Luniao Mountain Ridge Loop (Pingtiantang Ancient Path)
Luoyaowu village lane, Xikou Village (door numbers 60–70) 杭州市余杭区百丈镇溪口村 罗窑坞村中起步（门牌 60–70 号一带） → Same, a circuit; you come down the north shoulder and re-enter the village from the east 同起点（环线）；下撤走北肩一侧，从东侧回村
Plan Your Route
Quick Facts
| Start | Luoyaowu village lane, Xikou Village (door numbers 60–70) 杭州市余杭区百丈镇溪口村 罗窑坞村中起步（门牌 60–70 号一带） |
| Finish | Same, a circuit; you come down the north shoulder and re-enter the village from the east 同起点（环线）；下撤走北肩一侧，从东侧回村 |
| Area | Luniao & Baizhang, Yuhang |
| Transport | Metro line 2 to 良渚站, then village buses 7457 and 2598B toward 溪口村, then a 2 km roadside walk to the lane; by car, search 罗窑坞 70 号 or 鸬鸟山入口停车场. No timetable is published, so confirm the day's buses before setting out. |
| Crowd level | Weekdays are close to empty; two accounts separately call it quiet even in good weather. The rush is not summer but the azalea fortnight and the first weekend after snow, when the lots fill. Nothing here is ticketed, so there is no headcount to quote. |
When to go
Mid October to November and April to early May are the honest windows: cool, dry, with the ridge wind at its most tolerable. Winter after snow gives rime on the boulders and half-melted slush on the steps, the slickest surface this path offers, and Zhejiang's fire-prevention period, 1 November to 30 April, covers the spring weeks. In summer, start before 09:00.
Route Summary
What this walk is
Far west of Hangzhou, in the hills behind 良渚, one ridge serves two towns at once: reverse-geocoding the top returns 鸬鸟镇, while the village you left below it belongs to 百丈镇. The district’s name for joining them on foot is 鸬鸟百丈趣野线; the older name for the route is 百丈平天堂森林古道, which its own description runs from 罗窑坞 to 九东山, 8 km end to end, and which a 2018 provincial report dated to the late Tang and called a stone-step mountain path. Its repair doctrine was to keep the old stone surface old. That is why this day is beautiful and why it is hard.
The loop hikers actually walk turns back before 九东山: 8.2 km, near 770 m of climbing, and a high point of about 880 m that arrives at 37% of the distance and roughly 45% of the time. That ratio is the story, and the easy-walk framing this route carries in Chinese-language posts does not survive being measured. The climb is in the first third; the rest is descent on thousands of stone treads, which is not rest.
Step-by-Step Route
Out of 罗窑坞: the lane, not the gate
5 min, 0.25 kmThis walk begins in a hamlet rather than at an arch. All three records set off inside 罗窑坞, between door numbers 60 and 70, at about 115 m, while the registered trailhead POI stands 347.8 m from where the walking line actually passes, beside the ancient path's own stone arch. So the satnav leaves you a short walk from the real start, and the opening few hundred metres are a shared lane with slow traffic rather than a path. Past the last wall the ground tilts up at once, and by the 145 m mark the climb is underway and does not stop for two kilometres.
Caution: No sign at the start; the first 150 m is shared village lane
The step wall: two kilometres that are really one staircase
1 h 15 min, 2.0 km, 133 to 714 mThis is the section the day is about: two kilometres at a measured 1.6 km/h, with 580 m of the gain inside it, laid as stone steps through bamboo. The district counts more than three thousand of them and one account says 3,600; nobody has stood there and counted. The 2018 repair doctrine was to keep the old stone surface old, which is wonderful for atmosphere and unkind to ankles: treads vary in height, and drainage crosses them where the path runs beside the gully. You pass the point the map registers as 泗溪入口 at 1,554 m along and 488 m high, which puts that valley mouth on the way up rather than, as hikers' shorthand has it, on the way down.
