Taiping National Forest Park (太平国家森林公园) is located in Taiping Valley, where the landscape features unique water and mountain scenery, including numerous waterfalls, rapids, and treacherous shoals. This area was once a mountainous paradise for the powerful elites of the Tang Dynasty to enjoy flowers and escape the summer heat. Within the park, you’ll find ancient and robust larch forests, pure red birch groves that stand tall against the wind and snow, and natural expanses of azalea blooming in spring, creating a stunning sea of flowers. It has become a brilliant jewel in Xi’an’s backyard, known as a “world of flowers and waterfalls.”
The park features five major scenic areas, including Shimen, Yuegong Pool, Shichuanzi, Huangyangba, and Hualin Bay, with nearly a hundred attractions. The area’s distinctive natural scenery includes twelve waterfalls of varying sizes, with the largest having a drop of over one hundred meters. These waterfalls are mainly concentrated within a 2.5-kilometer range in the park, forming a waterfall cluster that is a unique natural wonder in northern China, earning it the nickname “the Jiuzhaigou of the North” among visitors.
Travel Information about Taiping National Forest Park
Ticket Prices and Opening Hours
Ticket Prices:
- Peak Season (March 1 to November 30): 60 CNY
- Off-Season (December 1 to February 28): 40 CNY
Opening Hours:
- Peak Season (March 1 to November 30): 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Off-Season (December 1 to the end of February): 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Best Time to Visit
The best seasons to visit are spring, summer, and winter. In spring, the park is blanketed with a sea of flowers; in summer, the waterfalls cascade dramatically; and in winter, you can witness beautiful frost and ice waterfalls.
Getting to the Park
Location: Within Taiping Valley, Hu County, Xi’an City.
Transportation: Take the No. 1 Ring Mountain Tourist Bus from the Big Wild Goose Pagoda Square to reach Taiping National Forest Park.
Attraction Ratings
- Cultural: ★★
- Unique Features: ★★★★
- Leisure: ★★★
- Scenic Beauty: ★★★★
- Romantic: ★★
- Thrill: ★★
Useful Tips
- Taiping Valley is not very high in elevation, so there’s no need to take a cable car; you can easily hike to the top in no time. It’s best to bring an umbrella, as it can provide shade from the sun and shield you from the spray when viewing the Rainbow Waterfall at the summit.
- Photography: Visiting Taiping Park in winter offers a unique charm, as the rivers and waterfalls freeze, creating stunning sights such as rime ice and icefalls, making it an excellent time for photography.
- Flower Viewing: The park features a natural sea of azaleas covering thousands of acres. Every April, the entire area is adorned with vibrant, blooming azaleas, filling the air with their delightful fragrance.
Highlights of Taiping National Forest Park
Shimen Scenic Area (Stone Gate)
Shimen Scenic Area is named after the giant rock inscribed with characters by Ouyang Xun. The area features rugged rocks and winding mountain paths, where the varied shapes of the boulders create lifelike landscapes. As you walk along the path, you will find two mountains flanking the route, with steep cliffs on one side and a clear stream accompanied by fragrant wildflowers on the other.
The area is also home to the famous banded metamorphic rocks, which belong to the Qinling mountain range. Within these metamorphic rocks, multiple periods of rock veins have developed. These veins often form various structures, including intestinal folds, rootless folds, stone sausages, and structural lens bodies, showcasing diverse and intricate shapes. Visitors can admire distinctly shaped patterns resembling a beauty bathing, a divine sheep subduing a tyrant, galloping horses, and stone pines, all of which possess significant scenic value.
Yuegongtan Scenic Area (Moon Palace Pool)
Yuegongtan Scenic Area stretches from Qingshuicha in the north to Toutaocha in the south. The river along the route is steep and narrow, with rushing currents and winding paths. Deep pools are interconnected, with giant rocks lying in the water and dense trees surrounding the area. The peaks are often shrouded in mist, creating a natural landscape that beautifully combines canyons, clear streams, and pristine forests, evoking a sense of tranquility, depth, and mystery.
The waters of Yuegongtan are crystal clear and unfathomable. On the northern side, a stone cave with a diameter of about 5 meters resembles a full moon, partially submerged in the pool. The interplay of light and shadow creates an enchanting effect, making it seem as though the water is flooding the moon palace, thus giving the area its name, Yuegongtan. Other notable features in the scenic area include the Imprint Stone, Imprint Pool, Dragon Cave, and Suspended Silk Rack.
Huangyangba Scenic Area (Yellow Goat Dyke)
Huangyangba Scenic Area features meandering streams, vibrant mountain flowers, and a refreshing fragrance that fills the air. The winding roads create varied topography, with distinct rock formations, cliffs, and forest scenery.
The most famous attraction within the scenic area is the “Eight Waterfalls and Eighteen Pools,” a unique natural landscape found only in northern China. This stretch runs 4.7 kilometers from Shalingzi to Rainbow Waterfall. Among its highlights are Rainbow Waterfall, Yudai Feifeng (Jade Belt Waterfall), Xianheqiao (Crane Bridge) Waterfall, and Longkou Feifeng (Dragon Mouth Waterfall). The water cascades over the giant rocks, splashing down, and the scattered droplets form rainbows through the reflection and refraction of sunlight.
Related Details:
The Rainbow Waterfall is truly magical, cascading down from an altitude of nearly 2,000 meters, reminiscent of the line from the poem “The Yellow River’s waters flow down from the heavens.” To witness the rainbow, it’s best to reach the mountaintop before noon; arriving later may mean missing this stunning sight.
Birch Forest Bay Scenic Area
The Birch Forest Bay Scenic Area is characterized by expansive natural red birch forests, creating a unique sight where, from a distance, it appears green, while up close, it reveals a stunning red hue. As the elevation increases, the area is adorned with blooming rhododendrons. In May and June each year, the flowers burst into bloom, forming a beautiful landscape that captivates visitors.