Six trails and three ski fields, graded the way walkers grade them
Distances are real, climbs are real, and the difficulty column is written by people who walked them in the wrong shoes.
Short answer: the Bamboo Sea loop (4 km, flat) is the one to do if you have one free morning and trainers. Longwang Shan (1,587 m) is the serious summit — start at dawn, allow six hours. In winter, Yunshang Grassland's ski field is the highest and Jiangnan Tianchi's runs are the longest. Every gorge trail is dangerous after rain; check before you go.
Hiking & summits
| Trail | Length | Climb | Grade | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longwang Shan | 8–20 km | up to 1,200 m | Hard | At 1,587 m this is the roof of northern Zhejiang and the source of the Huangpu River. Cloud sea on wet mornings, rime ice in winter, primeval forest the whole way up. Start at first light. |
| Dusongguan trail | 10–12 km | 550 m | Moderate | Tang-Song post road, worn paving stones, the old frontier gate at the top. The most historically loaded walk in the county and one of the few that is beautiful in every season. |
| Zhangli trail | 8–15 km | 400 m | Moderate | Waterfalls, stone huts and rock pools along a stream bed. Locals come here to swim in July. Slippery after rain — do not attempt in a storm. |
| Changpu valley | 10 km | 450 m | Moderate+ | Near-untouched gorge under 96% forest cover. Hands-on-rock in places. Bring a paper map; phone signal dies 20 minutes in. |
| Bamboo Sea loop | 4 km | 200 m | Easy | Flat boardwalk under the canopy, the Crouching Tiger location. The one walk you can do in trainers, with a five-year-old, or in the rain. |
| Lingfeng Mountain | 4–5 km | 250 m | Easy | Temple path through old trees, free to walk, 15 minutes from town. Do it at 07:00 and you will have the whole mountain to yourself. |
Grade key: Easy = trainers, children, rain-proof. Moderate = boots, 3–4 hours. Hard = dawn start, 6+ hours, GPS track and a second person.
Three ski fields, three different jobs
Anji is the closest real snow to Shanghai. Which of the three you pick should depend on who is in the car, not on which one advertises most.
Yunshang Grassland Star Ski Field
云上草原星空滑雪场
The biggest and the only one with real advanced terrain: 300,000 m² of snow, 3.8 km of runs, a 102 m vertical drop, eight pistes (2 advanced, 3 intermediate, 3 beginner), chairlifts plus 11 magic carpets, a 22,000 m² snow-play zone and a 6,000 m² freestyle park. Ski in the morning, cloud sea in the afternoon.
Jiangnan Tianchi Ski Field
江南天池滑雪场
Beside the reservoir on Tianhuangping, the oldest and most established of the three. Longest runs in the county and a large family snow-play area that does not require a lift ticket.
Guanyintang Ski Field
观音堂滑雪场
Smallest and closest to the county town, which makes it the sensible half-day option with small children. Cheapest lift tickets of the three.
Three pieces of gear are in the price. Everything else is not.
The Yunshang Grassland ski pass is not just a lift ticket — boots, skis and poles are included, and so are the summit zones, so a non-skiing partner rides up on the same pass. Here is the split, from the resort's winter tariff.
Inside the ski pass
- Skiing on beginner & intermediate runs — All green and blue pistes, served by the magic carpets and chairlifts. This is where 90% of guests stay all day.
- Boots, skis and poles — The three-piece rental is inside the pass price — you are not charged again at the gear counter.
- Summit sightseeing — The pass also covers the Xianxia fantasy town, the cliff park and the highland meadow, so a non-skiing partner can ride up with you.
- Play rides, weather permitting — Sightseeing and outdoor rides open only when wind, rain and ice allow — the resort closes them individually, not the whole mountain.
Extra at the counter
- Advanced runs · 高级雪道 — The two steep pistes are not part of the standard ski pass. Strong skiers buy the advanced upgrade at the ticket office.
- Children's snow-play park · 儿童嬉雪乐园 — The 22,000 m² sledging and snow-toy zone is ticketed separately from the ski pass.
- Ski clothing & accessories — Jacket, trousers, helmet, goggles and gloves are rented separately, or bring your own.
- Lockers — QR-code lockers, rented on the spot and paid by the scan.
Clothing & accessories, priced per item per use
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ski jacket · 滑雪服 | ¥50 / use | Water-resistant shell and insulated. The only item most people need. |
| Ski trousers · 雪裤 | ¥25 / use | Rented with the jacket; jeans do not survive a morning on snow. |
| Helmet · 头盔 | ¥25 / use | Recommended for children and beginners — and compulsory on the advanced runs. |
| Goggles · 雪镜 | ¥25 / use | Worth it in wind or falling snow; sunglasses work on a clear day. |
| Gloves · 手套 | ¥25 / use | Bring your own if you have them — this is the one item everyone regrets renting. |
| Locker · 储物柜 | QR code, pay per use | Scanned and paid at the locker bank; no deposit, no key to lose. |
Skiing or sightseeing, the outdoor rides on the summit open weather permitting — high wind and freezing rain close them individually. We check the resort bulletin on the morning and reshuffle the day if it looks marginal.
Four answers before you set off
Do I need a guide to hike in Anji?
For the Bamboo Sea loop and Lingfeng Mountain, no. For Longwang Shan, Changpu valley or any trail above 1,000 m, yes — or at minimum an offline GPS track, because phone signal disappears within twenty minutes and the side paths are not marked in English.
When is the best season for hiking?
April–May and October–November. Summer is humid and the gorges flood after storms; winter is beautiful above 1,000 m but icy. Never walk a gorge trail during or right after heavy rain.
Is skiing worth it in Zhejiang?
For beginners, children and strong intermediates, yes — Yunshang Grassland alone has 300,000 m² of snow, 102 m of vertical drop and two advanced pistes with chairlifts. The standard ski pass covers the beginner and intermediate runs and includes boots, skis and poles; experts pay an upgrade for the two steep pistes, and the children's snow-play park is a separate ticket. For skiers used to the Alps or Hokkaido, treat it as a fun day rather than a ski trip: 3.8 km of total run length is short, and much of the base is machine-made. We will tell you honestly what the snow is doing this week.
Can we hike and ski in the same trip?
Yes, in January and February: a morning on the mountain and an afternoon on the snow at Yunshang Grassland, which has both. It is the one time the grass mountain beats the bamboo valley.
Hiking or skiing — we can put a driver at the trailhead
A car and driver waiting at the bottom, a guide on the ridge if you want one, and a straight answer on whether the snow is real this week.