Changbai Waterfall (长白瀑布)

Changbai Waterfall (Changbai Pubu) is a roughly 68 m cascade on the North Slope of Changbai Mountain in Antu County, Yanbian Prefecture, Jilin Province. It forms where the outflow of Heaven Lake spills through a gap in the crater wall and drops into a gorge, becoming the headwaters of the Songhua River. The falls sit inside the North Scenic Area and are reached by the scenic-area shuttle bus from the visitor centre near Erdaobaihe Town, followed by a short walk. A viewing deck faces the falls from a distance, and a boardwalk leads onward toward the base and along the hot-spring streams that emerge below. Geothermal water here runs at high temperatures, and steam rises from the stream beds even in cold weather. Vendors beside the stream sell eggs cooked in the hot springs, a local snack that many visitors try. The scene combines basalt cliffs, spruce and larch forest and the thunder of the falls, which are strongest in summer after snowmelt and rain. In winter the falls partly freeze into ice columns, though the trail is snowbound and the scenic area is largely closed. Most visitors spend about one to one and a half hours here, usually as a stop on the way down from Heaven Lake, since entry is covered by the Changbai North Slope ticket. The best photographs are taken from the main viewing deck in the morning when light falls across the cascade, with mist often rising from the pool below. Crowds are heaviest from July to August and during national holidays, when the boardwalk can become congested. The walk to the base is short but steep, with wet and slippery stretches near the spray, so sturdy footwear is advisable. Weather on the mountain can be cool and damp even in midsummer, and a light waterproof layer is useful.