Caution: Continuous ascent on uneven old stone that stays wet after rain
The crown, slowly: the flattest part is the slowest
1 h 5 min, 0.9 km, 714 to 866 mAbove 700 m the going gets slower, not easier: 0.8 km/h across this band, the worst pace on the loop, because the ground is boulder-strewn, the steps return in short bursts between rocks, and this is where people stop. The main record spent nineteen continuous minutes within twenty metres of the high point, which is the honest measure of what the top is worth. About 880 m, a scatter of large rocks, and grass that regulars compare to the Wugushan meadows. The three records read 878, 885 and 885 m within twenty metres of one another, so the number is approximate on purpose, and there is no summit sign.
Caution: Exposed, wind-scoured, no shade and no water; the nearest premises are 370 m below
Over the north shoulder: where the map has the wrong idea
1 h, 2.3 km, 866 to 350 mThe descent leaves the crown north-east and drops along a shoulder instead of straight down, and it passes a marker worth understanding. The map registers a peak called 鸬鸟山 1.4 km north of the true high point; our line comes within 270 m of it where the ground reads 545 m, and the satellite elevation there is 544 m. So the pin is neither broken nor the summit: it is a shoulder with a name on it, which matters if you navigate by phone. It is also where the paperwork changes, because reverse-geocoding the high point returns 鸬鸟镇 while the village below belongs to 百丈镇.
Caution: Loose stone and slab underfoot, and no easy way back up if you tire
The east slope: bamboo, slab, and the valley road in sight
25 min, 1.6 km, 350 to 169 mBelow the shoulder the path steepens into a bamboo draw and height falls faster than is comfortable on tired legs: 350 m to 169 m in twenty-five recorded minutes, which is close to 4 km/h on ground that should not be walked at that speed. Slabs, then gravel, then lane again. Halfway down you can see 泗溪村 and its cluster of bus routes, 415 m away across terraces and rooflines and unreachable from the path without going out to the road. Visitor accounts mention water noise in this gully after rain, which is about the most that can honestly be claimed for streams here: this is a dry mountain except when it is wet.
Caution: Fast and easy to run, which is exactly where ankles go
Back in the village, and the other half of the day
10 min, 0.85 km, 169 to 122 mThe last kilometre is lane, closing 14.7 m from where the record started, which across three independent walks of the same shape means the circuit is one line rather than three approximations of it. Two things wait at the bottom. One is food and a toilet, both of which belong down here rather than up there. The other is 溪口村's museum cluster, 1.5 to 2.2 km further east along the valley: fifteen village museums in a hamlet that turned that into a business, with an FAO demonstration-village listing behind it. All three named museums shut on Monday, so if today is Monday you made the right call by being on the hill.
Caution: Road shoulder; the loop closes on itself
Getting There & Back
From Hangzhou without a car
BestTake metro line 2 north to 良渚站, the closest rail head, since neither 鸬鸟 nor 百丈 has a station. Village buses then run west towards 百丈, and the pairing the map routes is 7457 then 2598B to the 溪口村 stop. That stop lies 1.98 km from the lane where this walk starts, much of it along 溪六线 with only intermittent hard standing, so allow twenty-five minutes. Last departures are published nowhere we could read, so confirm the day's buses before setting out.
By car, and what to type into the satnav
Search 罗窑坞 70 号, or the POI 鸬鸟山入口停车场, which is the same corner of the village. The map gives 39.1 km from 良渚 and 61.8 km from 杭州东站, mostly on 235国道 then 溪六线. Do not search 旗子岗: the map's peak of that name sits 9.6 km away towards 径山 and will put you in another valley. Three car parks cluster at this corner, 408 to 518 m off the walking line, one listed as suspended.
The two valleys, and the bus stop each one has
The loop touches no bus stop at all. 溪口村 (BV09522647) serves 2597C, 2597 and 2598B and lies east of the start; 泗溪村 (BV10186490) serves 2549, 2596, 2597, 2597C, 2598B and 7457, 415 m from the drawn line on the north side of the ridge; 九东山 (BV11456375) on 2596 is the end of the official ancient path, 1.66 km from this loop. Any of them means a roadside walk before you are on stone.
Returning to the trailhead: the road walk and the last bus
ReturnComing down the east slope puts you back in the lane roughly where you started, so the circuit closes itself and there is no one-way pick-up to arrange. The risk is the timetable, not the path: village buses thin out in the late afternoon, and a missed connection means a taxi across two towns or 2 km of roadside walking in the dark. Decide beforehand what your latest safe turnaround is, and treat the road-head cafe as a place you have already left.
