Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: Tickets, Cable Cars, Altitude

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yulong Xueshan, 玉龙雪山) is about 25 km from Lijiang, according to Wikivoyage, and its highest peak, Shanzidou, reaches 5,596 m. You can see it from Lijiang city. Prices and cable-car details come with several conflicting numbers, because the mountain's official website would not open from our connection, and the Lijiang Culture and Tourism Bureau site also failed on the check day. So few of these facts are confirmed at source. This page shows the figures from each source with their status instead of choosing one number. What every source agrees on is that you should book ahead and that the cable-car tickets to the top sell out quickly.

This page covers the sight. The route overview is in the Yunnan travel guide, the old town is on the Lijiang Old Town page, hotels are on where to stay in Yunnan, and country-wide rules are on the China hub.

Entry fees and prices we found

None of this is an official price. Every figure comes from a source that is not the mountain's own site, checked on 16 and 17 October 2026. The numbers differ because the sources are from different years and cover different items.

If you add the figures that sit closest together, an entry fee of CNY 100 plus the big cable car at CNY 140 including the shuttle (or CNY 120 plus CNY 20) comes to about CNY 240 per person. That sum is ours, based on unofficial sources, and is not an exact price. It does not include getting from Lijiang to the entrance. Prices change by season, so check the official mini-program before you pay.

Where the sources disagree

• Entry fee. CNY 100 (a 2026 guide and Travel China Guide) against CNY 130 (Wikivoyage). The 2026 guide says the ticket includes re-entry for 3 days.
• Big cable car. CNY 120 (several sources), CNY 140 including shuttle (2026 guide) and CNY 170 return (old Wikivoyage). CNY 120 plus CNY 20 equals CNY 140, so the first two probably count the bus differently, but we did not check this at source.
• Daily numbers. One source seen through a search result gives 10,000 visitors a day for Glacier Park. It is unofficial, so we do not present it as a quota.
• Opening hours. China Highlights gives 06:00 to 18:00 from May to October and 06:30 to 18:00 from November to April. Several articles seen through search results give 05:45 to 16:30 with ticket checks stopping at 16:30. None of these is official. The 2026 guide we read gives no opening time and says the last Route 101 bus leaves at about 18:00.

How to book, per the sources we checked

The China for Travelers guide (unofficial, updated 1 July 2026) says:

• Big cable-car tickets are real-name, require a face scan and are assigned a time slot. They are released 7 days ahead at 20:00, and Spruce Meadow tickets at 21:00.
• In the tourist season (April to October, long holidays, summer weekends) tickets can sell out within minutes, and there are no same-day sales at the window.
• One person can buy once in 90 days.
• The official channels are the WeChat mini-programs "丽江旅游集团" (cable cars) and "玉龙雪山服务" (entry fee), which are in Chinese.

A search snippet of the Lijiang Culture and Tourism Bureau's site agrees: it says entry tickets are booked under your real name through the mountain's WeChat account, cable-car tickets through "丽江旅游集团", and it carries a warning about buying through middlemen or accommodation. We saw that text through search only and could not open the full page.

We do not confirm whether the mini-programs accept foreign passports, and we have not bought a ticket. The same guide names Trip.com as an English-language option. If you buy through an intermediary, check whether the product is a timed cable-car ticket.

China Highlights adds that the Spruce Meadow cable car has fixed ride times, so you arrive at your reserved slot, and that queues for the Glacier Park cable car can run up to 3 hours at summer peaks and on Chinese public holidays. Cable cars can also be shut by wind, most often from December to February, according to that page.

Altitude and oxygen

The guides we read give the top of the big cable car (Glacier Park) as 4,506 m, with a boardwalk climbing on to about 4,680 m near the glacier. Spruce Meadow is about 3,240 m. Lijiang is about 2,400 m (Wikivoyage). The NHS says altitude sickness can start above about 2,500 m, and advises ascending slowly, resting if you feel unwell and descending if symptoms do not improve (reviewed 31 July 2023; see the route guide for the full list).

