Hike in the fern forest (medium distance)

My name is Wangwang. I have lived in Dali for several years. Hiking is one of the great pleasures in my life. The changes in the growth of flowers, plants and trees in the mountains with different seasons bring me back here again and again, and the feeling is the same every time.

Our hiking group is made up of several friends who love hiking. In addition to me, there is a tailor with a border collie, DD with his dog Yuanbao who does extreme sports and crystal treasure hunting, Wang Yue who likes history and culture, Huanhuan who runs the "Huanque" restaurant, and Honghong, a CrossFit enthusiast and cold meal maker. Yang Min from the wild mushroom collection group also joined us. Her favorite route is the "Fern Forest". Occasionally, members of other professional groups will join us.

You can learn more about our friends here: Our Guide

I can’t say I’ve explored every corner of Cangshan, but I do have a good understanding of the plants and forests at different altitudes beneath its various peaks.

So one day, while hiking through the valley, I randomly decided to go up and was surprised to find a huge fern forest. This is something I have never seen in other areas of Cangshan. I want to turn it into a hiking route. The distance is about 6-7 kilometers, and it is comfortable to walk and not too tiring. The altitude is 500 meters, and it is a moderately difficult hiking route, perfect for those who have plenty of energy and like to walk in a natural forest.

Departure time 1 : 10:00 am (bring your own lunch and have a picnic in the forest)

Departure time 2 : 2:00 pm

Hiking time : 4 hours

Meeting point : 5 km north of the ancient city

Streams, forests, different species of ferns, wild mushrooms in the rainy season, lemongrass, rhododendrons and wild tea gardens – I’ll describe each below.

Pteris chinensis – This is the most common fern in this forest. It grows densely along the hiking trails.

Maidenhair fern on tree

Lepidium – Grows on the ground in patches.

Spathiphyllum – grows on trees.

Pteris chinensis

Mature fern (locally called: dragon claw vegetable)

On a recent hike here, I brought along Xiao Jing and Yan Zi from the picking group, and their keen observation of plants helped us discover more ferns and many other plants.

We picked some lemongrass and later when we got home I used it to make Thai Tom Yum Goong fish soup.

We also found wild strawberries and azaleas in bloom to pick for soup.

We came across a patch of white ferns and Swallow went in to see if there were any mushrooms.

We even found some wild tea trees and were lucky enough to spot our first mushrooms of the season.

There is also some sarsaparilla , which Yan Zi said can cure cancer.

Of course, our little friend Zhamao (the furry puppy) also joined us.

Beautiful scenery along the way