Practical Notes
One distance, one climb, one high point
8.2 km and about 770 m of climbing, measured from walked records in October 2026, high point about 880 m. The district's 8 km is the whole ancient path to 九东山 and this loop stops 1.66 km short, so the resemblance of the two numbers is coincidence, not corroboration. The 9 km, 11 km and 9 to 12 km figures in circulation are longer variants.
Navigate to a door number, not to a peak
Type 罗窑坞 70 号, or the POI 鸬鸟山入口停车场. Searching the mountain's name, or the crest name 旗子岗, is how people end up in the wrong valley: the map's 旗子岗 lies 9.6 km away towards 径山. There is no gate, ticket or turnstile at the start, so arriving at the wrong hamlet costs only the walk back.
The start is a lane 350 m from the signposted trailhead
The registered 罗窑坞游步道 and the ancient path's stone arch are one departure complex, 12 m apart, and the walking line begins 347.8 m west of them, inside the village. Aim for the arch by car, then look for the lane; the eastern lot adds half a kilometre of road before the first step.
Monday closes the museums, and the cafe is not on the path
The three named village museums run Tuesday to Sunday, the earliest closing at 16:00. The cafe, platform and azalea field are 370 to 377 m off the walking line, so treating them as a meeting point adds 0.8 km of down and up to a day already carrying 770 m. Hours are per on-site notice.
Fire prevention runs through the spring window
Zhejiang's forest fire-prevention period is 1 November to 30 April, and under it no ignition source or flammable material goes into woodland. That covers the azalea weeks, which are the reason many people come. Whether 余杭 posts its own notice or runs an entry check on top is not settled here; carry nothing that sparks.
Parking, water and the things sold at the bottom
Three car parks sit within 500 m of the start and one is listed as suspended, so do not count on a particular lot. A car-owner's account calls the parking free and mentions water and grilled rice cakes sold beside it, the only food recorded here, and not guaranteed. Fill bottles down there.
Two extensions, both of which need a lift
The ancient path continues east to 九东山, 1.66 km beyond this loop's furthest point, and a 6.2 km east section was promoted in November 2025 as a link into the 大径山 greenway. Either turns the circuit into a line, needing a second driver or a checked timetable. The east section's entrance has no coordinates in our archive, so it is named and not mapped.
Winter is a different mountain and a longer day
The winter record of this loop took 5 h 08 min against the spring record's 3 h 56 min on the same line. Ice hangs on north-facing steps long after the road clears, and half-melted slush on stone is the slickest surface here. Poles and real soles stop being optional, and buses leave the valley earlier.
Safety Notes
- The ascent is one continuous stone staircase of several thousand steps, measured at 1.6 km/h over the steep two kilometres. Anyone who cannot manage four hours of climbing without a long rest should not start this in heat.
- There is no water, shelter or shade on the crest. The band above 700 m is about 1.7 km of exposed ridge, roughly a fifth of the walk, and wind there is a real cooling risk even in April.
- Zhejiang's forest fire-prevention period runs 1 November to 30 April: no fire, no smoking, no flammable material into the woodland, with penalties set by provincial regulation.
- The descent is slab and gravel on a sustained gradient, which is where knees and ankles fail. Poles are not a comfort item on this walk, and neither is a brace if you have ever needed one.
- Nothing on this ridge is signposted as a viewpoint, and the map's named points mislead: its 鸬鸟山 marker stands on a 545 m shoulder 1.4 km from the high point, and its 旗子岗 is a different hill 9.6 km away.
- Work out your latest safe turnaround before you start. The recorded climb takes about 1 h 47 min at a normal pace, and the road walk back from any bus stop is another 2 km in low light.
Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to common planning questions about transport, Chinese place names, timing, and safety for this route.
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There are three Chinese names for this route. Which one is official?
All three are real, and they name different things. 鸬鸟百丈趣野线 is the district's line name, published in October 2026. 百丈平天堂森林古道 is the ancient path, recorded as running 8 km from 罗窑坞 to 九东山. 鸬鸟山罗窑坞环线 is the circuit hikers walk, the 8.2 km we measured, which never reaches 九东山. A label, a heritage route, and your day. -
Chinese-language posts call this easy. Is it?
