Laojie Ridge 老界岭

About Laojie Ridge

The name records the ridge's position: it lies on the boundary between China's northern and southern climates and on the divide between the two great river basins, and the county also links the first character to a tradition that Laozi withdrew here. The Xixia County government calls its main peak, Jijiaojian, the highest in the Central Plains and records it at 2,222.5 metres, while the Nanyang tourism bureau gives 2,212.5 metres. Fifteen further summits rise above 1,800 metres. The annual mean temperature is 12.5 degrees Celsius and summer averages about 22 degrees.

The visitor area is organised in five parts: the Fenshuiling, Xianrenfeng and Qingrengu sections, a mountain resort and a hot-spring resort, with named features including the watershed itself, Shennü Peak, the Funiu mountain god, the Welcoming Pine, Camel Peak and Sawtooth Peak. Development began in 2001, and a five-kilometre ecological boardwalk now runs around the mountain. Forest cover is put at above 90 per cent by the municipal bureau and at 97.8 per cent by the county, and surveys record 2,879 plant species, more than 400 kinds of birds and animals and over 1,200 medicinal herbs.

What to look for

• Fenshuiling, the watershed point between the Yangtze and Yellow River basins
• Jijiaojian, the main peak, described by the Xixia County government as the highest summit in the Central Plains
• The five-kilometre ecological boardwalk running around the mountain
• Named rock formations including Shennü Peak, Camel Peak and Sawtooth Peak
• The Welcoming Pine, one of the mountain's named landmarks

Location & getting there

Getting to Laojie Ridge

Check weather, trail access and the last return service. A mountain or forest area is not one entrance, and a map’s central pin may be far from the trailhead.

• Search for 老界岭 with 南阳市 and 西峡县.