Qiandao Lake Pailing Peninsula Greenway (7.3 km)
Slow-life Square 慢生活广场 → Riding Bridge and Shangjiangbu car ferry 骑行桥·上江埠
Plan Your Route
Quick Facts
| Start | Slow-life Square 慢生活广场 |
| Finish | Riding Bridge and Shangjiangbu car ferry 骑行桥·上江埠 |
| Area | Qiandao Lake (Chun'an) |
| Transport | High-speed rail to 千岛湖站, the 高铁快速专线 to 千岛湖汽车客运总站, then 淳安K015 to 千岛湖客运西站, which is 55 m from the start. Back from the western end by the 高铁-酒店穿梭巴士002 from 千岛湖祺悦度假村, or a 24-yuan taxi. |
| Crowd level | Empty on a weekday and busy with bicycles at weekends. The crowd is local and regional: station visits on the ring reached 823,000 in 2025 and the county ran 63 events on these roads, most of them rides. Walkers are the minority on this surface and should expect to be overtaken. |
When to go
March to May and October to November. The lake is high and clear in spring before the summer rains, and autumn brings the first cool week in October; 红叶湾's red-leaf peak sits in mid-to-late November on a different line. July and August are hot, bright and humid, and this is also typhoon season, when the county closes greenway sections. Winter is grey and quiet with early darkness.
Route Summary
The shore the county built for bicycles
Qiandao Lake is the reservoir behind the 新安江 dam, filled in 1959, and 淳安县 is Zhejiang’s largest county by area. Fourteen years of greenway building produced a ring of asphalt around it, and a county that counts success in kilometres and riders: 688.66 km of greenway at the end of 2025, of which 200 km is the classic ring, 150 km around the central lake and 50 km around the north-eastern lake. In 2025 those roads carried 63 events and 823,000 visits to the riding stations. The county’s phrase for it is 此生必骑千岛湖, roughly “a lake you must ride in your lifetime”.
None of that is a walk, and the county is candid about it: its June 2026 policy reply lists wrong signage, unevenly spread stations and ageing toilets among the defects it is fixing.
This page is about the one segment where the riding product is also a good walk: the 排岭半岛绿道, laid in 2012 as Hangzhou’s test section for the 三江两岸 programme, 8,000 万元 for 7.3 km west of the county town, with station buildings and a car ferry at the far end.
What the seven kilometres actually are
The line starts at 慢生活广场, the old coach-station square on 港口路, where the bus from town ends 55 m away and the nearest bicycle rental 154 m. For the first kilometre it is still a town. Then the peninsula narrows and the greenway runs on the lake side of 排岭南路 with the reservoir a few metres below the path.
The road takes the tunnels and the path goes round them. Five sit on the peninsula in order, 天清, 凤凰, 松树湾, 三潭 and 上江埠, and the drawn line stays 73 to 235 m from the four whose portals face this corridor; the fifth is 802 m off and belongs to the road past the quay. No sign tells a walker this; you see the portals and do not walk through them.
One surface, and everybody on it
The most useful sentence on this page is that this is a cycling greenway that walks well, not a footpath with a cycle path beside it. The county describes lanes for cycling, jogging and walking carried on one body, and a rider’s account says people on foot use the cobbled half. That is the arrangement: one slab, several uses, no separation, and bicycles arriving from behind at a speed that assumes you will keep right.
Step-by-Step Route
慢生活广场, and the kilometre that is still a town
20 min, 1.0 kmThe start is the old coach-station square on 港口路, which is why it reads as a transport interchange rather than a trailhead: a bus stop 55 m away, one bike rental 154 m off and a second at 226 m, coffee and wood-fired pizza at 骑野 51 m from the square, and an outdoor shop that also sells coffee at CAMPNESE 77 m. Walk west and the town thins out within a kilometre. This is the only part of the line where you can buy anything you have forgotten, and the county's own 2012 project put the greenway's eastern gateway here, 1.0 km south-south-west of the cruise wharf the report names as the official east end.
Caution: The first kilometre crosses the coach-station access road and a car-park entrance. Cyclists use it too, and they come from behind.
The lakeside kilometres, and the road that goes through the hills
25 min, 1.4 kmFrom the 1 km mark the greenway runs on the lake side of 排岭南路 with the water on your left, and it keeps doing so for four kilometres past this stretch: low wooded headlands, the reservoir a few metres below the path, and the far shore close enough to pick out individual bays: this is the part people photograph. The road beside you disappears into tunnels the greenway does not enter. 天清隧道 comes first at 1.7 km, its portal 87 m off on the far side of the trees, and the path rounds the mouth on the water side instead. No sign tells you this; it is simply where the path goes.
