Tianshan Grand Canyon 天山大峡谷

About Tianshan Grand Canyon

Tianshan Grand Canyon (天山大峡谷) is a national 5A scenic area and national forest park in Ürümqi County (乌鲁木齐县), 40 kilometres from urban Ürümqi (乌鲁木齐), on the northern foot of the Kalawucheng Mountains (喀拉乌成山) in the central Tianshan (天山).

The scenic area covers 1,038.48 square kilometres between Bogda Peak (博格达峰) and Tianger Peak (天格尔峰), spanning Banfanggou (板房沟乡) and Tuoli (托里乡) townships and Shuixigou town (水西沟镇). Its main river, the Ürümqi River (乌鲁木齐河), fed by glaciers and snow, crosses the canyon along its north–south length. It is ringed by mountains on three sides and averages about 2,020 metres above sea level, with a mean annual temperature of 4 to 6 degrees Celsius. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism describes its Schrenk spruce (雪岭云杉) as the most complete primeval stand on the north slope of the Tianshan. Snow leopards, Siberian ibex and golden eagles are among its animals under national first-class protection.

The valleys were a hunting ground in the Tang dynasty and a well-known pasture and summer retreat under the Qing. Zhaobishan (照壁山) was made a national forest park in 1993, the first in Xinjiang. Development of the scenic area began in 2003, and on 13 January 2014 the area received its plaque as Xinjiang's seventh national 5A scenic area. The following month the forest park was renamed Tianshan Grand Canyon National Forest Park.

Zhaobishan is a pyramid-shaped hill about 400 metres high, surrounded by water on three sides and named after a screen wall because its steep face glows gold in sunlight and the light reflected off the river. South of it runs a cliff-walled gorge more than 10 kilometres long. Swan Lake (天鹅湖) lies in alpine meadow at 2,449 metres, where swans linger in summer and autumn. East of the lake, Qiaoya Pasture (乔亚草场) spreads over nearly 30,000 mu (about 20 square kilometres) above 2,500 metres; Kazakh herders own it and pitch white yurts there in summer. The ministry calls the area a living museum of nomadic culture, and Kazakh customs such as girl-chasing (姑娘追) and aken singing (阿肯弹唱) can be seen.

What to look for

• Zhaobishan (照壁山), a pyramid-shaped hill about 400 metres high with water on three sides
• The cliff-walled gorge, over 10 kilometres long, south of Zhaobishan
• Tianshan Dam (天山坝) of Zhaobishan Reservoir (照壁山水库), the best viewpoint over Bilong Bay (碧龙湾) and Zhaobishan
• Swan Lake (天鹅湖), an alpine-meadow lake at 2,449 metres
• Qiaoya Pasture (乔亚草场), Kazakh summer grazing land above 2,500 metres
• Tianmen (天门), the highest sight in the area at over 2,700 metres, looking down on Swan Lake and Qiaoya Pasture
• Primeval Schrenk spruce forest (雪岭云杉) on the north slope of the Tianshan

Location & getting there

Getting to Tianshan Grand Canyon

• Search for 天山大峡谷 with 乌鲁木齐市 and 乌鲁木齐县.