Qilian and Menyuan,
green before the snow peaks

The rapeseed window

The Menyuan rapeseed fields are a short-lived spectacle. The yellow bloom runs from around mid-July to early August, and the exact dates move with the year, so it cannot be promised for a fixed date. Outside the window the valley is still green and pleasant, but the fields are the reason people plan this stage for midsummer.

• Blooms from about mid-July to early August.
• Exact dates shift with the year.
• Among the largest continuous rapeseed fields in China.
• Outside the window, quieter and greener but without the yellow.

Qilian grassland and the herders

Qilian is working grassland, not a park. Tibetan herders graze yaks and sheep across the meadows at about 2,800 m, with the Gangshika peak at 5,254 m rising above the valley. The road crosses this country at a calm pace, and the camps along the way are homes and workplaces rather than attractions. Ask before photographing anyone, and keep a respectful distance.

• Yaks and sheep grazed by Tibetan herders.
• Gangshika peak at 5,254 m above the valley.
• Camps are homes and workplaces, not attractions.

Crossing Biandukou and the end of the loop

The drive from Zhangye back to Xining crosses the Biandukou pass and then the Qilian Mountains, one high pass after another. The weather can change quickly at this height, and the wind on the passes is strong even in summer. Coming back over the mountains, the shape of the whole trip finally makes sense: you have driven out of the plateau, crossed the basins and the desert, and climbed back to the green high country where it started.

• Crosses the Biandukou pass and the Qilian Mountains.
• Cold and windy on the passes, even in summer.
• Several stops for grassland and viewpoints.
• Ends back in Xining, where the route began.