Photo suggestion: The light is best in the first two hours after sunrise, when the water is still and the far shore is a clean silhouette rather than a haze.
天清驿站, and the only restaurant on the line
30 min, 1.6 km天清驿站 sits 23 m off the line at 2.4 km: a station building with a bicycle shop, a car park and 小方农庄, a farmhouse restaurant 9 m away that is the only place to eat between the two ends of this walk. Nothing publishes hours, so treat it as a possibility rather than a plan and carry food if you walk at an hour when a kitchen might be closed. Just past the station, at 2.9 km, 凤凰隧道 takes the road 73 m away from the path, and the peninsula starts to narrow: from here to 三潭 the water sits on both sides for long stretches, less roadside and more causeway.
Caution: No mapped toilet at 天清. The next one is 4.3 km further on.
The long middle, and the tunnel with no station near it
40 min, 2.7 kmBetween 4 km and the two western stations at 6.7 km there is one tunnel and no station at all. 松树湾隧道 arrives at 5.8 km, 93 m off the line, in the emptiest stretch of the walk: no shop, no toilet and no mapped building for two kilometres either side. The compensation is the water, close and constant, and the quiet at the middle of a line that is busy at both ends; it is the only stretch where you hear the lake rather than the road. From a saddle this is ten minutes of smooth asphalt, and on foot it is the part of the day you will remember.
Caution: No water, no shelter and no exit from the middle section. In typhoon season the county can close greenway sections at short notice, and a closure notice applies to walkers as well as riders.
三潭 and 贝欧, the two stations sixty metres apart
15 min, 0.4 kmAt 6.7 km, with 1.1 km left, the walk reaches its last cluster of buildings: two station yards 64 m apart. 三潭驿站 has the car park and, 114 m away on the greenway itself, one of the three mapped public toilets. 贝欧驿站 has a car park and a self-service vending machine, which is the last place on this line to buy anything, and no rental counter in any source checked. This is where the arithmetic of the walk changes: either yard's car park is an exit if the weather turns, and theirs are the only walls and the only shade on the whole line.
Photo suggestion: The station yard at 三潭 is the only place on the line with walls and shade, which makes it the honest photograph of this walk.
The last 700 metres, the car ferry, and the bridge that has no pin
15 min, 0.7 kmThe final stretch runs past 三潭隧道, 235 m off the line, and past 界牌桥, a small bridge that carries the road rather than the path. Then the greenway ends at 上江埠汽车渡, a working car-ferry quay on 排岭南路 where vehicles still queue for the crossing, 31 m off the drawn line. The official 7.3 km ends here, and the bridge it is named for has no map entity anywhere in AMap: the only evidence for 骑行桥 is a guesthouse 35 m from this quay that calls itself 千岛湖骑行桥店. The 上江埠大桥 itself is another 2.5 km south along 淳杨线, and it is a road bridge, not a viewpoint.
Caution: The quay is a working ferry terminal with vehicle movements, not a plaza. Keep off the apron and do not treat the ferry as a passenger service without asking at the ticket window.
Getting There & Back
High-speed rail, and the bus change that follows
Best千岛湖站 sits at 文昌镇, 19 km north-east of the county town, on the 杭黄高铁. From the station take 千岛湖高铁快速专线 to 千岛湖汽车客运总站, which AMap times at 45 minutes, then 淳安K015 to 千岛湖客运西站, 55 m from 慢生活广场. The whole run is 2 h 11 min with two changes, which is why this is not a Hangzhou day trip.
The bus stop at the start, by route number
千岛湖客运西站(公交站) is 55 m from the square. The coach station's own AMap record carries 淳安501B, 502, 518, 520, 521 (西岭线) and 535B against the station rather than against one stop, and 501A, 502区间, 535A, K004内环, K004外环, K007 and K015 appear in the same cluster's records. Three further stop POIs sit within 89 m of it. Route numbers in this county have been renumbered more than once, so read the pole rather than an old article.
