Dawn Redwood Autumn — Hubei China
The dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) — a conifer considered extinct for 80 million years until its discovery in 1944 in Lichuan County, Hubei Province, the living trees representing the same species whose fossils were found globally in Cretaceous deposits — turns russet-orange in October and November before losing its needles (it is one of the few deciduous conifers), and the natural grove at Modaoxi in Lichuan provides the world's only opportunity to observe the species in its genuinely wild native habitat. The trees' straight, fluted trunks and the village of Xie Jiaba situated among century-old dawn redwoods create a landscape of extraordinary botanical and historical significance — these trees survived the ice ages only in this single valley. The October colour, when the grove's feathery orange foliage contrasts with the surrounding evergreen forest, is the finest visual moment of the world's rarest wild tree population.
About this spectacle
In Modaoxi Valley in Lichuan County, October and November bring one of the botanical world's most quietly astonishing moments: the world's only wild population of dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) turns a warm russet-orange before shedding its feathery needles for winter. These are not planted specimens — they are the living survivors of a lineage thought extinct for 80 million years, growing among the terraced fields and old timber buildings of Xie Jiaba village. Morning light catches the fluted, straight trunks and the soft, flame-coloured canopy, which glows in vivid contrast against the surrounding evergreen hillsides. The grove is intimate and still; you stand among century-old trees of a species whose fossils have been found on every continent, yet which clung on only in this single valley through the ice ages. The sound of a Chinese farming village waking up, the smell of river mist from the Modaoxi stream, and the sight of ancient amber foliage arching overhead makes this a deeply unusual nature encounter — equal parts botanical pilgrimage and autumn colour spectacle.
When to go
Jan — Dec, peak Oct — Nov
Getting there
Nearest airport: WUH. Nearest city: Enshi.
Booking options
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