PLACE GUIDE

Zhangye National Geopark 张掖国家地质公园

Zhangye Guojia Dizhi Gongyuan

Zhangye’s geopark contains several distinct landscapes at the northern foot of the Qilian Mountains.

Zhangye Danxia Geopark · 张掖七彩丹霞
Zhangye Danxia Geopark · 张掖七彩丹霞 · H2v5o68z · CC0
Photo adjustments

Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.

Explore the region

Gansu · 甘肃省 →Zhangye · 张掖市 →

About Zhangye National Geopark

Qicai Danxia is known for coloured layers folded across rounded hills; Binggou is more strongly defined by upright red-rock columns and ravines. The two areas offer different ways of reading erosion and sedimentary rock. Treat them as separate excursions within a wider geological region, with their own entrances and visitor routes, rather than one continuous walking park.

The park's rock formations resulted from deposits of sandstone and other minerals laid down over 24 million years. The layered rock was tilted by the same tectonic activity that shaped parts of the Himalayan mountains, and wind, rain and time then sculpted it into towers, pillars and ravines of varying colors and sizes.

The geopark lies in Sunan and Linze counties within the prefecture-level city of Zhangye, in Gansu, in the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains, and covers 322 square kilometres. Its core area, Linze Danxia Scenic Area, is the most developed and most visited part of the park, located 30 kilometres west of downtown Zhangye. A second area, Binggou (冰沟), on the north bank of the Liyuan River (梨园河), was inaugurated on 3 August 2014 and covers 300 square kilometres, with elevation from 1,500 to 2,500 meters. A third area, Sunan Danxia Scenic Area, lies in Ganjun, south of Linze.

The site was designated a quasi-national geopark on 23 April 2012 under the provisional name Zhangye Danxia Geopark. It was formally designated Zhangye National Geopark by the Ministry of Land and Resources on 16 June 2016, after passing an on-site acceptance test, and became a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2019.

What to look for

  • The coloured, layered hills of Qicai Danxia.
  • The red-rock columns and ravines of the separate Binggou area.

The surrounding area

The city base for the coloured Danxia hills in the surrounding Linze and Sunan area.

Location & getting there

Getting to Zhangye National Geopark

Travel west from Zhangye toward the Linze–Sunan foothills. Choose Qicai Danxia or Binggou by name when booking the transfer, and confirm the intended gate and return pickup; the two scenic areas use separate access arrangements.

General visit reminders

Allow room for the terrain and weather when choosing your route. Check the operator’s current trail, shuttle and cableway notices where applicable, and confirm the return connection before setting out. A broad landscape pin does not identify every trailhead or access point.

Combine your visit

A suggested order for the documented features and stops.

  1. Qicai Danxia viewing platforms

    Study the banded hills using the designated shuttle and platform circuit.

  2. Binggou rock viewpoints

    Consider this as a separate extension for contrasting columnar formations, with an arranged road transfer.

This is an editorial sequence. Check access and any road or boat transfers; it does not establish a walking route, common ticket or guaranteed same-day connection.

AI illustration: Rust-red sandstone layers with eroded vertical grooves and small green plants at their base.
AI illustration · AI 示意图（景观类型参考，非实拍） · 丹霞红砂岩层理 — A general visiting detail, not an exact view of this place.
Landforms & caves · 地貌／洞穴 →

Find Zhangye National Geopark

张掖国家地质公园 · 张掖

Amap · 高德地图Approximate pin · 近似位置Apple Maps · 苹果地图

The pin marks the area, not the entrance.

More places nearby

Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.

Zhangye Wooden Pagoda Temple 张掖木塔寺

27 km away

Zhangye’s Wooden Pagoda is the most recognisable survivor of Wanshou Temple. The present tower was rebuilt in 1926 and combines masonry in its lower levels with timber eaves and more extensive timberwork above. Its stacked roofs…

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Giant Buddha Temple 张掖大佛寺

28 km away

Zhangye’s Great Buddha Temple centres on an enormous reclining clay Buddha inside a broad timber hall. Figures of disciples and other attendants surround the main image, creating a much fuller religious scene than a single…

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Mati Temple Grottoes 马蹄寺石窟群

54 km away

The Mati grottoes occupy several separate cliff complexes in the Qilian foothills. The best-known North Temple section stacks the Thirty-three Heavens caves vertically, linked by narrow internal passages and stairs. Qianfodong…

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Sources & visit information

The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.

Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors, “Zhangye National Geopark” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1362954203.

Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikivoyage contributors, “Zhangye” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 5293359.

Background paragraphs condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "Zhangye National Geopark", English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1362954203.

China Revealed · Editorially updated 2026-10-07