Our advice, which is not medical advice: do not make the snow-mountain day your first day in Lijiang. Buy canned oxygen before you go up; the unofficial guide suggests buying before the cable car rather than waiting until you reach the top, and not buying the pricey kits that tours push. If you have a heart or lung condition, ask a doctor first. If you get chest pain that does not stop, cannot walk, or feel confused, go down at once.

China Highlights suggests a lower-altitude option for families and older travellers: Spruce Meadow then Blue Moon Valley, which it says has much lower altitude risk. For adults who want the glacier zone, it suggests Glacier Park then Blue Moon Valley, and notes that in July and August there is little snow on the top.

Closures and changes to check

The 2026 guide says the Yak Meadow cable car (牦牛坪) has been closed since 4 March 2026 for rebuilding, with a new line expected around 2028, and that the scenic train in the area stopped running in February 2026. We saw the Yak Meadow closure repeated in another search result but have not checked it against an official notice. China Highlights' 2026 page, however, still describes the Yak Meadow cable car as one of three lines in the area, so the two sources conflict; treat Yak Meadow as unconfirmed.

China Highlights' "What's New" note says that, because of cable-car maintenance, Glacier Park will be closed 22 to 30 October 2026 and Spruce Meadow from 31 October to 10 November 2026. We read this on 17 October 2026 and could not confirm it with the operator. If your dates fall in these windows, check the mini-program or ask your hotel before you pay for anything.

Strong wind or heavy snow can close the big cable car for the day, so check the notice on the morning you go.

Getting there

Wikivoyage says the mountain is 25 km from Lijiang and used to be reached by minivan from the square beside the Mao statue in the old town, at CNY 20 (old information). The 2026 guide mentions Route 101 buses, with the last return at about 18:00. China Highlights says it is about 1 hour from Lijiang Old Town by private car, taxi or shuttle bus, that the shuttle starts from Zhongyi Market at the south gate, and that there is no direct bus from Lijiang railway station or the airport, so you change in the old town. We did not check the bus route with an official source. If you are going independently, ask your hotel the day before, or hire a car through the hotel.

China Highlights does not recommend sleeping near the mountain, which has very limited accommodation, and suggests Lijiang Old Town for first-timers, or Baisha if you want snow-mountain views from your window.

Also on this side of town, Wikivoyage lists Black Dragon Pool with an entry fee of CNY 50 (free over 60) and Dongba Valley at CNY 40, open 07:00 to 17:00. Those are old, unofficial figures and we have not checked them.

Day tours from intermediaries

If you would rather not book Chinese-language mini-programs yourself, several intermediaries sell day tours. Examples seen through search results on KKday include an entry-only ticket, a private car with cable car and lunch, and a small-group tour that lists entry, cable car, lunch, a down jacket and oxygen. We could not open the product pages on the check day, so we give no prices, cancellation terms or inclusions. Read the product page yourself and check that the cable-car ticket is a confirmed time slot.

Frequently asked questions

How this page compares

We read China Highlights' Jade Dragon Snow Mountain page (about 2,750 words) and Travel China Guide's page (about 1,100 words), and Wikivoyage's Lijiang page. China Highlights is strong on cable-car lines, routes, hikes, seasons and dated closures, but gives almost no fees and no sources. Travel China Guide gives a fee table and a combo ticket, with no check dates. This page puts every price next to its source and status, warns about the differences, explains the real-name booking steps and altitude, and adds the dated closure notes. Where we are weaker: we have no official price, because the official site would not open from our connection, and we have not bought a ticket.

Links on this page and our earnings

The tour search buttons on this page open the providers' own search pages as of 17 October 2026. We have no registered affiliate link for this product and have earned no commission. Our disclosure page explains how affiliate links work and what we never do.

Prices, schedules and entry rules change. Figures here are approximate as of 2026; always confirm on the official or operator page before you book. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.