How to Drive the Qingtianhe Wall-Hung Cliff Road in China
Carved into a sheer 100-meter-high limestone cliff in the Southern Taihang Mountains of Henan Province, this wall-hung concrete road runs west of Baipocun near the Qingtianhe Scenic Spot. It offers zero margin for error, clinging directly to the vertical rock face above a deep gorge.
| Road facts: Qingtianhe Cliff Road | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bo'ai County, Jiaozuo, Henan, China |
| Length | 5.1 km (3.1 miles) |
| Surface | Concrete |
| Width | Single lane (impassable for two cars) |
| Hazard Level | Extreme (Unprotected drop-offs, hairpins) |
Where is the Qingtianhe wall-hung road located?
The route lies west of Baipocun village in Bo'ai County, under Jiaozuo prefecture in northern Henan. Drivers reach the track by heading up from the valley toward the Qingtianhe Scenic Area. Blasted directly out of the cliffside, the route was built to connect isolated mountain villages to the main regional highway system in the plains below.
How narrow is the Qingtianhe Cliff Road?
The surface is fully concrete, but the track is strictly single-lane wide. Two vehicles cannot pass each other anywhere along the main ledge. If you meet oncoming traffic, one driver has to reverse along the cliff edge to find a rare pull-out spot. The outer tires sit inches away from a 100-meter vertical drop into the canyon floor.
How challenging is driving through the Taihang cliff pass?
The continuous climb stretches for 5.1 kilometers and packs dozens of hairpin turns with small guardrails made with stone. On the sharpest switchbacks, longer vehicles must swing their front bumpers out over the abyss to clear the inner rock face. Loose stones and rockfalls from the exposed limestone cliffs above regularly drop onto the concrete deck after rainfall.
Road suggested by: jorge manuel gómez sánchez
Pic&video: Aerial China