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 February 2026: the South Section 1, a five-day traverse, five Baiyue peaks, 48.2km actual distance, 4045m total elevation gain. A few things to note:
- Aside from Kuhanuoxin Cabin, which you pass on day one, this trip carries a tent the whole way — but the campsites have no water source, so you'll need extra time to descend and fetch water. During the dry season when I did this trip, the water sources marked on the map had already dried up, and I had to keep going further downstream to find water — make sure to save some energy for a water run after reaching camp.
- Kuhanuoxin Mountain on Day 1 isn't officially part of the South Section 1 — you need to detour off the junction toward Guan Mountain to reach it, about 1.6 kilometers one way from the trailhead.
- There's no especially dangerous terrain, just a few roped sections; the two steeper ones are the vertical rope before summiting Guan Mountain on Day 2, and on Day 4 toward the Sancha campsite, where you first descend and then climb a vertical rope back to the main trail.
- At night, the Sancha campsite on Day 4 gets sika deer, though not as fearless of people as the ones on the Neng-Gao Anton Jun section — I'd still recommend putting away anything salty, like clothes, shoes and socks, trekking poles, food, and trash, or you might wake up with no shoes to hike down in.
- In late winter to early spring, running into a weather front and rain at over 3,000 meters can leave you too cold to function. Weigh the balance between going light and staying safe carefully; condensation also builds up inside the tent before dawn, so do what you can to keep your warm clothing and sleeping bag dry.
- Some sections have visible frost, occasionally covering the entire trail surface — bring traction spikes and use them as needed.
- On Day 01, from the trailhead to Kuhanuoxin Cabin is a continuous run of several thousand steps with big drops between them; some are damaged and can be bypassed. It's pure leg and lung work, with plenty of hemlock forest along the way keeping things relatively cool.
- On Day 02, before summiting Guan Mountain, there's a steep vertical roped section at 7.8K — in late winter to early spring, the rope absorbs moisture and can freeze into a rigid rod in the cold, so wear waterproof, insulated, and durable gloves and use hands and feet together. The water source marked on the map at 2920 Campground dries up in autumn and winter, so you'll need to keep looking downstream for water.
- Day 03 covers four peaks in one day, four ups and four downs, which wears you down; arrow bamboo taller than a person starts to appear. The water at Yunshui Mountain Rain Pond is reasonably clean — if you're worried about the water supply further along, consider drawing water here and boiling it to drink.
- Make sure to tag Beinanzhu Mountain on Day 04 itself — the Campground below Sancha Peak is only 1.1K from the peak, and the exit day after is a long one, so climbing it in the dark the next day would eat into your schedule. The rain pond at the campground has poor water quality (described as looking like braising liquid with a film of oil on top), and the other water source is more than an hour round trip — consider asking a porter to help fetch water. There are a lot of sika deer at night, so put your gear away.
- On Day 05, since the afternoon turned into steady drizzle and it was cold and damp — typical of late winter to early spring — I decided to skip Xinanshan and exit instead, turning off at the junction toward the Endemic Species Research Station. This site doesn't cover the Xinanshan route.
- Shishan, like Dabajian, is a Baiyue peak that's off-limits to summiting — its triangulation point is set on the opposite peak, so you can't actually stand on the true summit.
- On Day 05, the boulder field requires scrambling with hands and feet — the elevation gain is under 100m, but make sure to choose solid rocks before pulling yourself up.
- There's one GPS glitch in the recording — the instant recording resumed after a pause, the position jumped 26 meters. I never walked through that spot, so it's been removed.
- 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 points between full pack and summit pack are at Kuhanuoxin Cabin (Day 01) and the Campground below Sancha Peak (Day 04). Actual conditions on the ground take priority over this record.
