Hike to Zhonghe Temple, enjoy vegetarian meal, and cross Zhonghe Grand Canyon (medium distance)

My name is Wangwang. I have lived in Dali for many years. Mountain climbing is one of my most important pleasures in life. The growth and changes of flowers, plants and trees in the mountains throughout the four seasons make me go there often and I always enjoy it. I have written down my feelings about this job in my records. The Happiest Job in the World

The reasons I like this route are:

1. The distance and intensity are just right for ordinary hiking enthusiasts. The mountain trail is about 12 kilometers and the altitude rise is 600 meters. You can enjoy the fun of hiking without feeling overly tired.

2. Natural trails take you up and down through forests and tea plantations. You can walk a forgotten "Jade Belt Road" and a mountain trail through a majestic canyon.

3. You will pass by Zhonghe Temple, where you can enjoy a vegetarian lunch if your time is right.

4. This is a small road with almost no tourists.

This is one of my favorite routes to take in my free time. Start from Zhonghe Village and walk upwards (for those who are not very fit or just want to walk the Jade Belt Road and downhill, you can take a traditional style cable car from Zhonghe), through tea plantations, forests, and along the mountain road covered with pine needles until you reach Zhonghe Temple. The sunlight shines through the gaps in the pine trees, warming the path and making it pleasant. Large ferns create a unique forest atmosphere.

When you arrive at Zhonghe Temple, if it is meal time, you can eat vegetarian food there (20 yuan/person, scan the QR code to pay).

If we missed vegetarian food, there is a small stall run by a local woman above the Zhonghe Temple on Yudai Road that offers fruit, fried rice and homemade pickled pears and sauerkraut. She used to live in a house a few doors down Yudai Road on this mountain for more than a decade, where she and her family provided food and lodging to travelers, like a home. A few years ago, the policy changed and the house was demolished. Now, she sets up the stall and her husband helps carry fresh vegetables and supplies up the mountain and back down every morning.

After lunch, everyone sat on small stools on the open space on Yudai Road and basked in the sun.

(People who don’t like downhill or have knee problems can take the Zhonghe Cable Car down from here.) We continued along the quieter side of Yudai Road, which is pristine and natural. There are not many tourists here, and the views are wide. Passing through the deep and magnificent Taohe Gorge, many scenic spots offer beautiful views of the village, Erhai Lake, and the mountains in the distance.

After walking about three kilometers, we reached the downhill road of Taoxi, passed through the tea garden, and arrived at Mocui Tea House.

Start time: 10am, Zhonghe Cable Car entrance Distance: 10-12 km, 600m above sea level Other expenses not included: Lunch/vegetarian meal

• Forest near the starting point

• Pine needles covered the jade road

• Ferns in the forest

• There are two cherry trees in the tea garden on the way down the mountain

• There are many places where you can see the scenery of Erhai Lake and the village

• The mountains in the distance are clearly visible

• Through the forest

• Cherry blossoms along the mountain road