Top 10 Glaciers in China
China holds more than 46,000 named glaciers, the largest mid-latitude glacier estate in the world. They cluster in three regions: the Tibetan Plateau, the Chinese Tien Shan in Xinjiang, and the Hengduan mountains where Sichuan meets Yunnan and Tibet. Many are infrastructure-accessible thanks to high-altitude roads and cable cars; a handful are deep in restricted border zones.
Hailuogou
A glacier descending the east face of Gongga Shan (7,556 m) in Sichuan. Hailuogou is the lowest-altitude tongue of a high mountain glacier in Asia and is reached by a paved road and cable car system.
Mingyong
Below Meili Xueshan in northwest Yunnan. One of the lowest-altitude glaciers in China and a focus of Tibetan Buddhist pilgrimage. The glacier has retreated dramatically since 2000.
Baishui Glacier No. 1
On Yulong Xueshan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) above Lijiang. The tropical-latitude glacier is reached by cable car to over 4,500 m and is one of the most visited glaciers in Asia.
Karakoram glaciers (Xinjiang)
The Chinese side of the Karakoram, including the southern flank of K2, holds vast glaciers that mostly cannot be visited without expedition permits. The Skyang Lungpa is one of the largest.
Tomur (Jengish Chokusu) glaciers
Chinese side of Pik Pobeda. The glaciers feed the Aksu river, critical for the Tarim basin.
Yarlung Zangbo (Tibet)
The complex of glaciers at the great bend of the Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra). Among the most studied in Tibet for water-resource planning.
Rongbuk
The big glacier on the Tibetan north side of Everest. The road ends at Rongbuk monastery and the glacier toes are visible from the end-of-road parking — one of the easiest "look at a major glacier" points in the Himalaya.
Geladandong
Source glacier of the Yangtze, on the central Tibetan Plateau. Remote and rarely visited outside of scientific expeditions.
Anyemaqen
In Qinghai, sacred to local Tibetan communities; a circular trek takes ten days and crosses several glacier tongues.
Laohugou No. 12
In the Qilian range; one of the longest valley glaciers entirely within China outside of the Karakoram. Heavily studied for mass balance.
Keep exploring
The interactive map shows access by road and cable car for the visitor-friendly sites and marks the restricted-access zones for the deep-mountain glaciers.