Emeishan Travel - Wearing Ideas

Traveling to Mt. Emei one will often encounter a choice of where to stay for one night for the big mountain. There is a big difference of temperature by the base of Mt. Emei and by the summit of Mt. Emei due to the altitude difference. Extra preparation is thus needed.

Mt. Emei in early Jan by 2500m.

Base of Emei

Mt. Emei in a usual hazy weather from the city of Emeishan.

In general the base of Emei has a similar weather and temperature as that of Chengdu for all the seasons. The elevation by the base of Emei is at around 500m in general. You won’t need the extra clothing when you are by the base of Emei although it may feel 2-3C lower than the city when you are near the mountain.

Summit of Emei

The summit of Emei is at the elevation of 3000m and it is in general 10C to 15C lower than the base of Emei. So whenever you plan a trip to Emei, you will most likely to go to the summit so please be aware of the difference on temperature of the base and on the summit and prepare extra clothing for this. However the difference of temperature is bigger in some seasons than other seasons. In spring and fall the temperature difference is bigger than that of summer and winter. If you are traveling in these seasons you will surely bring one extra layer for the summit. For example in October usually the base of Emei will still feel quite hot by the temperature of 25C, while the summit may only have a temperature of 12C or even lower if the weather is not good. In winter the summit of Emei may even feel warmer than the lower part because the top is sometimes above the cloud and in the sunlight while the lower part of mountain is always under cloud that has a temperature of only 5C or lower even during daytime.

We recommend you to check the weather forecast of Emei in general even though it often is not very accurate for the weather forecast by the summit because the summit of Emei sometimes has a complete different weather since its elevation is higher than that of other mountains around. We also recommend you to pack a raincoat or umbrella while visiting Emei no matter what the season is because the lower part of Emei is a very humid place.

Although you don’t have to pack too much extra clothing for the summit of Emei because your visit to the summit is during daytime when it should be the warmest time of the day. Worst case that you don’t have anything for the cold conditions you are always able to rent a coat by the bus terminal at Leidongping. In winter normally we don’t recommend you to rent anything because normally what you wear by the base will suffice the summit for winter time. And in summer you will only feel a bit chilling/cool by the summit that your summer clothes should also suffice.

Mt. Emei near 2500m in Mid March

Icy Trail above 2000m in Winter

Visitors will possibly encounter icy trails in Emei at the elevation above 2000m when traveling in winter time from late November to the next February. Although most of the time the trail is okay and safe to walk. Only after snow you will need to watch out for icy trails. And by the lower and middle part of the mountain you don’t have to worry too much about this because it’s too low to allow the ice to form for most time of the year.

Mt. Emei is a snowy place and every year there is snow. By Leidongping bus terminal there are shops selling spikes for visitors to wear on the icy trails. We recommend you to use a pair of spikes and wear on shoes in winter if you don’t feel comfortable walking a slippery stairs or if you don’t have good knees or legs.