Hongyuan

Northwest Sichuan plateau pastureland: the meandering Moon Bend, Waqie Pagoda Forest prayer flags, Emutang flower fields and Rigan Qiao Wetland, plus the Chazhen Ridge watershed, a stopover on the Zoige–Barkam self-drive route.

Hongyuan County lies in the middle of Ngawa Prefecture, Sichuan, on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. The county seat sits at about 3,500 m above sea level, and it is a typical plateau pastoral area of northwest Sichuan; its name comes from “the grassland the Red Army crossed on the Long March.” The terrain rises in the south and falls in the north: Chazhen Ridge in the south is the watershed between the Yangtze and Yellow River systems, and beyond the pass lies the open Zoige–Hongyuan Grassland, where the White River (Gaqu) winds across the meadows. This destination is centered on Hongyuan town, running south to Emutang flower fields and Chazhen Ridge, and north to Waqie Pagoda Forest and Rigan Qiao Wetland. Highlights include the Moon Bend meander, the Waqie prayer-flag stupa forest, the summer flower fields at Emutang, Maiwa Monastery, and the yak music festival and horse-racing events in July–August. The best season is June–August: wildflowers peak from late June to mid-July, when the grassland is greenest; in September the grass turns yellow and there are fewer visitors; winters are bitterly cold, often with ice and snow. Getting there: from Chengdu it is about 6–7 hours by self-drive via the Wenma Expressway and the Barkam or Lixian directions, and Hongyuan Airport has flights to Chengdu; the area is often combined with Zoige’s Flower Lake, the First Bend of the Yellow River and Barkam into a northwest Sichuan loop. Suggested stay: 1–2 days, staying in Hongyuan town or Waqie. Beware of altitude sickness, big temperature swings between day and night, and frequent afternoon thunderstorms in summer; most pastures are private grazing land, so please ask permission before photographing yaks and herders.

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