A glaciated mountain you visit by cable car, not by wandering upward. The glacier and Yak Meadow are different cars and different heights. People get altitude sickness here. This is not a hiking page.
The meadow is the gentler car. The glacier is higher, colder, and the one that makes people sick. Pick with that in mind, not from a poster.
Dress for wind. The summit weather is not the weather in Dayan’s lanes. No hiking tag: the visit is a cable car and a short, controlled walk.
Getting there
A ride north from Dayan to the base, then the park bus and the cable car you booked. The whole thing is a day. Leave the gorge for another date.
Staying nearby
Sleep in Lijiang, lower down. There is lodging at the base for people who want the first car. The old town is the better night. Do not drink heavily the evening before.