July 1st Glacier
七一冰川
A continental mountain glacier on the northern slope of the Qilian Mountains, its glacier tongue sits at about 4,300 m. It is one of the closest glaciers to a city in Asia that can be reached on foot.
The July 1st Glacier lies in the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains, about 120 km southwest of Jiayuguan city, in Sunan County. It was named after a Sino-Soviet scientific expedition that discovered it on July 1, 1958. The glacier covers about 2.8 sq km, and its snout reaches an altitude of about 4,300 m. The scenic area parking lot is at about 3,700 m. From there, a trail of about 3 km with roughly 600 m of climbing leads to a viewing platform at the glacier tongue, where you can get close to ice towers and ice caves. Tickets cost a few dozen yuan, the drive takes about 2.5 hours, and the glacier is open only from June to September. Due to the high altitude, watch for altitude sickness, avoid strenuous exercise, bring warm clothing and oxygen, and do not step beyond the marked area onto the glacier.
Opening hours
June–September approx. 08:30–17:00
Nearby sights
- Luotuocheng Ruins
- Memorial Hall of the Western Route Army
- Binggou Danxia
- Danxiakou Town & 'Back to Zhangye' Show
- Zhangye Danxia Landform
- Heishuiguo Ruins
- Zhangye National Wetland Park
- Muta Temple (Wooden Pagoda Temple)