About 120km west of Xiangfan, rail and road converge at small WUDANG SHAN TOWN , with the mountain range rising immediately to the south. You can get here until late afternoon on buses from Xiangfan, but only one train a day from either direction actually stops at Wudang Shan, if you're not on it, you'll have to get out 25km farther west at the city of SHIYAN and catch a minibus back to Wudang Shan (¥10) from opposite Shiyan's train station.

 

Either way, you shouldn't need to stay in Wudang Shan Town - though there are several hotels and restaurants here - as minibuses (¥10) sporting red and white Tao symbols hang around arrival points at least until early evening for the 15km run up the ridges to the mountain's trail head. There's a stop at the park gates outside town to pay the inevitable entrance fee (¥21), then drivers tear up past stark fields, outlying temples and martial arts schools to where the road ends amongst a cluster of hotels, gift shops and parked vehicles. Hawkers proffer maps and try to drag you over to various businesses; places to stay are expensive for what they offer, though hunt around and you can uncover some OK deals. Best of the mid-range options is Xuanwu Binguan, identifiable by its large Tao symbol (¥150-200), whose slightly scruffy rooms have good views, and you can eat cheaply and well upstairs at tiny Fengshen Jiulou.