The striations that gave Azerbaijan's Candy Cane Mountains their name were laid down between 160 and 180 million years ago, when alternating bands of iron oxide, clay, and limestone compressed into horizontal ribbons across the Greater Caucasus range. Erosion carved the sediment into ridges that rise above 3,000 meters, each layer tinted rust, ochre, cream, and slate depending on mineral content and weathering. Soviet geologists cataloged the formation in the 1960s, but the site remained inaccessible to recreational visitors until Shahdag Mountain Resort opened a network of cable cars and four-wheel-drive tracks in 2012. Today the resort anchors year-round access to a landscape that was once the preserve of transhumant shepherds and alpinists. The Candy Cane ridges lie twelve kilometers northeast of Shahdag's base station, where the road to Khinalug village climbs through alpine meadows and scattered beech forest. The hills are not a single peak but a series of parallel folds, each approximately four kilometers long and separated by narrow valleys where snowmelt collects in spring. Unlike the volcanic cones further south or the granite massifs of the central Caucasus, these mountains are sedimentary — their colors shift with the angle of the sun, turning violet at dawn and bronze by late afternoon. The region receives heavy snowfall from November through March, which obscures the stripes and closes the upper trails; the clearest definition appears between May and October, when the ground is dry and the rock faces are fully exposed. Shahdag Resort operates a gondola lift to 2,400 meters and a chairlift to 3,100 meters, both of which bring visitors within hiking distance of the Candy Cane zone. The infrastructure was built to serve skiers in winter and trekkers in summer, and it remains the most developed access point in the Qusar district. Guided tours from Guba and Baku typically combine the Candy Cane formations with stops at Laza waterfall, the medieval towers of Khinalug, and the Qechresh forest reserve. Independent travelers can drive the Gusar-Laza road, though sections above 2,000 meters require four-wheel drive and are impassable after heavy rain. The mountains are part of the Shahdag National Park, established in 2006 to protect 130,000 hectares of montane habitat that includes Caucasian tur, bezoar ibex, and golden eagle. No entrance fee applies to the park itself, but lift tickets and guided excursions carry separate charges. The site draws both geology enthusiasts and photographers, particularly during the golden hour when the striations are most pronounced.