Yan'an's Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon: 'Pretending to Be in the Colorado Grand Canyon'

📍 Lisbon · 👁 5337 reads

But some photos I took recently at the Yellow River's Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon, without mentioning the US, made everyone think I was traveling in the American West, and even caused a small stir.

Because some scenic spots in the Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon really resemble the American West, and are even more impressive. After visiting, I strongly felt that the domestic tourism industry is lacking in marketing and promotion talent.

The Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon is a region along the border between Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, extending north to the Inner Mongolia border and south to the Hukou Waterfall.

The Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon was once selected by National Geographic China's 'Most Beautiful China' special issue as one of the most beautiful canyons in China. But even so, it remains little-known, because people always think the Loess Plateau is a godforsaken place, and the canyons there are just large barren hills.

I have proven with my own experience that such perception is completely wrong.

Speaking of Yan'an, many think it's just a place for leaders to go for collective study. They already have to put up with leaders at work, why crowd with them during travel?

Absolutely wrong! Yan'an is not just a revolutionary holy land, nor is it a barren loess land. Please learn about the years of ecological management of our Loess Plateau.

Today, the vegetation on the Loess Plateau has greatly increased, and the sediment discharge of the Yellow River has dropped to a historical low. Saying it's lush green everywhere might be an exaggeration, but it's hard to see large patches of bare loess with the naked eye.

Compared to the Colorado Grand Canyon in the American West, the greenery is much better.

Interestingly, the Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon and the Colorado Grand Canyon are a pair of scenic spots that can be very well compared:

1. Both are located at 36° north latitude (taking Yan'an as the point for the Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon);

2. One is at 109° east longitude, the other at 112° west longitude, close to being symmetrical in longitude;

3. Both are at altitudes between 1,000 and 2,000 meters;

4. Both were formed by a great river cutting through a plateau: the Yellow River cut the Loess Plateau, the Colorado River cut the Colorado Plateau;

5. Both rivers are named for the large amount of sediment they carry: the Yellow River is yellow, and the Colorado River means 'red river'.

Starting from Yan'an, taking a counterclockwise hourglass-shaped route, this 7-day itinerary will be unforgettable, and you will no longer always talk about the American West.

This trip is self-driving. You can easily find a car rental company through Ctrip. The guy will drive the car directly to the airport entrance, or take you to the nearby rental company to pick up the car. Don't worry, it won't be a shady business, after all, the crackdown on organized crime has been going on for years.

On the first night in Yan'an, naturally stay at Cuiquan Hotel, which is very close to the airport.

At first glance, it looks like a star-rated hotel, but actually it's a resort. There are various pools and mountain trails, and even sika deer, peacocks, and ostriches.

Walking up the lush green mountain, you'll feel it's a forest, not a loess hillside. Along the way, you'll see large sports venues, a large botanical greenhouse, and a temple. Enough to explore for half a day. All these are facilities and attractions within the hotel.

No need to go out for meals; just eat at the hotel. Reasonable prices, generous portions. When those large dishes are served, you'll feel that many restaurants you've been to before were robbing you.

The Yucha Grand Canyon, comparable to the American Antelope Canyon, is located in Yucha Village, 70 kilometers west of the airport.

In Page County, where Antelope Canyon is located, accommodation and meals are outrageously expensive. Tickets for both upper and lower canyons total $120, and you need to book in advance and tip the black guide. But Yucha Canyon requires no ticket, just a few dozen yuan for transportation service.

Yucha Canyon is just a large ground fissure next to the village. The village is destitute, with nothing.

When you come here and see such scenery, you might feel a bit embarrassed. So buy some bottled water or corn snacks from the old lady at the village entrance.

Taking photos at Antelope Canyon is not easy, with tourists everywhere. At Yucha Canyon, there are hardly any people; you can pose and shoot freely, and no guide will rush you, saying you'll miss the return bus.

Best to come at noon, preferably not on cloudy or rainy days. When sunlight shines from above, there will be beautiful light and shadow contrasts.

If using a phone to take photos, remember to tap the screen to lower the exposure. This will give richer colors and prevent overexposure.

After posting the photos on Moments and getting a wave of likes, please proudly tell everyone 'I'm in China'.

That night, you can stay in Yichuan County or near the Hukou Waterfall scenic area.

About 250 kilometers east of Yucha Grand Canyon, you'll reach the Yellow River Hukou Waterfall.

Since the Yellow River is the border between Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces, the Hukou Waterfall belongs to both provinces. Neither side wants to lose out, so tourists can view it from the west side in Shaanxi or cross the river to the east side in Shanxi. The ticket prices for both sides are the same.

