Xinluhai Lake 新路海

About Xinluhai Lake

Xinluhai Lake (新路海), known in Tibetan as Yulong Lhatso (玉龙拉措), is a glacial lake at the foot of Chola Mountain (雀儿山) in Dege County (德格县), Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (甘孜藏族自治州), beside National Highway 317.

The Dege County government explains both names. The Tibetan one is said to come from Drukmo (珠牧), the consort of King Gesar (格萨尔王), who was so taken with the lake that she murmured "yulong", meaning reluctance to leave; the county renders the full name as "lake of the heart's devotion". The Chinese name, "New Road Lake", was given by the crews who built the Sichuan–Tibet Highway (川藏公路) past it.

Glacial erosion carved the basin, and meltwater from ice and snow plus natural precipitation keep it filled. The county government puts the lake at 4,040 m, with about 6.2 km² of water stretched north to south. On its south side glaciers descend from snow peaks above 5,000 m to the lakeside grassland; the Cuoba (措巴村) village pastures lie to the north, and Sichuan spruce (川西云杉) and square-branched juniper (方枝柏) cover the eastern and western slopes. Chinese Wikipedia traces the outflow from the northwest corner down the Cuoba Gully (错巴沟) and the Cuo Qu (错曲) to the Yalong River (雅砻江). Sichuan Online, the provincial news site, describes the water as jade-green in early winter, before it freezes.

The lake lies inside the Xinluhai Nature Reserve (新路海自然保护区), a provincial reserve since 1997 on the northern slope of Chola Mountain, rising to 6,168 m. The county calls it China's largest reserve for the white-lipped deer (白唇鹿), with more than 170 wild animal species, and lists seven species of fish in the lake. The scenic area was rated national AAA in 2020. Across the lake is the base camp for climbs of Chola Mountain, a peak many amateur climbers choose for their first 6,000 m summit. Chinese Wikipedia records Buddhist ceremonies at the lake every year, attended by many Tibetan believers.

What to look for

• Glaciers falling from snow peaks above 5,000 m to the grassland on the lake's south shore
• Sichuan spruce forest on the western shore, with square-branched juniper on the east and west slopes
• The lush Cuoba village pastures on the north side of the lake
• The Chola Mountain climbing base camp across the water
• Jade-green, unfrozen water in early winter
• The annual Buddhist ceremonies held at the lake

Location & getting there

Getting to Xinluhai Lake

• Search for 新路海 with 甘孜藏族自治州 and 德格县.