Shicang Danxia Geopark 石藏丹霞

About Shicang Danxia Geopark

The Xihai Metropolitan Daily feature describes the Shicang Danxia national geopark as lying in Hebei township in the south of Tongde County and as a landform-type natural geological park divided into three scenic areas — Shicang Danxia, Wahe snow mountain (哇合雪山) and Duoergen gorge (多尔根峡) — forming a single complete park. A member of staff of the county's natural resources, forestry and grassland bureau, Wang Liang, describes it as a danxia-landform national geopark with an average altitude above 3,000 m whose main landscape is plateau danxia, combining ancient glacial landforms with Yellow River gorge scenery, and in which danxia cliffs, gorges, snow mountains, Quaternary glacial remains and highland pasture together form the setting. The park lies near the source of the Yellow River, and the same feature records 96 geological relic sites identified there, in four broad categories: geological sections, geological structure, landform landscape and water landscape, with the clastic rock, or danxia, landform as the park's core geoheritage and snow-mountain glaciers and the Yellow River gorge as its companion features.

The Qinghai Daily illustrated item gives the designation: the park was granted national geopark status on 18 March 2020, and the newspaper describes it as the only danxia-landform national geopark in China with an average altitude above 3,000 m — a characterisation the newspaper makes rather than a designation. The same item describes the landform from the air in early winter, its danxia rock standing with green pines and cypresses and its rock galleries and caves with highland eagles. The county has invested 15 million yuan since 2021 towards a protection and display facilities project for the park, building fencing, a first-aid station, eco-toilets, water and power supply and science-education displays. Neither cited page describes a designated visitor route inside the park, an opening status or a ticket arrangement.

What to look for

• The danxia cliffs and gorges that the county bureau's staff member calls the park's core geoheritage
• The Wahe snow mountain (哇合雪山), one of the three scenic areas the park is divided into
• The Duoergen gorge (多尔根峡), another of the three scenic areas
• The Quaternary glacial remains and highland pasture named alongside the danxia cliffs, gorges and snow mountains
• The rock galleries and caves and the green pines and cypresses described in the Qinghai Daily account of the park seen from the air

Location & getting there

Getting to Shicang Danxia Geopark

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

• Search for 石藏丹霞 with 海南藏族自治州 and 同德县.