1.    Begin at the main gate of the Foguangyan Scenic Area beside the highway, where you can buy your ticket, use the restrooms, and pick up water or simple snacks at the visitor center before entering the park.

2.    Walk inside and follow the signs to the sightseeing bus stop; either board the electric shuttle for the 10-minute ride up the valley, or, if you prefer a longer warm-up, take the paved footpath instead, a 2.8-kilometer gentle uphill walk through bamboo and forest to the upper trailhead.

3.    Get off the shuttle at the upper station and follow the paved path for a few minutes as it crosses the red rock “Dan Stone Bridge” and passes a small pavilion, where the gorge begins to narrow and the sound of running water grows louder.

4.    Continue along the main path until you reach the signed junction at Liangchahe, where the trail splits: the left-hand route is marked for Foguangyan, and the right-hand route points toward Wuzhufeng (Five Pillar Peak).

5.    Turn left toward Foguangyan and follow the stone steps and wooden boardwalk upstream, walking about 1.3 kilometers through dense subtropical forest, past ferns, bamboo and small cascades as the red cliffs slowly come into view above the treetops.

6.    Climb the final flight of stairs to reach Lianhua Terrace, the main viewing platform directly opposite the giant red rock amphitheater and waterfall, and take time here to move between railings, feel the spray, and look up at the full curve of the cliff.

7.    Continue higher on the waymarked small path to the first and second upper viewpoints above Lianhua Terrace, where you can see the waterfall almost at eye level and look down on the terrace and valley floor before retracing your steps back to Lianhua Terrace.

8.    Descend from Lianhua Terrace the same way you came, following the boardwalk and steps back down the gorge to Liangchahe, where you rejoin the main junction and turn right this time onto the path signed for Wuzhufeng.

9.    Begin the climb toward Wuzhufeng on a steeper series of stone stairways that wind up through thick forest; over the next 800 meters or so, you will gain height quickly, and the trees occasionally open to reveal glimpses of the red pillars standing across the valley.

10.Continue upwards until you reach the “Best View Platform” for Wuzhufeng, a fenced terrace where you can rest, drink some water, and take in the full view of the five tall Danxia rock columns rising from the greenery like giant stone towers.

11.When you are ready to return, follow the same stairway back down to Liangchahe, then either walk the 150–200 meters back to the shuttle stop and ride the sightseeing bus down to the gate, or stay on the paved footpath and descend the full 2.8-kilometer forest trail to the lower visitor center, completing your loop back at the main entrance.