Of course, the views from the two sides are slightly different, but not by much. Just choose one side.

The road construction in Shaanxi is good, while in Shanxi it's poor. As soon as you cross the provincial border, the roads become rough and potholed. Consider contributing your ticket money to the province willing to spend on infrastructure.

The Hukou Waterfall is formed because the Yellow River, which is 300 meters wide upstream, suddenly narrows to less than 30 meters at this point, with a drop of over 20 meters. The water is surging and magnificent.

Hukou Waterfall was also selected by National Geographic China's 'Most Beautiful China' special issue as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in China.

Does the Colorado River have waterfalls? Quite a few, but they are small in scale. Compared to Hukou, they are still two Huangguoshu waterfalls short.

If you want to visit the Ice Cave at Yunqiu Mountain in Shanxi the next day, it's recommended to stay in Xiangning County.

Actually, this ice cave is not closely related to the Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon scenery. But because it's only 100 kilometers from Hukou Waterfall, and you might not come to Yunqiu Mountain separately later, so I chose to spend a day here.

To enter the ice cave, you first need to buy a ticket for Yunqiu Mountain, and the ice cave is an additional small ticket inside. The two tickets together cost about 200 yuan. But if you climb the mountain under the scorching sun and then enter the ice cave, you'll feel it's totally worth it.

Yes, the ice cave is halfway up the mountain, not at the foot underground. According to the introduction, it was created by nature millions of years ago for some unknown reason.

Before entering the cave, you walk through a long passage that looks like a bacteria lab. Once inside, you're instantly stunned. Is this a fairy palace? Or did someone pour water into a karst cave to turn it into a white ice cave?

Does the Colorado Canyon have such an ice cave? No, unless you go to Alaska.

Entering the cave requires renting a cotton coat and helmet, so taking good photos is a bit difficult. I guess a skilled influencer might take off the coat and shoot in just a single layer.

Ordinary people can't stay in the cave for more than half an hour, because it's so cold that fingers get numb from taking photos.

To be honest, straight men might be suspicious of this cave, because there is no scientific principle to explain where the low temperature comes from, and they vaguely suspect it's man-made.

But inside the cave, you are immediately shocked by the vastness and complexity of the ice cave. It feels that current manpower and machinery cannot create such complex ice formations. Moreover, where would the huge amount of electricity for artificial ice come from? And there is no sound of any machines needed to maintain the low temperature.

Anyway, after coming out of the cave, people feel as if they've returned from another world, only mumbling two words repeatedly: 'Amazing... amazing...' and then stumbling down the mountain in a daze.

If you still have energy, don't rush to leave. You can also take a tour of Yunqiu Mountain; there are nice views from the plank road halfway up.

That night, you can stay in Ji County, 86 kilometers north.

In Shanxi, you might also see a huge sign by the road indicating 'Yellow River Meander National Geopark', tempting unsuspecting tourists. But the real Yellow River Meander Park is in Shaanxi, also known as Qiankun Bay (in the broad sense).

The park is very large, with considerable distances between attractions. You can take the park's shuttle bus, but it's recommended to drive in yourself. Not charging for self-driving cars will delight road trippers. Of course, accommodation and meals should also be arranged inside the park.

Mainly visit three scenic spots: Qiankun Bay, Huifeng Village, and Qingshui Bay. (In a narrow sense, Qiankun Bay refers to a viewing platform in the north of the park.)

Qiankun Bay is the flagship attraction of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon. In fact, you can see two bays from each province, a total of four bays. Many beautiful photos and films are taken here.

It can be said that with a huge radius of nearly 1,000 meters and a drop of 500 meters, Qiankun Bay easily beats the American Horseshoe Bend, which has a radius of only 500 meters and a drop of 300 meters.

Even without charging a ticket, Horseshoe Bend is completely outclassed by Qiankun Bay in every aspect.

The Qiankun Bay viewing platform also has a drawback: it's not very entertaining. Besides walking around it for 200 meters and taking photos, there's nothing to do.

The latter two attractions, Huifeng Village and Qingshui Bay, are more entertaining. Their trail systems are large and complex, allowing not only horizontal traversal but also vertical climbing. Ordinary people often end up crying for their parents. Climbing and taking photos will take at least half a day.

While enjoying the magnificent scenery, you might try the Yellow River aerial cableway connecting the two attractions.

If you don't want to take the round trip, you can also walk back through the park, or have a driver who is afraid of heights drive to the other end to pick you up.

That night, stay in a guesthouse in Nianpan Village inside the park. There are many guesthouses in the village; choose one directly facing the Yellow River.

