Driving the most beautiful Spiral Highway of Shanxi

Driving the most beautiful Spiral Highway of Shanxi

China, asia

Length

276 km

Elevation

N/A

Difficulty

hard

Best Season

Year-round

Cruising through Zezhou County, in southeast Shanxi, China? Buckle up, because National Highway 207 has a wild twist! This isn't just a road, it's a 27.6 km (17.14 mile) long engineering marvel designed to tame those crazy inclines.

Imagine spiraling up over 600 meters! The Tupo Bridge does exactly that, looping around like a helix to gain elevation quickly. Think super steep hillsides needed a solution – this is it! It's a relatively new section, opened in 2019 after a multi-year project designed to make this former "bottleneck" section a smooth, if slightly dizzying, ride. Get ready for views and some serious curves!

Where is it?

Driving the most beautiful Spiral Highway of Shanxi is located in China (asia). Coordinates: 39.3541, 105.2946

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Road Details

Country
China
Continent
asia
Length
276 km
Difficulty
hard
Coordinates
39.3541, 105.2946

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