Siguniang Mountain: The Four Girls and the Valleys Below

Siguniang Mountain sits in the Qionglai range of western Sichuan, on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The name means "Four Girls Mountain", and it comes from four peaks that stand in a line: Dafeng (Big Girl), Erfeng (Second Girl), Sanfeng (Third Girl) and Yaomei Feng (Youngest Girl). Yaomei Feng is the highest of the four at 6,250 metres, and it is the one that draws mountaineers from outside China.

The mountain is the centrepiece of Siguniang Mountain Scenic Area, a protected region of roughly 2,000 square kilometres. Three valleys run off the massif — Shuangqiao Valley, Changping Valley and Haizi Valley — and each has its own character, its own walking and its own altitude profile. This is not a single-viewpoint stop. How much of it you see depends on how many valleys you enter and how far up each one you go.

The Four Peaks

Dafeng, at 5,025 metres, is the most accessible of the four. It is climbed on foot without technical equipment, and it is the usual first high-altitude summit for Chinese trekking clubs. Erfeng (5,276 metres) and Sanfeng (5,355 metres) are harder and require roped climbing. Yaomei Feng, at 6,250 metres, is a serious alpine objective with steep snow and ice, and it has a long record of expeditions that turned back.

For travellers who are not climbers, the peaks are the backdrop rather than the destination. They are visible from the valley floors and from the viewing platforms along the roads, and the light on them changes through the day.

The Three Valleys

Each valley is entered separately, and the entrance ticket covers the scenic area rather than a single valley. A shuttle bus system runs inside the valleys, with stops at the main viewpoints.

  • Shuangqiao Valley — the lowest and easiest of the three, with a paved road and shuttle stops. Redwood forests, meadows, streams and yak grazing, with the peaks above. Suitable for families and for anyone short on time or not acclimatised.
  • Changping Valley — a long valley floor walk of roughly 10 kilometres one way to the Muluozi pasture, with the option of continuing to the base of Yaomei Feng. Mostly level, but the altitude is between 3,000 and 3,700 metres, so it feels harder than the distance suggests.