Yellow River Stone Forest 黄河石林

About Yellow River Stone Forest

In Yinmagou, cliffs and narrow rock forms rise beside the valley route, while higher viewpoints reveal the contrast between the stony slopes and the oasis. The landscape is therefore more than a collection of isolated formations: erosion, the river and the village’s fields can be read together.

The stone forest's older rock formations developed about 2.1 million years ago within layers of sandy conglomerate. Renewed tectonic movement, rain erosion and gravitational collapse produced towering stone-forest peaks; the stone pillars and stone shoots mostly stand between 80 and 100 meters, with the tallest reaching about 200 meters.

The Yellow River Stone Forest lies in the transition zone between the Loess Plateau and the Tengger Desert. The Mijia Shan (米家山) and Songshan (松山) in the north-central area and the Hunan Shan (虎南山) and Songjialiang Shan (宋家梁山) in the south are outlying ranges of the Qilian Mountains. The highest peak, Damaohuaiding (大峁槐顶), reaches 3017.8 meters, while the lowest point, the Yellow River valley, lies at 1480 meters. The river enters from the southeast in a winding course, cutting deep gullies that are mostly V-shaped or box-shaped.

The Yellow River Stone Forest National Geopark (黄河石林国家地质公园) covers an area of about 50 square kilometers, of which the ancient stone forest group covers 10 square kilometers. It is rated a national AAAA-level tourist attraction (国家AAAA级旅游景区) and was approved as a national geopark in January 2004.

What to look for

• The rock columns and sculpted walls of Yinmagou Canyon.
• The Yellow River bend beside the Longwan oasis, seen from the designated viewpoints.

Location & getting there

Getting to Yellow River Stone Forest

Approach the Huanghe Shilin visitor area near Longwan Village in Jingtai County’s Zhongquan area. Arrange a road transfer to the official entrance and use the visitor transport offered for the canyon and village sections; confirm any boat service separately.