I recommend the one I booked called 'Yanchuan Nianpan Guesthouse'. Just drive to the end of the village road.

Open the door to see the Yellow River, gaze at the sunset, the vast sky and earth, the quiet air, only hearing the great river flowing.

If you don't bring a drone for aerial photography at this time, you will definitely regret it.

This guesthouse looks like a cave dwelling from the outside, but inside you'll find it's a fully modern standard room. All furniture and tables are made with design and taste. The bathroom and shower facilities are also refined brand products. Not only are the details exquisite, but the Chinese antique atmosphere is very harmonious. One can't help but sigh that the Yellow River residents have long connected with modernity.

It is recommended to visit the Qiankun Bay viewing platform in the morning of this day. After breakfast, check out, drive out, visit Qiankun Bay, and then leave the park heading north.

After driving 230 kilometers, cross the Yellow River again and arrive at Qikou Ancient Town in Shanxi (the character '碛' is pronounced like 'qi').

Qikou is one of the most important ancient towns on the Yellow River, with countless titles of famous towns and scenic spots. It is a must-see.

At the village entrance, you can see many tourists jumping into the not-so-muddy Yellow River to play. Don't hesitate, put on your sandals or slippers and join them in the water.

There are many hotels in the town. I booked one called 'Linxian Qikou Inn', which was converted from a historical preservation building. It directly faces the Yellow River and is great for watching the sunset. The key point is that it's an authentic cave-dwelling guesthouse.

The ancient town has many places to savor and is worth spending half a day strolling around.

The next morning, you can climb the back mountain above the ancient town to overlook the entire town. Then check out and head straight to Lijiashan Village to the southwest.

Lijiashan Village is one of the important discoveries in the life of famous painter Wu Guanzhong. Wu Guanzhong came to Lijiashan Village many times for inspiration and even stayed for a long time. He said: 'From the outside, it looks like a desolate Han tomb, but inside there are very old and exquisite cave dwellings. The ancient village is so enclosed, like a paradise isolated from the world.'

This is a circular village built vertically along a steep hillside. It seems suitable for horror movies, so visit during the day.

There are only elderly people in the village, no children or young adults.

It is recommended to at most chat with the villagers, but do not buy or accept things from them. Don't ask me why.

After visiting Lijiashan Village, drive 230 kilometers west to Jingbian. When crossing the Wuding River along the G20 expressway, Mizhi County is to the north and Suide County to the south.

There is a famous saying in northern Shaanxi: 'Mizhi's women, Suide's men.' It means Mizhi produces beauties and Suide produces handsome men. Historically, Diaochan was from Mizhi, and Lü Bu was from Suide. It was natural that Diaochan was Lü Bu's wife.

I don't know if Suide still has strong handsome men today, but when I went to Mizhi many years ago, I did see some beauties at the long-distance bus station. They looked like celestial beings with skin as white as snow, very conspicuous among a group of dark, weather-beaten northern Shaanxi farmers. To be precise, one of them was a ticket seller at the station.

If you don't detour to Mizhi for lunch but go directly to Jingbian County, you can find a hotel to rest and prepare to go to Wave Valley early the next morning.

Arizona has the famous Wave Canyon, but that canyon only allows 20 people per day, of which 10 must apply online for a lottery three months in advance, costing $5 per entry, with a success rate less than 1%. That's even lower than the probability of winning the hated Shanghai license plate lottery.

At Jingbian Wave Valley, you just need to buy a ticket to enter, and the area is very vast. It takes about 4 hours to visit all viewpoints.

Don't miss the water Danxia and the 'One-Line Sky' (narrow gorge).

Many scenic spots in China have a 'One-Line Sky', but I think none can compare to this one. Here, it's truly only for one person to enter; a second person might not fit.

Leaving Wave Valley around noon, find a place for lunch, then drive 170 kilometers east directly to Yan'an Airport, return the car, and board the flight.

If you continue north along the Yellow River from Qikou Ancient Town to the Inner Mongolia border, there are many more scenic spots and surprises in the Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon.

If you follow the route given in this article, this classic Loess Plateau and Yellow River Canyon trip will be enjoyable and unforgettable.

Also, if your round-trip flights are both in the evening or at night, the timing will be perfectly coordinated.

Travel Notes Directory:

1. What is the Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon

2. Itinerary starts from Yan'an

3. Day 1: Yan'an

4. Day 2: Yucha Grand Canyon

5. Day 3: Yellow River Hukou Waterfall

6. Day 4: Yunqiu Mountain Ice Cave

7. Day 5: Yellow River Meander National Geopark

8. Day 6: Qikou Ancient Town

9. Day 7: Jingbian Wave Valley