By car, and why it does not solve this walk
The 杭新景高速 reaches 千岛湖镇 in about two and a half hours. There are car parks at 三潭驿站 and 贝欧驿站 on the line, at the car ferry at the western end and at 千岛湖客运西站 at the town end. A car is the right tool for 红叶湾 or the small loop and the wrong one for a 7.3 km point-to-point walk whose two ends are both served by buses.
Our return leg: getting back by the 002 shuttle or a 24-yuan taxi
ReturnThe western end is the harder half of the transport problem. The nearest usable stop is 千岛湖祺悦度假村(公交站), 218 m from the line, served by 高铁-酒店穿梭巴士002 which runs toward 千岛湖高铁站 and the hotels. It is a hotel shuttle with hotel timings, so the realistic plan is a booked ride: AMap prices 上江埠 to 慢生活广场 at 24 yuan and 18 yuan back to the 祺悦. Do not rely on the shared bikes, which stay inside their own zone.
Practical Notes
Three distances, one line
7.3 km is the official figure from the 2012 project report. AMap's walking route over the same corridor draws at 7.78 km, and continuing from the car ferry to the 上江埠大桥 POI adds 2.5 km for 10.3 km. The three numbers describe three different pairs of ends, and none is wrong. Only the 7.3 km is a published figure; the other two are a routing engine's arithmetic.
One surface, shared with bicycles
This is a cycling greenway that walks well, not a footpath with a cycle lane beside it: one slab, several uses, no separation. A rider's account says people on foot use the cobbled half. Bicycles come up behind you at speed, so keep right when you stop and keep the headphones out.
Where the toilets actually are
Three mapped public toilets: 梦姑路626号 247 m from the start square, the greenway toilet 114 m from 三潭驿站 at 6.7 km, and another 138 m from the car ferry at 7.8 km. Nothing at 天清. The county's own 2026 reply calls the ring's public toilets too few and ageing, which matches the four-kilometre gap in the middle.
Water, food and the last shop
Eat and buy water at the start, where 骑野 and CAMPNESE both trade. After that there is 小方农庄 at 天清 and a vending machine at 贝欧, the last of them at 6.7 km of a 7.3 km walk. Carry a full bottle from 港口路 and do not count on anything being open.
Bail out at these points
The exits are the station car parks and the bus stops: the start at 0 km, 天清 at 2.4 km, 三潭 and 贝欧 at 6.7 km, and the car ferry at 7.8 km with the 祺悦 resort bus stop 218 m away. Between 2.4 km and 6.7 km there is no mapped exit at all, which is the one planning fact worth carrying.
Rentals, and what they will not do
One rental is within 200 m of the start, 千岛湖飞骑天下骑行驿站 at 154 m; 客运西站哈啰租电动车 is 226 m, 千岛湖乐游骑行 723 m and 517骑行驿站 3.2 km. No price list, season or stated policy on foreign passports is published for any of them. A rented bike shortens the walk; it does not solve the return leg unless you ride it back the way you came.
The tunnels are for the road, not for you
Five tunnels share the peninsula: 天清, 凤凰, 松树湾, 三潭 and 上江埠. The greenway rounds the four portals that face it, 73 to 235 m off, and the fifth is 802 m away on the extension. That is a fact about the drawn line, not a promise that every metre is signed for pedestrians.
Free, unbooked, and without a gate
There is no ticket, no reservation, no opening time and no daily cap on this greenway. It is public infrastructure rather than a scenic area, which is also why there is no visitor centre, no English signage and no ranger. Carry the route on your phone.
Safety Notes
- This is a shared cycling corridor, not a pedestrian path. Riders travel at cycling speed on the same surface with no physical separation, and on summer weekends they are the majority of the traffic. Keep right, stop off the line, and look behind before stepping toward the water.
- The reservoir is a drinking-water source with steep banks and no lifeguards on this corridor. There is no swimming from the greenway, no beach and no safe place to enter the water, whatever the shoreline looks like in a photograph.
- July to October is typhoon season. The county closes greenway sections, ferry crossings and island cruises when warnings are raised, and a closure applies to walkers as well as riders. Heavy rain also puts water across the path at the culverts.
- The middle section between 天清 (2.4 km) and 三潭 (6.7 km) has no mapped exit, no shop and no toilet. Mobile coverage along the shore has not been established. Tell somebody which end you started from.
- The 上江埠 car ferry is a working vehicle ferry. Stay off the apron, keep clear of reversing vehicles, and do not assume it takes foot passengers without asking.