No, and the disagreement is about who is describing the walk. Those posts compare this with the flat greenway routes around Hangzhou and speak to people who already walk hills. Measured here: 770 m of climbing inside the first third of the distance, several thousand continuous steps, no water or toilet on the ridge, and the nearest shop 0.4 km off the path. Grade: Challenging. -
What do three thousand steps do to your legs, and are poles worth carrying?
The step band averages 1.6 km/h over two kilometres, slower than walking on a road, which is the honest measure of the tread height; above 700 m it falls to 0.8 km/h. The damage comes on the way down, where around 500 m of height goes off over slab and gravel. Poles take a real share of that load off the knees. -
Where do I get water and food? Is the ridge cafe a fallback?
Carry 1.5 to 2 litres per person and expect none of it replaced. The cafe, platform and azalea field sit at the road head on 漕雅线, 370 to 377 m from the walking line and over 500 m from the high point, so reaching them means dropping 0.4 km and climbing straight back. They serve a car, not a walker. At the foot, one account describes water and grilled rice cakes by the parking area. -
Where is the toilet?
In the village, plus a basic place two accounts put beside the small shop near the top, which is a claim to plan around sceptically. The registered public toilets in 溪口村 and 泗溪村 are 1.3 to 1.9 km from the lane you start from, and nothing stands between the treeline and the crest. Neither hill-side claim has coordinates, so no marker is placed. -
Can I do this without a car?
Yes, at the cost of time and a margin for error. Metro line 2 to 良渚站, then village buses west towards 百丈, reach the 溪口村 stop, from which the start is still 1.98 km of roadside walking. The map computes roughly two hours, which is an algorithm's number rather than a timetable, and nothing reliable exists on first and last departures. -
The fire-prevention period is 1 November to 30 April. Does that stop you walking?
It does not close the path, but it changes what you carry: no ignition source and no flammable material into woodland, which rules out a cigarette, a stove and a lantern. It also covers the azalea weeks, when most spring visitors come. Whether the district adds its own notice or an entry check is not established here. -
When are the azaleas, and when is the ice? How short are those windows?
The ridge display is given as mid April to early May, runs a fortnight or less, and swings hard by year: a May 2023 account found almost none of the fabled bloom left. Ice holds on north-facing steps for a day or two after snow and a hard freeze as half-melted slush, which is when photographers come and when the path is most slippery. -
What can you actually see from the crest, and how should I read the Wugushan nickname?
Open ground in most directions: the two towns you stand between, the eastern tail of the 天目山 to the west, and on a clear day 窑头山, 1095.2 m and 10.9 km away, the highest point of this part of Hangzhou. No source of ours records a sea of clouds or a built platform. The little Wugushan nickname is about the feel of grass and stone; the real one is near 2,000 m and takes days. -
What can reasonably be added to the same day?
溪口村's museum cluster: fifteen village museums 1.5 to 2.2 km east along the valley, Monday closed, the earliest site shutting at 16:00. Everything else needs wheels. 釜托禅寺, founded in 912, is 7.7 km away, and 山沟沟, the bigger scenic area of this valley, is about 7.5 km and listed as suspended, so no price is quoted.
Nearby Routes
Other trails starting from the same area, worth combining or visiting on another day.
Qingshan Huanzhe Classic Loop
The nearest hard walk in this corner of Yuhang, 8.10 km off across the 青山 and 黄湖 valleys: 10.6 km and 764 m of climbing, reservoirs and watchtowers rather than one long staircase. Different towns, so it needs a car.
Qingshan Xiaoniu Loop
A shorter loop at the same end of the district, 8.33 km away, laid over the course of a 2025 trail race: village lane, reservoir, one climb. It is the gentler version of the same morning, and the one to hand to whoever refused the steps.
Jingshan Ancient Path and Temple Hike
An ancient stone path to a temple with a written history, 11.69 km east of this trailhead: tea, steles, less exposed ground and far less sustained climbing. Reachable by car, or by a bus chain with too many transfers for one day.
Jingshan Huanzhe Zero-Mile Loop
The recorded start of the 环浙步道 system, 12.26 km away, and the third mountain village in this corner worth driving between. Its own page mentions the 2500M bus towards 百丈, which is why the western towns work as one weekend region at one hill per day.