Shanxi Huguan Canyon National Geopark

Shanxi Huguan Canyon National Geopark

Shanxi Huguan Canyon National Geopark is designated as a National Geopark and a Science Education Base.

Shanxi Huguan Canyon National Geopark is located in the eastern part of Huguan County, in the middle section of the Taihang Mountains in southeastern Shanxi Province. It is a comprehensive geopark that primarily features a cluster of canyons with unique structural landforms, water landscapes, and typical geological profiles, while also emphasizing both cultural history and ecology. The park serves as a hub for scientific research, public education, and sightseeing.

Stretching from west to east across the Shanxi Plateau, the park winds and twists over a length of 46.6 km, cutting through the Taihang Mountains. The canyons mainly developed within the purplish-red quartz sandstone of the Mesoproterozoic Era and the carbonate rocks of the Cambrian to Ordovician systems, with depths of over 800 meters. Towering cliffs stand facing each other on both sides, forming majestic, deep valleys with an awe-inspiring presence. Streams within the gorges flow year-round, creating dynamic waterfalls, springs, and pools. Along the canyons, there are narrow, flat openings ranging from several to dozens of meters wide, known as "one-line sky" gorges. There are also layered valley landscapes—wide at the top and narrow at the bottom—offering a mix of open and enclosed spaces, creating an ordered yet poetic beauty. Visitors often find themselves enchanted and reluctant to leave. The park is divided into six main sections: Wangmang Gorge, Bayue Gorge, Hongdou Gorge, Wuzhi Gorge, Qinglong Gorge, and a Geological Museum. It receives over 300,000 visitors annually. In August 2011, it was approved by the Ministry of Land and Resources as a National Geoscience Popularization Base.