The city boasts convenient public transport with buses running directly to the scenic spot. Visitors may also take a taxi to get there.

Hidden away like a beauty unknown to the world, the Nine Dragons Grand Canyon stands as a stunning gem along the northern tourist corridor of Laiwu. Stretching more than 20 kilometers in total, the canyon crosses Huaihua Township, Dawangzhuang Town and Luye Township of Laicheng District, and gets its name from its countless twists and bends. Deep within the gorge lies well-preserved primitive natural scenery. The most representative and densely packed scenic section runs from the Black Dragon Pond upstream to the Hukou Waterfall, forming the absolute highlight of the entire Nine Dragons Grand Canyon.

Walk roughly one kilometer forward from the parking lot of the Fanggan Tourist Area, and you will behold extraordinarily peculiar peaks and sheer vertical cliffs piercing the sky. This is the renowned Sky-Supporting Cliff, commonly known as Screen Peak. Beneath this cliff lies the Black Dragon Pond, home to "Star Shimmering over Dragon Pond", one of the Eight Great Ancient Sights of Laiwu, tucked deep in the remote valley. The Black Dragon Pond consists of three pools, with the Third Pool situated north of Sky-Supporting Cliff. Divided into an outer pool and an inner pool, they are connected by a narrow stone crevice less than a foot wide. The inner pool resembles a double gourd, its full view blocked by surrounding stone walls. All you can see is a mist-shrouded dark hollow, with the roar of cascading water echoing like distant thunder. The Records of Laiwu County compiled during the Jiajing Reign contains a poem depicting this very pond: "The pool’s still waters glisten cold as polished mirrors, A divine serpent coils amid the emerald waves. Ever since thunderstorms swirl around the pond, Villagers bring incense to this pure sacred altar." The famed sight of "Dragon Emerging from the Deep Pool" can be found right here.

To reach the Second Pool, climb the western cliff, walk 140 meters north, then descend the rock face down to the water. Standing by the Second Pool, lofty mountains tower to the north, while steep, precipitous gullies stretch southward, offering a full view of the double-gourd-shaped Third Pool. A waterfall cascades down the sheer eastern cliff, sending sprays of water flying like shattered jade, creating a spectacular scene. Climb the stone wall to the east of the Second Pool and pass through a grove of trees, and you will arrive at the First Pool, a large basin hidden amid rolling mountain ridges. Its water is deep emerald green. To the east, a three-tiered waterfall spills forth, scattering countless water droplets like jade beads. A towering mountain rises to the north, with a massive boulder jutting horizontally out as if about to crash down. Surrounded by exquisite mountains and crystal waters, immersed in this fairyland-like seclusion, all worldly worries fade away, and a sense of transcendence washes over you. As a verse puts it: "Dragons hide in deep pools, eagles cling to summits; Sunlight hits stone walls, revealing silvery sparkles. Every view of Dragon Pond brims with poetic grace, The Nine Dragons Canyon brims with heroic spirit."

Head north along the winding canyon, crossing streams and gullies. You will come upon a quiet nook devoid of thunderous waterfalls, filled only with the pleasant chirping of birds. Though it feels like the Peach Blossom Spring, this is actually Pagoda Tree Valley. The valley floor and hillsides are blanketed by lush pagoda trees, their foliage a vivid emerald green. If you visit in spring, you will witness "mountains blanketed in the sweet scent of pagoda blossoms, bees humming alongside the flowers". Do not linger too long admiring the view; continue onward. The trail fades in and out, the canyon grows deeper, and the mountains become steeper. At one stretch, dense stone trees block out the sky, and towering peaks vanish beyond sight. Jagged, menacing rock formations line the cliffs, cold winds whistle through the gorge, and birds let out mournful cries. At the valley bottom sits a V-shaped dark green pool that inspires dread and sends a chill down visitors’ spines. Push through the reed thickets west of the pool and hurry out of Tiger Platform North Mountain Gap.

Proceed further north, and a pure white marble structure comes into view from afar. Drawing near, you discover it is a huge three-tiered rocky slope roughly 50 meters high, holding three pools collectively named the Nine Maidens’ Ponds, so called for the legend that the nine daughters of the Jade Emperor bathed here. The place exudes an ethereal, immortal aura. The mountains here are tall and graceful, the waters broad and gentle. Wildflowers bloom in delicate smiles, green pines seem to wave in greeting, birds sing merrily, and butterflies flit among the blossoms. Among the three pools, the Second Pool is the most marvelous. Water glides slowly down the cliff face like scattered silver beads, shimmering brightly under sunlight. The Second Pool’s bed and banks are smooth as polished jade, soft and creamy white, forming a natural giant bathing tub. Water flows through a stone trough into the Third Pool, the stone platform where the celestial maidens rested after bathing. The white marble-like stone bed bears indentations left where they sat, lay and reclined. Before you can fully savour the sacred beauty of the pools, another captivating sight unfolds. Two mountains stand opposite each other, framing a natural stone gate six to seven meters wide, a masterwork of nature’s craftsmanship marking the narrowest point of the Nine Dragons Grand Canyon. Torrential water surges through the gate and plunges into a dark green pool whose depths cannot be fathomed. Fish leap and frolic in the water, as if practicing the legendary carp’s leap over the dragon gate.

Rest for a moment before resuming your hike. Old vines catch at your clothes and gnarled ancient branches block the path; you must sidestep or duck under them. After a gruelling trek, a massive split boulder comes into view, half of it fallen beside the pool. Viewed head-on, the entire stone resembles a green dragon sword piercing the sky; from the left, it looks like a giant brush-stroke forming the Chinese character for "mountain", bold and powerful. A pool nestles within the mountain, and the mountain is reflected in the pool, creating endlessly delightful interplay of rock and water. Thus the stone is named "Mountain Within the Pool", and the water "Pool Within the Mountain". One stunning vista follows another, too numerous to take in, and curiosity drives you onward despite the harsh terrain. The path grows even more difficult: sheer stone walls rise on all sides, and jagged rocks form your stepping stones. Though no thorns block your way, you must leap from rock to rock to keep your shoes dry, truly living the line "Clear streams accompany my journey, jagged stones serve as my stepping stones". After roughly sixteen hundred leaps, a wide expanse of water appears. Tall, imposing peaks tower on both banks, their stone faces smooth as mirrors with nowhere to set foot — a true dead end. This is the Hukou Waterfall, stretching about 120 meters long. A milky white stone beam over a hundred meters long spans its mouth, with a mushroom-shaped boulder weighing an estimated hundred tons standing in the distance, sheltering a large cavern beneath it. Water surges from the cave mouth along the hundred-meter stone beam and plunges into the pool, resembling a colossal dragon’s head from afar. Two large rocks flank the head like dragon eyes, and the cave opening forms an agape dragon maw capable of holding more than ten people. Water has gushed out of this dragon mouth for thousands of years, forming the famous Old Dragon Mouth, and the pool below is known as Dragon Mouth Pool. Magnificent and grand, the Old Dragon Mouth gathers water from countless gullies, carved over tens of thousands of years into this wondrous, precipitous and mysterious landscape. This canyon section also features more than twenty scenic spots including Three-Tiered Ponds, White Dragon Pond, Sunning Turtle Rock, Divine Turtle Guarding the Pond, and Dragon Maiden’s Bed.