Our preferred choice has a small slide outside so you can easily spot it from the main road and your little ones will be very grateful for something to do while you’re waiting for the juiciest ribs and roasted chicken in Guangzhou!

Maofengshan Scenic Area certainly got busy in the afternoon but not crowded so if you’re looking for a beautiful, natural place to spend the day out with the kids in a chilled environment, you should definitely check this place out! We know we’ll be back to see the view from the peak!

Tip: If you want to see the maple trees in their vivid red, you better go now as many have started to lose leaves.

Have you been to this side of Maofengshan? Is there even more to see? What’s the view from the Lotus Peak like? Let me know!

Info:

Address: Maofensgahn Forest Park Ancient Temple Scenic Area, Baiyun, Guangzhou, 510545

Getting there: Self-driving or a taxi is pretty much the only option. As mentioned in my other post about Maofengshan, there are buses going there to serve the local villagers but they don’t go frequently and they take forever. Take the road S115, drive past the reservoir, through the fruit farms and follow the signs to the scenic area or take a taxi directly to Maofengshan Ancient Temple Scenic Area, which should drop you off at the car park right below the temple. There are car parks higher up the mountain so if you’re traveling with elderly people or have mobility problems (or just feel a bit lazy), you may wish to take the EV from the temple to Tianhu. The area around the lake itself is pram-friendly.

Parking: Several small car parks at various levels. No extra parking fee because parking is included in the entry ticket (10rmb per vehicle).

Cost: As this is a tourist attraction, you need to purchase a ticket at the main, very impressive, gate at 10rmb per person, with kids under 1.2m entering free. Bear in mind that the distance from the main gate to the temple is rather long. I’m not sure if I’d be willing to walk it with my 4 year old as I’m pretty sure he’d be too tired to hike later and pester me about carrying him:)

Food: There is a cafe and a couple of snack stalls near the lake but I haven’t tried them. I would encourage you to bring your own picnic and relax there. If you want a proper meal, visit one of the many countryside restaurants located along the main road. Note that there are no English menus and no photos in most.

Facilities: Plenty of public toilets, in a fairly good condition. Not sure about baby changing facilities as I haven’t noticed any. Unlike some wilder forest parks, this place does have a good number of benches to rest on.

Age: Suitable for all, from families with babies to teenagers and grandparents.

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