Entrance to the Stairway at the Black Dragon Pool 黑龙潭
One of the features of the iconic scenery at Black Dragon Pool is the presence of a hill just behind the bridge, together with the pavilion it serves as a foreground to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The name of the hill is Elephant Hill and one would probably guess why it was named that way. When viewed from afar Elephant Hill looks like, surprise, an elephant. It wasn’t that high either and it makes for a perfect viewpoint to see the surrounding area. I finally got to the point where the path leads to a long flight of stairs obviously to go up the hill.
Going Up Elephant Hill 象山
The park authorities try to make sure that people cannot go up the hill alone for fear of something happening to them. Even if you do not know each other as long as you are four they will allow you to pass. I unexpectedly found myself in the company for three other visitors and we were able to go in the checkpoint. As for me, I wasn’t really sure I was ready to climb up the hill. I was hoping I would get good views of the Lijiang Ancient Town from the hill, unfortunately, I was casting a wary eye on the weather. It was already drizzling, and I didn’t have and umbrella. I didn’t want to risk getting caught in a thunderstorm on top of a hill with my camera. I had to stop myself from going up and turned back. The climb supposedly take around an hour going up. So it make take some time to get to the top. I have seen views from Elephant Hill and they were indeed nice. I’d have to note this down again as part of my to do list the next time I drop by.
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