Swan Lake Wetland Park 天鹅湖湿地公园

About Swan Lake Wetland Park

The park covers 8,850 mu, of which about 6,150 mu is land and 2,700 mu open water and mudflat. Its water comes from the Yellow River together with Qinglong Lake and Canglong Lake, both of which formed out of channel works on the Qinglongjian and Canglongjian rivers, first-order tributaries that run through the site. Alongside the swan-viewing area at Shuanglong Lake, the park's core takes in the old town of Shanzhou and a belt of woodland along the river. In the 1990s this was a foul, polluted watercourse; the present lakes are the result of that clean-up.

Swans are present from October to March. Sanmenxia sits on the Yellow River at about latitude 34.7 degrees north and is described by the city as China's largest overwintering ground for whooper swans; roosting sites around the city have risen from four to nine, and the wintering count from roughly 2,000 a decade ago to more than 16,000. Black-headed gulls winter here too, and the number of wild bird species recorded across the city has risen from 175 to around 300. None of this guarantees what any one visit will show.

What to look for

• The swan-viewing area at Shuanglong Lake, the part of the park set aside for watching the wintering birds
• Qinglong Lake and Canglong Lake, the two water bodies formed from the channelled Qinglongjian and Canglongjian rivers
• The dead lotus stems at the southern end of Canglong Lake, which the swans feed on
• The belt of woodland running along the Yellow River within the park boundary
• Black-headed gulls, which winter on the same water as the swans

Location & getting there

Getting to Swan Lake Wetland Park

Check the open visitor route and follow the site’s rules on distance, food and photography. Conservation areas may limit access beyond designated paths.

• Search for 天鹅湖湿地公园 with 三门峡市 and 湖滨区.