Guanmen Mountain (guān mén shān 关门山) National Forest Park is 70 kilometers away from the southeastern Benxi City (běn xī shì 本溪市). Covering an area of 35,170,000 square meters with 85% forest coverage, this park is a fairy land famous for various kinds of maples. Colorful flowers in spring, grand trees in summer, and fiery maples in autumn, flying snow in winter. Different season gives you deferent feelings, and the 108 scenic spots make this place a wonderful choice to feel the nature. 

 
There are two peaks face to face on the south of mountain. One is wide and big, the other is narrow and small. The two peaks look like a closed door; hence it gets the name Guanmen Mountain (Guanmen means closed door). Guanmen Mountain has the nick name “Huang Shan in Northeast (dōng běi huáng shān 东北黄山)” from long ago because of its beautiful scene. Mountain, waterfall, trees, flowers, and mist are five beautiful sceneries. There are four scenic areas in the park: the Little Huang Shan Area (xiǎo huáng shān jǐng qū 小黄山景区), Jialazi Area (jiā lá zǐ jǐng qū 夹砬子景区), Longmen Gorge Area (lóng mén xiá jǐng qū 龙门峡景区) and Yuetaizi Area (yuè tái zǐ jǐng qū 月台子景区). Magnolia sieboldii the city flower of Benxi and thousands of maples which cover the whole mountain contrast finely with each other.

Little Huangshan Area
Pines, stones, clouds and waterfall are symbols of this area. Attractions as Tianchi (tiān chí 天池) (a lake), Xuanguan (xuán guān 悬棺) (the hanging coffin), and the Little Three Gorges (xiǎo sān xiá 小三峡) make the place more charming. There is a Manchu village in the mountain which has a long history with a rich ethical atmosphere combing nature and culture. It’s a good choice for people to enjoy Manchu culture and life style.

Yuetaizi Area
Trees here are mainly pines. When autumn falls, the pine needles make a very thick and soft carpet in the forest. The fresh smell of pines will make you relax and comfortable. The well-known Maple King (fēng shù wáng 枫树王) is planted as well. The leaves’ color are deeper than other trees’, and their shapes are very special, there are 5-angle, 7-angle, 9-angle, 11-angle and 13-angle leaves. Therefore, it has the name of Maple King.

Longmen Gorge Area
Trees in this area are mainly maples. It has more than 120 kinds of maples here. The entire area looks like on fire in late autumn, the incredible beautiful scenery is really a feast for the eyes. Meanwhile, the famous attraction Jinglian Waterfall (jīng lián pù bù 晶帘瀑布) is located here as well.

Jialazi Area
Wucai Lake (wǔ cǎi hú 五彩湖) (Five-color Lake) and Xiongshizhenyue (xióng shī zhèn yuè 雄狮镇岳) are both here. Wucai Lake is on the little plain in the mountain. The lake flashes five colors under the sunshine: white, yellow, red, green, and blue. Legend says the lake was transformed by five fairies who wanted to stay at the man’s world forever. Xiongshizhenyue is a naturally formed lion-like stone carving on the cliff. It’s quite vivid and really worth a visit.

Guanmen Mountain Reservoir
Guanmen Mountain Reservoir was put into use in October 1991, and became another attractive place in this national park. To take an overlook, the reservoir is like a pearl embedding in an emerald. The reservoir is not only an attraction, but also an important construction to preserve our environment. Thanks to it, many precious species reappear here and live here.

Location: Shanchengzi Town (shān chéng zǐ zhèn 山城子镇), Benxi County (běn xī xiàn 本溪县), Benxi City.
Transportation: Take tourism coach from Benxi to Guanmen Mountain. Or you can rent a bus from Xiaoshi Station (xiǎo shì zhàn 小市站) to Guanmen Mountain, but you had better have 6 or 8 people to travel together. CNY 20. Fast and convenient.
Tel: 86-0414-6358066
Admission fee: CNY 60 (the reservoir is not included.)
Opening hours: 7:30 to 17:00
Best season to go: Autumn
Attractions nearby: Benxi Water Cave
Tips:
• Once you start climbing the mountain there is no place to buy food or water. It’s best to carry some snacks and at least a few bottles of water.
• The paths of the mountain consists of many stairs and is quite steep in parts. It’s probably not suited to young children, the elderly, or anyone in poor physical condition.