Development of the Haraz Road geotourism as a key to increasing tourism industry and promoting geoconservation

The purpose of this research is to introduce road tourist attractions. Geotrial attractions of Haraz Road (Haraz Valley), located in the Alborz Mountain, are presented in this article. The Haraz Road (Road 77) is one of the most beautiful roads in the world that connects the capital of Iran (Tehran) to Mazandaran province. In this research, the geodiversity attractions of the area outside the urban context, in the Jajrud Neck to the Filband zone have been investigated. There are 17 stops along the road. The basis of this research has been the transfer of knowledge and experience of over 20 years of field visits to this road. This research was conducted due to the various interests in the Haraz road, such as geodiversity, cultural, historical, religious, and ecological attractions. The most attractive tourist sites along the Haraz road include Lar plain, Qal'e Dokhtar, Shahandasht waterfalls, Imamzadeh Hashem, Damavand peak Gol-e Zard cave, Damavand Icy waterfall, Basaltic prisms, kafer-Keli crypts, and Shahi Bridge. This road is the cheapest road geotourism option for middle to low-income people.