Luoyang to Laojun Mountain summit and Yangzi Valley, 3 days

Leave at eight on the Luoluan expressway and reach Luanchuan in a little over two hours. Lunch first, then drop the bags at the foot of the mountain. The afternoon belongs to Zhuimeng Valley, low on the mountain, where a stream runs beside the path and a small waterfall closes the walk. Two hours out and back, hardly any climbing, enough to loosen up after the drive. Sleep early for the cable car.

Attraction introduction: Zhuimeng Valley sits on the lower slope of Laojun Mountain, a boardwalk following the stream at low altitude where the air stays damp and broadleaf forest covers both banks. Fewer people walk here than up top, which keeps it quiet, and it fills the leftover half day nicely.

Tips: The mountain runs a season behind the valley, so bring a layer for the evening. Guests generally find the stones in the stream bed hold water and grow moss, which makes them slippery. In practice, wear shoes with grip and leave the new white pair at home.

At eight, the shuttle to the cable station, then two rides. The first reaches Zhongtianmen, where you change to the peak cable car and step out onto the summit boardwalk. The morning goes to Shili Huaping, a path built against the cliff with rock on one side and a deep valley on the other, cloud rising from below so that you walk a stretch and stop a stretch. Lunch on top, then the golden summit in the afternoon, where the halls line the ridge with bronze-coloured roofs. Stay for the lights, which come on all at once and turn the roofs into one bright surface.

Attraction introduction: Laojun Mountain rises south of Luanchuan county town and takes its name from Laozi, who is said to have withdrawn here to cultivate. The summit temples date from the Northern Wei and have been rebuilt across the centuries, strung along the ridge, with the golden summit the highest of them and dedicated to the Supreme Lord Laozi. Shili Huaping is a hanging boardwalk along the cliff, flat throughout and the easiest place on the mountain to watch cloud.

Tips: The last uphill ride on the main cable car is at half past three, so do not leave the ascent until the afternoon. Guests generally find the wind on the summit strong enough to take a hat, so hold the phone firmly when shooting. In practice, claim a spot ten minutes before the lights, because everyone moves forward at the same moment.

No alarm. Watch the sun come up on the summit, then start down at half past eight, reversing both cable cars. By half past nine you are in Yangzi Valley east of the county town, where the path simply follows a stream, flat and shaded, the leaves turning early in autumn. Walk to Laolong Pool and turn back, two hours or so. Lunch at the valley mouth, on the road at half past two, in Luoyang around five.

Attraction introduction: Yangzi Valley lies five kilometres east of Luanchuan and takes its name from Fan Lihua of the Tang, who is said to have camped here, given birth and raised her son, leaving old stockade walls and a few small temples. The valley is stream and shallow ford, with a walkway built along the water and very little climb, the least demanding of the Luanchuan valleys.

Tips: The path runs beside water, so soles need grip, and keep children close at the edge. Guests generally find the valley quiet in the morning and busy once the groups arrive around midday. In practice, this valley fits neatly into the half day after coming down, ending at the vehicle.