Platform 1 is positioned for sunrise, when the low-angle light from the east skims across the ridges and picks out the texture of the rock. The colours at sunrise are softer than the afternoon display — more amber and rose than the saturated reds of late afternoon — but the quality of light has a clarity that midday never matches.
Getting here for sunrise requires leaving Zhangye very early, as the park is forty kilometres out and the gates open at dawn. Taxis or private drivers from town are the practical option at that hour, since buses haven't started running. The park is much less crowded in the early morning, which is reason enough to make the effort beyond the light.