Travel to Ganquan in Northern Shaanxi: The Colorful Dreamy Yucha Grand Canyon

Friends often ask me: I heard you went to Ganquan, where is Ganquan?

Ganquan County is a county under the jurisdiction of Yan'an, the red holy land, located 40 kilometers south of Yan'an city. Ganquan gets its name from a natural spring at the foot of Shenlin Mountain, 5 kilometers southwest of the county seat, which produces sweet and clear water. The spring was once named "Meishui Spring" (Beautiful Water Spring) by Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, and Ganquan has long been known as the "Land of Beautiful Water."

"Land of Beautiful Water" is Ganquan's timeless name card. However, in recent years, Ganquan has become an internet sensation, with a new name card: "Yucha Grand Canyon."

Netizens often say: The United States has Antelope Canyon in Arizona, while China has the Yucha Grand Canyon in Ganquan, Yan'an. Yucha Grand Canyon is located in Yucha Village, Xiasiwan Town, over 30 kilometers west of Ganquan County. Hidden within the grand canyon are three ravines: Peony Ravine, Longba Ravine, and Birch Ravine, each containing colorful, dreamlike scenes.

Describing them as hidden is no exaggeration, because all three ravines were discovered and popularized online by photography enthusiasts among the backpackers. More precisely, the three ravines are like three crevices concealed by grass and trees; from a distance, you can hear laughter and chatter but cannot tell where people are. Only when you get close do you realize the sounds come from the fissure beneath your feet. In the narrowest parts of the canyon, only a single person can pass sideways.

The canyons were formed by millions of years of rainwater erosion. The red sandstone has been continuously carved downward, creating delicate textures and winding passages. The canyon walls are dotted with moss in different shades of red and yellow at varying heights. Natural light projects from the canyon top, several meters high, and depending on the time of day and light intensity, creates direct, refracted, or diffused illumination in different areas, casting dreamy multicolored shadows within the canyon.

Peony Ravine is the shortest of the three, only several dozen meters deep, named after the wild peonies growing at its entrance.

Longba Ravine stretches 2,500 meters and is the most difficult to traverse. Few people manage to reach the end; most retreat after walking a few hundred meters.

Birch Ravine is considered by backpackers as the most beautiful of the three. It is 800 meters long and the only one with both an entrance and an exit. The rugged path at the bottom is slightly wider.

A reminder: Before entering the ravines, you must rent a pair of tall rubber rain boots from the rental points run by locals at the ravine entrances. Walking through mud and water in the ravines requires caution—don't try to save a few yuan and end up covered in mud and water.

Yucha Grand Canyon originally had no entrance fee. Unfortunately, after May Day this year, they started charging because of the increasing number of visitors and the growing responsibility and cost of preservation. For self-driving travelers, the fee is 50 yuan per person, and you can drive directly to the parking lot of each ravine, which costs 10 yuan per lot. For independent travelers, shuttle buses are provided by the scenic area, costing 70 yuan per person. Visiting all three ravines takes about 5 hours.