Visiting the Yucha Grand Canyon in Northern Shaanxi with Lao Xia

Yucha Grand Canyon is a canyon located in Yucha Village, Ganquan County, Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province. A powerful earthquake occurred in northern Shaanxi, splitting a loess mountain into a large crack, which over millions of years of rainwater erosion gradually formed into this canyon—this is the Ganquan Canyon we see. Our small group signed up for a one-day group tour in Yan'an, with door-to-door pickup and drop-off. It cost 138 yuan per person, including round-trip transportation from our hotel in Yan'an to Yucha and the 70 yuan scenic area shuttle fee. This is the latest internet-famous check-in spot—Yucha Grand Canyon. Yucha Grand Canyon, China's most stunning canyon! Just discovered, it was closed by the government, but now it has been quietly reopened by the locals. So currently there is no ticket fee, only the scenic area shuttle. Previously, everyone had to rent high-top rain boots for 5 yuan per use, because most of the path at the bottom of the gully was all mud and puddles, often knee-deep, so we had to explore and step over dead wood or rocks. Now the stone roadbed has been laid, so there's no need to wear rain boots anymore. Walking into each canyon, whether looking down, up, or around, when sunlight streams in, the lines and colors change with magical charm. This is not an ordinary canyon, nor an ordinary landform; it is one of the most magical and stunning canyons in the world, born hundreds of millions of years ago! According to scientific research, the formation of Yucha Grand Canyon was caused by a strong earthquake hundreds of millions of years ago, splitting a loess mountain into large cracks, which over centuries of rain erosion and wind erosion gradually formed the uneven, smooth-lined canyon walls we see today. The colorful rocks are like flowing paintings, with undulating lines that seem both moving and still, leaving people in awe. The canyon varies in height and width; low sections require bending over, high sections show only a line of sky, narrow parts allow only one person to pass sideways, while wide parts can accommodate several people side by side. The ripples carved by wind, water, and time on the rock walls, deep or shallow, are all like waves. Walking through at different times, especially during the best sunlight hours, the strong sunlight penetrates through the canyon crevices, and from different angles, with the changing light and shadow, the waves on the rocks seem to undulate, and the colors are dazzling, sometimes brilliant, sometimes hazy, sometimes fiery red and intense, sometimes lush green, creating a dreamlike scene. It's so magical; stepping into it feels like entering another space. The strange and complex rock surfaces, carved with smooth flowing curves, give a surreal feeling. In fact, there are many gullies here, but only the locals know how to enter them. If you stay at a local farmhouse and spend some extra money, the locals will take you into another world.