The seasonal G217 Dushanzi-Kuqa Highway in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region — one of China's most popular self-driving routes — is set to open on Monday, the region's department of transport announced on Friday.

Stretching 561 kilometers from Dushanzi district of Karamay city in the north to Kuqa in Aksu prefecture in the south, the highway is open to traffic only about four months each year.

Running north-south across the Tianshan Mountains, it turns what once required a detour into a scenic drive. In a single day, travelers can see snowcapped peaks, glaciers, alpine meadows, forests, river valleys, Danxia landforms, and deserts.

Landmarks along the route include the Dushanzi Grand Canyon, Narat Scenic Area in Xinyuan county of the Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture, and Bayanbulak Grassland in the Bayingolin Mongolian autonomous prefecture, which marks the country's largest subalpine meadow.

According to the announcement, snow clearance and pavement repairs have been completed across the entire highway. Multiple departments are jointly conducting safety inspections.

To accommodate construction of major expressway and railway projects, some sections of the highway will be open during the day and closed at night for construction. Closure times may be adjusted based on traffic and weather, and construction vehicles will be strictly segregated from public traffic.