The Tianshan range runs for about 2,500 kilometers across Central Asia and divides Xinjiang into its northern and southern halves, separating the Junggar basin from the Tarim basin. The range's northern slopes near Urumqi hold glaciers, alpine meadows and rivers, and their erosion has cut deep gorges through the layered sedimentary and volcanic rock.
The gorge
The canyon walls are formed of red, orange and yellow sandstone and conglomerate laid down in different geological periods, so the strata read as horizontal bands of color. In places the gorge narrows to just a few meters with walls rising several hundred meters on both sides, and the stone is eroded into columns, arches and hollows. The path along the floor is a mix of boardwalk and gravel, with a stream running through it that can be fast after rain.
Practical notes
The canyon is roughly 60 to 70 kilometers south of Urumqi, about an hour and a half by road, in the direction of the Nanshan grasslands, so the two can be combined in one day. Allow two hours at the site. Wear shoes with grip for slippery rock and do not enter the narrowest sections if rain is forecast upstream, because flash floods happen. The best light for photographs is mid-morning and late afternoon, when the walls glow. Summer is hot and exposed; spring and autumn are more comfortable.
