Hike the Beech Root Ridge Ancient Trail | Thousand-year-old Ancient Trail | A great place to avoid traffic jams during National Day holiday.
The Beech Root Ridge Ancient Trail was first built in the early Ming Dynasty and continued in the Qing Dynasty. It is 7.4 kilometers long and paved with rectangular bluestone slabs, each approximately 1.5 meters long, 0.6 meters wide, and 0.2 meters thick. It was the "national highway" connecting Anqing, the provincial capital of Anhui Province, with Huizhou and Jiangxi. It is commonly known as the "Ancient Huizhou Road". It is the best-preserved and culturally rich ancient "national highway" in southern Anhui.
The Beech Root Pass on the ancient trail is a military pass built by Zeng Guofan's Xiang Army on the ridge of the Beech Root Ridge Ancient Huizhou Road. It was used to prevent the Taiping Army from advancing south. The city wall is 3.5 meters high, 18 meters wide, and 5 meters thick; the city gate is 2.2 meters high and 1 meter wide. The entire pass and city wall are built with bluestone slabs, magnificent and imposing, with the momentum of "one man guarding the pass, ten thousand men cannot open it".
The starting point of the ancient trail is located in Licha Pit Village, Ruokeng Township, Qimen County, Anhui Province. Navigate and take Huangfu Expressway, exit at Shanli Interchange, then follow the navigation prompts directly to Licha Pit Village, where there is a free parking lot. The entrance to the ancient trail is on the hillside across the creek from the parking lot. After entering the ancient trail, you can first follow the ancient trail signs to the right and complete the Beech Root Ridge Ancient Trail, reaching the road at the top of the mountain. This is the resting point after climbing the ancient trail. A little further down to the right is the Beech Root Pass. You can visit the nearby area and enjoy the scenery. Most tourists return along the original route after visiting here. Yesterday, after our visit, we did not return directly along the original route, but continued hiking along the mountaintop road towards the main peak of Xianyu Mountain for about 4 kilometers. You can see the sign for the Seven-Colored Jade Valley. Follow the sign down to the Seven-Colored Jade Valley, which is a ticketed attraction. Recently, due to the partial destruction of the scenic road by water, it is under repair, so there is no ticket inspection. After visiting the Seven-Colored Jade Valley, walk along the valley for 1.5 kilometers, and you will reach the sign for entering the ancient trail at Figures 18 and 19. This way, you don't have to walk back, and you can also visit the Seven-Colored Jade Valley. It is a relatively perfect small loop hike. It is recommended for friends with good physical strength to try it. Qimen Guniujiang Qimen·Huangshan