The Great Icefall

The Great Icefall

Canada’s Glacier National Park is world-renowned for its icefall with a drop of 1,100 meters. The Great Icefall in Hailuogou can rival it.

There are many glaciers in Hailuogou, with three major ones, the largest being the No. 1 Glacier, about 14 kilometers long—this is the so-called Great Icefall.

Hiking up the glacier for three kilometers and bypassing the Black Pine Forest, you will see this great icefall. The icefall is 1,100 meters wide and 1,080 meters high, composed of countless massive, glistening blocks of ice that look like a galaxy pouring straight down from the blue sky. No words can describe its magnificence unless you see it with your own eyes. The highest point of the glacier is at an altitude of 6,750 meters, while the lowest end is just 2,850 meters above sea level. It is not only a glacier at low latitude and low altitude, but also the one with the greatest drop.

Unlike waterfalls, the icefall formed by ice bodies does not flow, but due to the melting and freezing of the ice, it constantly produces ice avalanches. During spring and summer when glacial activity is intense, there can be up to a thousand avalanches a day, with the largest ones involving the collapse of over a million cubic meters of ice at once. When an ice avalanche occurs, violent collisions and friction between ice masses generate electrical discharges, causing flashes of blue light, earth tremors, and echoing roars across the valley. Countless ice blocks slide and splash, sending up clouds of snow mist.

The viewing spot for the icefall was selected through repeated observations and calculations, located several kilometers away from the icefall. Therefore, even the largest ice avalanches pose no threat to the safety of visitors.

There are many glaciers in Hailuogou, with three major ones, the largest being the No. 1 Glacier, about 14 kilometers long.

The glaciers in Hailuogou are among the most accessible to ordinary people. People with average physical fitness can actually climb onto parts of the glacier where the ice is about 100 meters thick, but visitors are generally not allowed to go to the Great Icefall on their own because there are hidden rivers beneath the ice layer, and a slight misstep could lead to disaster. In fact, one climber once fell into such a hidden river. To enter the glacier area, you must be accompanied by a local guide.

The No. 2 and No. 3 Glaciers in Hailuogou are 4.8 and 4.2 kilometers long respectively, located beside the No. 1 Glacier, but their lowest points are also at altitudes above 3,650 meters, making them difficult for the average person to reach. They are only suitable for professional mountaineers.

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