Chongqing Qijiang National Geological Park

Chongqing Qijiang National Geological Park

Chongqing Qijiang National Geological Park is a national geological park and a science education base.

The park is located in northern Qijiang and is divided into the Petrified Wood Scenic Area, Gujian Mountain Scenic Area, and Laoyingshan Scenic Area. The nature of the park is that of a large comprehensive geological park, with petrified wood as its core, dinosaur footprints as its main feature, Danxia landform as its distinctive characteristic, while also encompassing forest sea landscapes and religious-cultural scenic elements. The park’s geological heritage landscapes fall into five major categories and mainly consist of three parts: the Petrified Wood Scenic Area, Dinosaur Footprint Scenic Area, and Danxia Landform Scenic Area, covering an area of approximately 108 square kilometers. Petrified wood is one of the park’s flagship landscapes, with numerous specimens, diverse forms, large individual sizes, well-preserved conditions, and concentrated distribution. Dinosaur footprints are densely distributed in Hongyanping, Sanjiao Town, which belongs to the Laoyingshan Dinosaur Footprint Scenic Area. The large quantity and excellent preservation of the footprints are extremely precious. They not only fill the gap of no discovered dinosaur traces in the Cretaceous strata of Southwest China, but also provide important scientific evidence for further exploration and research on Cretaceous dinosaur fossils and eggs in the region. The Danxia landform is widely distributed across the park, with the most unique formations found at Hushan in Hongyanping, Laoyingshan, Gujianshan of Yingshan, and Xishanping. These formations were shaped from the red sandstone and conglomerate layers of the Mesozoic Jurassic and Cretaceous periods in the region.

Dinosaur Footprints

Petrified Wood

The abundant geological heritage resources hold significant scientific value for studying the Mesozoic geological evolution history of the region and even Southwest China, as well as the ancient geography, paleoclimate, and development of ancient flora and fauna during that period. The park is a precious geoscience treasure trove and a uniquely advantageous science education base.

In 1985, the former Qijiang County People's Government designated Gujian Mountain as a forest park. In 1992, it was approved as the Chongqing Gujian Mountain Forest Park (provincial level). In 2006, with the approval of the Chongqing Municipal Government Office, the establishment of the Laoyingshan Nature Reserve was agreed upon. In 2007, it was approved as a provincial geological park. In May 2009, it was approved as one of the first national land and resources science education bases, and in August 2009, it was designated as a National Geological Park by the Ministry of Land and Resources.

Address: Gujian Mountain, Laoyingshan, and Petrified Wood Scenic Areas, Qijiang

Phone: 48651011

Transportation Route: From central Chongqing, take the Yuqian Expressway past the Qijiang exit without exiting, then get on the Qiwang Expressway and exit at Tonghui. Continue through Sanjiao Town to reach attractions such as Hongyanping and Dinosaur Footprints.

Source: Dengkou County Tourism Bureau