One step on the gas pedal and you're soaring into the clouds! Complete self-driving guide for Baili Tianlu

🌄 "The wheels roll over the 1982-meter-high clouds, outside the window is a sea of rolling clouds and freely blooming Gesang flowers." This Baili Tianlu, just a 3-hour drive from Beijing, truly healed my urban anxiety! As a travel blogger who visits Bashang every year, I’ve painstakingly compiled this comprehensive guide to help you avoid detours and enjoy the "Most Beautiful Plateau Self-Driving Route in China" with minimal cost! 🎒 Preparation Before the Trip 1. Transportation Tips: For self-driving, navigate directly to "Baili Tianlu South Entrance" (the only online ticket entry!). From Beijing, take Jingli Expressway → Capital Ring Road → Banhu Line; sedans can pass smoothly. The South Entrance parking lot has a gas station and charging piles, so be sure to fill up before entering the scenic area, as there are no supply points within 100 km. For those without a car, take a bus from Beijing Liuliqiao to Fengning, then taxi to the South Entrance; this is half the cost of chartering a car. 2. Ticket Benefits: Buy electronic tickets on Trip.com one day in advance for 120 RMB to enjoy Tianlu, Qiansongba, and the wetlands. Buying on-site is not only more expensive but also requires a 20-minute wait. Students and seniors over 60 get half-price tickets on-site with valid ID; children under 1.2 meters enter free. 3. Gear List: Bring a thin down jacket; daytime temperatures reach 22°C with short sleeves, but mornings and evenings can drop to 5°C. Don’t be like me, freezing with just a shirt while watching the sunrise and getting a runny nose. Pack self-heating hotpot and a thermos; there are no restaurants inside the scenic area, but picnicking on the Huanghuading grassland is very pleasant. Signal is poor in the mountains, so download Baidu Maps in advance (tested to be more accurate than Gaode). 🗺️ Route Planning • Lazy Highlights Version (3h, best for families with kids): Enter from South Entrance → Baihua Slope (wildflower photos) → Camel Peak (touch the camel for good luck) → Tiandi T-Stage (shoot cliff road scenes) → Huanghuading (picnic and rest) → Qiansongba (oxygen and hiking) → Exit South Entrance. Recommended to reach Tiandi T-Stage before 9 am for fewer crowds and better shots; picnic at Huanghuading by noon, remember to take your trash. • Deep Player Version (4h, visit all popular spots): South Entrance → Baihua Slope → Camel Peak → Tiandi T-Stage → Liuyun Ridge (stunning after rain, clouds within reach) → Windmills with Birches (white birch forest and windmills together) → Farmland Flower Sea (amazing rapeseed flowers in July) → Chayan Fort → Guangmingding (panoramic view) → Exit North Entrance. After rain, turn on hazard lights and drive slowly on Liuyun Ridge due to fog; exiting North Entrance leads directly to "Scenic Avenue No.1," free and convenient, also visit Yudaokou Ranch. 📸 Photography Tips 1. Tiandi T-Stage Cliff Shots: Use 0.5x wide-angle, have the subject stand by the railing with 70% empty space below the feet for instant shots like the movie "Pegasus." 2. Windmills with Birches Japanese Style: Best light at 4 pm, wear a white dress and run in the birch forest for candid shots with windmills as background, full Japanese vibe. 3. Huanghuading Picnic Atmosphere: Choose a bright yellow picnic mat, hold a coffee cup focusing on the windmills, blur the wildflowers in the foreground for a strong ambiance. 4. Night Sky: Stay in a scenic area guesthouse, go out at 3 am to shoot the Milky Way. Use Huawei phone professional mode with ISO 3200 + 30-second shutter, remember to bring a tripod. 🌿 Nearby Activities • Afternoon Bonus: 10 minutes’ drive from South Entrance to Yunzhong Grassland East Hilltop, wait for sunset at 6 pm, the sunset dyes the windmill forest red. The 80 RMB ticket is totally worth it. • Next Day Plan: Go to Qiansongba for oxygen, walk the 5 km wooden boardwalk, touch the 280-year-old spruce king, bring bread to feed black squirrels (don’t touch their tails); or hike Meiren Valley, where golden lotus flowers bloom in July, 10 km wooden boardwalk through flower sea, and you can ride a horse for 50 RMB at the end. 🍜 Food and Accommodation Tips • Food: Don’t buy grilled sausages or instant noodles in the scenic area—they’re ridiculously expensive. 8 minutes from South Entrance is Datantown Food Street, highly recommend "Old Mongolian Meat Pie," lamb noodle soup + meat pie is deliciously addictive. You can also bring self-heating claypot rice and frozen blueberries; the town supermarket sells them for 8 RMB per box, refreshing and tasty. • Stay: The cost-effective choice is "Tianlu Station" farmhouse near South Entrance, clean kang bed-stove for 150 RMB per night, and the owner provides route maps; star lovers should book "Fengning Daidai Guesthouse" glass room, where you can lie down and watch the Milky Way. Book one month in advance during peak season. 💎 Blogger’s Insider Tips 1. Free Music Road: Exit North Entrance towards Yudaokou, driving at 40 km/h automatically plays "My Motherland and I," remember to close windows and listen quietly. 2. Hidden Flower Sea Coordinates: 300 meters north from Tiandi T-Stage, turn right at the fork, a hillside mixed with wild poppies and golden lotus flowers, less crowded and more beautiful than Baihua Slope. 3. Traffic Avoidance Trick: Long queues at South Entrance after 10 am on weekends; enter before 8:30 am or enter from North Entrance after 3 pm (tickets must be bought on-site) for smoother traffic. ❗2025 Tested Tips: Few restrooms in the scenic area, only at Baihua Slope, Tiandi T-Stage, and Liuyun Ridge; pet-friendly with leash; rainy days have their own charm, prepare wipers and drive slowly. The moment I reached out to catch clouds at Liuyun Ridge, I truly understood the romance of "cloud-top self-driving." Baili Tianlu, every stretch of road is a scenery, every turn a surprise. Take this guide and set off now!