7 days 6 nights｜Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop Day 1｜Xining—Zhangye

For the National Day holiday, I chose the Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop, starting from Xining, covering a total of 2666.4 km.
If you can only self-drive during the October long holiday, you can refer to my route, autumn weather, and scenery.
🔄 We chose the counterclockwise route:
① To avoid peak traffic ② Gradual altitude increase to reduce altitude sickness ③ Save the most stunning scenery for later to avoid aesthetic fatigue
🚗 Xining ➔ Zhangye ➔ Jiayuguan ➔ Dunhuang ➔ Heidushan ➔ Emerald Lake ➔ Chaerhan Salt Lake ➔ Qinghai Lake

🌡 Weather: October 4, 2025
Xining: Cloudy turning to light rain, 7–16°C
Zhangye: Light rain turning to cloudy, 9–20°C

🚗 Day 1 itinerary route (P2)
◆ Dabanshan Viewing Platform P3
It is recommended to take the Zhangye-Wen Highway; the time is similar, but the national highway mountain road has many bends and is less safe.
⚠️ Do not suddenly open windows while driving to avoid altitude sickness.
There are parking areas; stop and take photos.
In autumn, if it’s cloudy or foggy, you won’t see the scenery below the mountain, so it’s better to go directly to the next spot.
◆ Gangshika Snow Peak P4-P5
Netizens say it depends heavily on the weather, but after reaching Lianxin Lake, the snow peak seen from halfway up the mountain on a cloudy day is also very atmospheric.
◆ Qilian Mountain Grassland (Ebao Town) P1 / P6
In October, the grass turns golden, and the snow-capped mountains in the background look even more rugged.
Be sure to bring a telephoto lens! Only then can the snow mountains appear closer in photos!
◆ Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park (Colorful Danxia) P7-P10
Rush to Viewing Platform No. 4 before sunset! Entry stops at 18:00.
We chose to enter from the closest East Gate, arriving around 17:50 (it’s recommended to enter 0.5-1 hour earlier), no queues, shuttle buses departed immediately, and before sunset, we checked in at platforms 2, 1, and 4.
The Colorful Danxia looks more vivid after rain; it was still raining before we arrived, and although there was no sunset, it was still beautiful.

🏨 Accommodation can actually be around the Colorful Danxia area, where there are many restaurants.
But fearing heavy waiting times for meals during peak season near the park, we stayed in the city. It takes about 1 hour to drive back from the park to the city.

🥘 Dinner recommendation: Zhang Danxia Fish Restaurant
Zhangye Golden Soup Fish | Freshly sliced sand scallion lamb | Sand scallion beef rice bowl

💡 If you start before October and have more time, you can extend to a 2-day route and add these spots along the way:
① Menyuan Rapeseed Flower Scenic Area ② Zhuo’er Mountain ③ Matisi Temple

I will keep updating the Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop guide~
Please stay tuned!