Authorities in Guangzhou’s Panyu district have permanently closed an unregulated hiking trail that gained viral popularity for tracing the shape of a horse on digital maps. The decision follows mounting safety concerns after over 1,000 adventure seekers attempted the challenging 14.08-kilometer path through Dafu Mountain Forest Park.
The phenomenon of ‘drawing a horse’ hiking routes emerged as a national trend among outdoor enthusiasts, with similar patterned trails appearing in Beijing’s Olympic Forest Park, Chengdu’s Longquan Mountain, and Guangzhou’s Baiyun Mountain. The Panyu route, first mapped by a hiker in late November, required approximately nine hours to complete and had been downloaded over 3,800 times from hiking applications.
Park management officials emphasized that the trail was never an authorized path, noting numerous hazardous conditions including near-vertical 80-degree slopes, unstable terrain, falling rocks, and multiple sections requiring fence scaling. The undeveloped area also presented ecological concerns, with hiking activities damaging local vegetation and disturbing wildlife habitats including venomous snakes and insects.
Rescue operations would be particularly challenging in these areas due to poor mobile signal coverage and complex topography, the park administration warned. The closure announcement came alongside reports of multiple injuries among attempted hikers, some suffering falls on steep, slippery surfaces.
In response to public interest, park authorities have collaborated with professional surveyors to design an alternative 16.95-kilometer official route that similarly traces a horse silhouette. Cultural and tourism officials are currently soliciting public feedback to refine the trail’s equine shape before its formal inauguration.
The incident reflects broader national safety concerns regarding unregulated outdoor activities. China’s General Administration of Sport recently issued regulations prohibiting unauthorized hiking and crossing activities, urging local authorities to identify and monitor popular online-famous routes. This policy follows several tragic incidents, including the recent closure of Shenzhen’s Wanglanggui area after multiple fatal accidents involving hikers in late 2025.