Ganquan Yucha Grand Canyon Visitor Area 甘泉雨岔大峡谷正规开放区

About Ganquan Yucha Grand Canyon Visitor Area

What the canyon is. A feature by the broadcaster's international service describes Ganquan Grand Canyon as lying at Yucha gully in Xiasiwan town, Ganquan County, Yan'an, a typical valley-type Danxia geological canyon formed over tens of millions of years by wind-sand cutting and by water dissolving and scouring, and made up of 120 canyons of various sizes. It names Huashu gully, Mudan gully, Yixiantian, Longba gully and Huabaocha among the best known, with others besides. It says several hundred natural crevice sights lie in the county, and that the group is known as the 'living Danxia of the world, valley of the Chinese dream'. The Yan'an Civilization Network page gives the same county and town, the same count of 120 canyons, and says that on sunny days the cliff walls take on a distinct red, a visual effect of the rock surface forming 'flowing' shapes.

The open area. A county government notice, the interim measures for the protection and management of Ganquan Grand Canyon issued on 1 June 2026, states that the canyons already open in the scenic area are Huashu gully, Longba gully, Mudan gully, Yueya valley, Hudie valley, Yixiantian and Aixin valley, and that the canyons not yet open are Huabaocha and Yushu gully. The same notice defines the canyon as the geological relics, ecological resources and cultural heritage within the scenic area's overall plan, with its centre point at longitude 109 degrees 09 minutes 23 seconds and latitude 36 degrees 24 minutes 28 seconds, and a protected area of about 330 square kilometres running from the county boundary in the north to provincial road 306 in the south and from Fangjia river in the west to Luojia gully in the east. It puts the day-to-day running of the developed scenic area in the hands of the county's state-owned investment group, listing its safety, the upkeep of its facilities and its cleaning among its operating and service duties.

How the ground is zoned. The notice divides the protected area into three zones. The core protection zone is the cliff face itself, where any damaging act is prohibited. The ecological buffer zone is the canyon floor and the 50 metres to either side, where natural features such as the landforms, peak forest, vegetation and water are to be kept and construction unrelated to protection and visiting is strictly forbidden. The rational use zone runs from 50 to 500 metres to either side, where the scale and style of building are strictly limited and moderate development for scenery and visiting is allowed.

The site's opening. The broadcaster's feature records that the canyon was formally completed and opened for operation in August 2017, and describes it as a national AAAA-grade ecological tourism site.

What to look for

• Huashu gully, Longba gully, Mudan gully, Yueya valley, Hudie valley, Yixiantian and Aixin valley, the canyons the county notice lists as already open.
• The cliff walls on a sunny day, which the Yan'an Civilization Network page describes as taking on a distinct red with the rock surface forming 'flowing' shapes.
• The canyon floor and the green moss the broadcaster's feature describes, with streams running below and steep, finely textured walls above.
• The crevice sights the feature describes as running across the hills of the county in a long, winding line.
• The rock of the canyon, which the feature gives as valley-type Danxia cut by tens of millions of years of wind-sand and water.

Location & getting there

Getting to Ganquan Yucha Grand Canyon Visitor Area

Use an authorised visitor route. Cave sections, geological sites and access roads can close independently, so confirm the area that your ticket covers.

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