Seven Emerald Lakes Spat Out by Volcanoes Hide the Wildest Autumn in Northeast China
Longwan Group: Volcanoes Left Seven Green Gems in Northeast, Hidden in the Colorful Forests
As the car drove into the forest area, the windshield was suddenly splashed with a bucket of paint—red maples, yellow lindens, and green pines, layers upon layers pressing down. Guide Lao Lin sharply turned the steering wheel: “Look to the left! That green pool is Sanjiao Longwan, a lake formed by volcanic explosion, and it’s very deep.” Sure enough, in the crater’s hollow, there was an emerald-like lake, with trees along the shore framing the water with a colorful border. When the wind blew, the shadows of leaves fell into the water, making the green even more dazzling.
🌋 Seven lakes are the marks of the volcano crying seven times
“This Longwan group is very strange,” Lao Lin squatted on the wooden boardwalk at Dalongwan, pointing at the lake water, “Seven lakes lined up in a row, like the earth’s eyes.” He scooped up a handful of water, cold enough to numb his fingertips, and the pebbles at the bottom were clearly visible. “After the volcanic eruption, lava blocked the river, and rainwater accumulated for tens of thousands of years, forming these lakes.”
Sanjiao Longwan is the most exquisite, with lake shores carved as if by a knife, steep and sheer. The boardwalk is built along the cliff wall, and walking on it you can see schools of fish in the lake, “all cold-water fish, very tender meat.” On a certain rock, there is a natural hole, which Lao Lin calls the “volcano’s nostril.” “It used to blow out hot air, and now you can hear the wind coming out of it, like it’s breathing.”
🍂 Autumn dyes the lake water like a palette, even the fallen leaves are dancing
The path to Diaoshuikou Waterfall is paved with golden-red fallen leaves. “This waterfall is ‘hanging,’” Lao Lin pointed ahead. Indeed, the water flows down from a ten-meter-high cliff, not falling straight down but winding along the rock folds like a white silk ribbon hanging in the colorful forest. With a slow shutter, the water turns into mist, and when sunlight passes through, you can see tiny rainbows.
The morning mist at Erlongwan is the most enchanting. At dawn, a light white mist floats over the lake surface, the shadow of a wooden boat appearing faintly in the fog. The boatman wears a straw hat, and with a push of the pole, the mist moves with the boat, “like rowing a boat in heaven.” Maple trees on the shore stretch into the water, red leaves fall into the mist and disappear silently, as if swallowed by the lake.
🧺 Picnic by the lake, enjoying the volcano’s gift
Resting at the dock of Dalongwan, Lao Lin took an iron pot from his bag: “Just bought forest frogs in the village, cooked with lake water, so fresh it can bite your tongue off.” The soup cooked with lake water is milky white, and adding freshly picked wild vegetables, the aroma mixed with the scent of pine needles spreads. A fallen leaf dropped into the soup, and Lao Lin laughed as he fished it out: “This is the volcano’s seasoning, eating it keeps you from getting sick.”
The distant mountain shadows soak into the lake, red, yellow, and green stirring the water into colors. Lao Lin said winter here is even more spectacular, “The seven lakes freeze into seven ice mirrors, snow falls on top like sprinkled sugar, and the fish under the ice don’t move, as if competing with the volcano for patience.”
Practical Guide
- Transportation: 2 hours self-drive from Tonghua (take Heda Expressway then Yingsong Expressway, after exiting take Longwan Avenue, follow the “Sanjiao Longwan” signs, many mountain roads, honk on turns); direct tourist shuttle from Huinan County to the scenic area, one hour per trip, ticket price 15 RMB.
- Best Time: October 1-15 (maples are reddest, lake water turns greenish-blue, morning mist is frequent); December to February (ice waterfalls + rime, perfect for snow photography, few people so you can have the whole lake to yourself).
- Must Bring: Hiking poles (save effort climbing Sanjiao Longwan boardwalk, rent for 5 RMB each at the park entrance); telephoto lens (to capture the colorful forest reflections across the lake, best when water and sky blend); thermos (to boil lake water for tea, with a hint of pine scent).
- Hidden Activities: Ask Lao Lin to take you to “Dry Longwan” (the only dry lake among the seven, where you can see volcanic rock’s honeycomb holes, like the earth’s pores); in the evening, find a rock under Diaoshuikou Waterfall, listen to the water mixed with falling leaves, like the volcano humming.
When leaving, the sunset was dyeing Dalongwan orange. Lao Lin said this lake has a spirit, “If you smile at it, the reflection smiles back; if you’re upset, it stirs waves.” I looked back, the seven lakes scattered like green gems in the forest, the volcano’s fire long extinguished, leaving only this gentle pool waiting for autumn to color it, waiting for snow to cover it.
What “volcano-made landscapes” have you seen? Share in the comments~