Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Gorge, Yellow River [Linfen]

"One of Top Ten Most Beautiful Gorges (Canyons) in China"
Ranked by China National Geography Magazine

Once it leaves the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Yellow River flows through mountains, making many twists and turns, falls and continues its course until reaches Taohuayu (Peach Blossom Valley) in Zhengzhou City where it suddenly changes from opening up channels and valleys into creating new land. Taohuayu thus becomes the top of the world’s largest delta---the North China Plain. Most of the Yellow River gorges occur along Taohuayu.

The upper reaches of the Yellow River to Hekou Township in Togtoh County, Inner Mongolia, and the lower part of its middle lower reaches between Yumenkou and Taohuayu have many famous gorges, including the Longyang, Jishi, Loujia, Hongshan, Qiangtong, and Sanmen Gorges; but these are separated by many broad valleys and basins. The section between Hekou in Inner Mongolia and Yumenkou in Shanxi Province, the 725 kilometers long Shanxi-Shaanxi Gorge is the longest continuous gorge on the mainstream of the Yellow River. The Yellow River runs in a west-east direction in the Hetao area, but it makes a sharp turn here and dashes southward through the Ordos Plateau. Flanked by the Lvliang Mountain to the left and northern Shaanxi on the right, the Yellow River stays deep in the Loess Plateau. The valley is over 100 meters deep on average and the valley bottom declines from 1,000 meters above sea level to below 400 meters. The riverbed at its narrowest points, such as the Hukou Waterfall, is just 30 to 50 meters across.

Since silt is carried along down from the Loess Plateau, and in the Shanxi-Shaanxi Gorge section accounts for 56% of all and carried by the Yellow River, even though its drainage area represents only 15% of the entire Yellow River drainage area. Perhaps we should say that the real 'Yellow' River is created here, where archetypal Yellow River gorge scenes---swift currents, roaring yellow waters, deep valleys—coalesce. The Longmen Gorge above Yumenkou is the most magnificent. With this the Shanxi-Shaanxi Gorge reaches its final climax.

Best time to go
April, May, September and October
Shanxi-Shaanxi Gorge is under continental climate with distinct seasons, winter is very cold and summer pleasantly cool. In Tuoketuo County, the annual average temperature is around 45.14F, in Hejin City, the annual average temperature is around 56.3F.

Distance
Beijing (997 km) Hancheng City (30 km) The Longmen Gorge on Yellow River
Beijing (1200 km) Xi'an City (240 km) Hancheng City (30 km) The Longmen Gorge on Yellow River
Beijing (1035 km) Yuncheng City (84 km) Hejin City (12 km) The Longmen Gorge above Yumenkou
Beijing (508 km) Taiyuan City (400 km) Yuncheng City (84 km) Hejin City (12 km) The Longmen Gorge above Yumenkou