- Night lighting is claimed by the camp operator and confirmed by no official source. Do not plan to walk any part of this line after dark.
Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to common planning questions about transport, Chinese place names, timing, and safety for this route.
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This is a cycling greenway. Why is there a walking page for it?
Because cycling is how the county sells the ring and walking is how a visitor without a bike can use one honest segment of it: flat, free, bus-served at both ends and lakeside throughout, the one part of a 200 km riding product that works on foot. The page says plainly that you share the surface with bikes. -
Why do I keep seeing 7.3, 7.8 and 10.3 kilometres for the same walk?
They measure three different pairs of ends. 7.3 km is the official 2012 figure for the peninsula segment. The routing engine's line from 慢生活广场 to the quay draws at 7.78 km. Continuing from the ferry to the 上江埠大桥, which the project report calls the western terminus, adds 2.5 km for 10.3 km. Pick the one that matches where you plan to turn around. -
Which end should I start from, and how do I get back?
Start at 慢生活广场, because that is where the buses, the rentals, the coffee and the toilets are, and walk west. For the return, the realistic answer is a booked ride at about 24 yuan from 上江埠, or the 高铁-酒店穿梭巴士002 from the 祺悦 resort stop 218 m away. The 002 follows hotel timings, so do not build the day around it. -
Do I have to walk through the tunnels?
No. Five road tunnels share the peninsula and the greenway rounds the four whose portals face it on the lake side, staying 73 to 235 m from each; the fifth, 上江埠隧道, sits 802 m off and belongs to the extension past the quay rather than to this walk. That is a property of the drawn line rather than a signed footway: you will see the portals, and you will not walk through them. -
Where are the toilets and can I get water?
Three public toilets are mapped: 梦姑路626号 247 m from the start square, one on the greenway 114 m from 三潭驿站, and one 138 m from the car ferry at the far end. Between 天清 and 三潭 there is nothing. Buy water at the start on 港口路, where 骑野 and CAMPNESE both trade, and refill nowhere else. -
Is it really flat, and how long does it take?
Flat, at reservoir level: a DEM pass returns 99 to 139 m, water surface and shoreline relief rather than climbing. The routing engine walks 7,783 m in 6,226 s, about 1 h 45 min of moving. Two and a half to three and a half hours is the honest range once you stop at the stations. -
Can I rent a bike at the start?
There is one rental 154 m from 慢生活广场, 千岛湖飞骑天下骑行驿站, a second at 226 m, 客运西站哈啰租电动车, and two more at 723 m and 3.2 km. None publishes a price, a season or a policy on foreign passports, so ask before you commit. A bike shortens the walk but does not by itself solve getting back. -
Is there a ticket, a booking or an opening time?
None of the three. This is public greenway on a reservoir shore rather than a scenic area: no gate, no ticket, no reservation and no daily cap in any source checked. That also means no visitor centre, no English signage and no ranger, and it leaves the county's typhoon-season closure notices as the only authority on whether the path is open. -
When should I go, and what about typhoons?
March to May and October to November are the clean windows. July and August are hot, bright and humid, and July to October is typhoon season, when the county closes greenway sections, ferries and island cruises. Winter is quiet, grey and dark early, and none of the three station buildings publishes winter hours. -
Is the extra 2.5 km to 上江埠大桥 worth it?
Only if you want the bridge itself. It is a road bridge on 淳杨线 with traffic on it, not a viewpoint, and the walk there is 2.5 km one-way past the point where the painted greenway ends. The better extension is the 千岛湖·骑士ParK and 上江埠观景台 cluster 700 m beyond the ferry, which has a car park and a lake view.
Nearby Routes
Other trails starting from the same area, worth combining or visiting on another day.
Tiaoxi Greenway Dike-Crest Walk
The other flat Hangzhou walk on a working piece of water infrastructure: 15.5 km along the crest of the 西险大塘 flood dyke in Yuhang, with a bus on the dyke itself. Same honesty about a shared surface, completely different object.
Maling Ancient Path, Tonglu
The measured one-way walk in the next county south-west, through the 芦茨溪 valley on a provincial Grade-1 ancient trail. Where Tiaoxi is engineered and Qiandao is a reservoir shore, this one is stone steps and creek crossings.
Zhongtai Tea Ridge Walk
If the flat lake leaves you wanting a climb, this is the Hangzhou page with real elevation: a low tea-hill ridge in Yuhang with a measured GPS line and a summit platform being rebuilt.