Mountain City Trail (Shancheng Footpath), Zhongxing Road to Zengjiayan

The Mountain City Trail, also known as the Shancheng Footpath, is a cliffside pedestrian walkway in Yuzhong District that follows a series of stepped paths and covered stairways between the historic Zhongxing Road area near Chaotianmen and the Zengjiayan neighborhood. The trailhead is easily reached via Chongqing Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 to Jiaochangkou Station, Exit 5, with no permit or fee required to walk the route. The main cliffside walkway covers about 3.9 km, with connecting spurs toward Zengjiayan adding another 1-2 km for hikers who continue past the main section; the full walk with stops takes 1.5-2 hours. Cumulative elevation change is modest, around 80 m, spread across stepped cliffside walkways and covered stairs that link different levels of the hillside city. The surface is entirely paved stone steps and walkways, well shaded in sections that pass beneath residential terraces and older buildings, with occasional open stretches along the cliff edge that catch river breezes. Key landmarks include preserved sections of old Chongqing residential architecture, viewpoints over the Jialing River, and stairways that showcase the city's distinctive vertical urban layout, from which the trail takes its name. There is no single required turnaround point; hikers can end at Zengjiayan or continue on to other connecting stairways in the district. Refreshment stands and small shops line parts of the route near Zhongxing Road, and public restrooms are available at several points along the way. The walkway has no dedicated water sources, so a bottle from a nearby shop is advisable. The route is especially atmospheric in the evening when lights come on across the terraced hillside, though stone steps can be worn smooth and slippery when wet.