Taihang Grand Canyon

The Taihang range forms the eastern edge of the Shanxi plateau, dropping to the North China Plain in cliffs of red quartzite sandstone cut by gorges hundreds of metres deep. The Shanxi side around Huguan is developed as a scenic area with walkways, waterfalls, glass viewing platforms and cable cars through the Hongdouxia and Qingxia gorges. The range's most remarkable structures are on the Henan side, where villages cut off by the cliffs dug tunnel roads through the rock by hand in the 1970s, most famously the Guoliang tunnel, over a kilometre long with windows opening onto the drop, excavated by thirteen villagers over five years.

What you actually see

• The red gorges - quartzite cliffs and canyons hundreds of metres deep.
• The cliff walkways - paths and glass platforms cut along the rock faces.
• The tunnel roads - hand-dug village roads through the cliffs on the Henan side.
• The waterfalls - seasonal falls in the side gorges.

When to go

April to October; autumn colour in October is the peak season and crowds follow. Winter is cold and some walkways close. Summer rain brings the waterfalls up but also closures for rockfall.

Honest expectations

Separate scenic areas each charge their own ticket, and the Shanxi and Henan sides are administratively different with a long drive between them. Development is heavy, with lifts and platforms throughout. Holiday crowds are severe.

Nearby

Changzhi lies northwest; the Henan side and Guoliang are east over the range.