Hukou Waterfall
壶口瀑布（陕西宜川一侧）
China's second-largest waterfall and the world's largest yellow waterfall, where the Yellow River narrows like a kettle's spout and pours down.
Hukou Waterfall lies in the Qin-Jin Grand Canyon of the Yellow River, on the border between Yichuan County in Shaanxi and Ji County in Shanxi. Here the river, about 300 meters wide, suddenly squeezes into a stone trough roughly 50 meters across. The water plunges down in churning, muddy waves, sending up clouds of spray with a roar like thunder. The sense of 'the Yellow River coming down from the heavens' is most vivid here. On the Shaanxi side, you can walk down the riverbed rock toward the falls and view the drop of the stone trough and the 'Ten-Li Dragon Trough' from the side. Rainbows often appear on sunny afternoons. The peach blossom flood in spring and the flood season in autumn bring the greatest water volume, while in winter you can see ice hanging from the rocks and ice cascades. Admission on the Shaanxi side is about 100 yuan in peak season (subject to the scenic area's announcements), and shuttle buses run within the park. The falls are about 160 km from Yan'an city, roughly 2.5 hours by car, and tourist express buses also run. Clothing near the falls gets wet from the spray easily, so watch your footing on slippery rocks. During flood season, when the water is extremely high, some viewing areas may close. The Shanxi side belongs to Ji County and requires a separate ticket.
Opening hours
About 07:00–18:30 (shorter in winter; check the site's announcements)
Nearby sights
- Qiankun Bay of the Yellow River
- Liangjiahe Village
- Nanniwan
- Yan'an Red Street
- Former Site of Lu Xun Academy of Arts
- Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region Government Site
- Qingliang Mountain
- Baota Mountain