Segment times are from my own track — my pace, not advice; guidebook times are transcribed verbatim from Sunriver Culture's step-time charts (Gaoshan Baiyue topographic maps), a public yardstick. Every station's position and name was checked by hand and aligned with Sunriver's naming, so names and elevations match what hikers actually call them. Route is for reference only.This route wasn't planned — it's a GPS-recorded log of my own hike in June 2026: the North Section 2, three days, two Baiyue peaks (Mt. Wuming and Ganshu Peak), 35.9km actual distance, 3374m total elevation gain. A few things to note:
- Most of the trail is pine needles, fallen arrow bamboo leaves, and dirt — light traction spikes help with stability.
- This trip was three days. For a two-day trip, I'd suggest going to the water source southeast of the Campground below Yuanduozhi Mountain on day one, then pushing straight through to camp and rest at Waypoint 22, Ganshu South Peak Campground.
- You need a shuttle to reach the 730 Forest Road Trailhead — the road is rough and narrow, occasionally requiring vehicles to pass each other; the ride takes about an hour and gets very bumpy, so hold on tight.
- The 730 Forest Road is shaded almost the entire way, with the occasional easy water crossing and plenty of running water. About 200 meters before the trailhead there's a roped section across a landslide, and another spot where you need to straddle a gap and hold the rope firmly — neither is difficult, but pay attention.
- From Erwu Creek bed to the Campground below Yuanduozhi Mountain is a steep climb the whole way — I'd suggest having lunch and resting well at the creek bed before setting off.
- Day 02 is a long summit day: when you're not in the sun you're wrapped in dense, airless arrow bamboo, and when you are in the sun there's no cover at all — the routes to both Baiyue peaks go up and down and wind around constantly. If you're not planning to filter water at Heishuitang or Wuming Pond, bring 2.5–3 liters of water in hot weather.
- Guimenguan Peak has two vertical roped sections that feel quite exposed — make sure your body is stable before moving. The summit has no triangulation marker, just a piece of paper held down with a rock.
- Heishuitang and Wuming Pond aren't far apart, and without a map it's easy to mix up which is which.
- Cutting down beside the Mt. Wuming triangulation point takes you to the Wuming Cliff that the O-loop route passes through; being close to Nanhu, you can clearly make out Zhongyangjian from here.
- Before Ganshu Peak there's an exposed scree slope; the schist absorbs heat and radiates it back out, so I'd suggest drinking water and resting before crossing this terrain, then pushing straight up following the cairns and ropes in one go.
- There's one GPS glitch in the recording — the instant recording resumed after a pause, the position jumped 33 meters and the elevation dropped 35 meters. I never walked through that spot, so it's been removed.
- There's a water source about 15–20 minutes each way southeast of the Campground below Yuanduozhi Mountain, so you don't necessarily need to carry water all the way from Erwu Creek — though in the dry season it may not be flowing (Waypoint 70, coordinates 24.281152°N 121.364390°E, elevation 2,634 m). This point isn't one I drew water from myself; it's from a record shared by another hiker (Hiking Notes, dated 2025-12-05) — water sources change with the season and the year, and that date is simply when it was observed. Please plan and pack your supplies accordingly.
- This GPX keeps the original timestamps — that's the record of my own pace, not a suggested pace; hikers should judge by their own condition and the weather. Every track point has a timestamp.
The switch point between full pack and summit pack is at the Campground below Yuanduozhi Mountain. Actual conditions on the ground take priority over this record.
