Daocheng Yading Weather in Winter - December, January and February

December, January and February are the winter time of Yading. Travelers will experience low temperature by average at -10C during night and morning. At higher altitude in Yading Park, the temperature is below -10C. But during day time, the temperature is bearable at above 5C although it still feels cold. In winter Yading is the coldest but has the highest chance of sunny weather. Over 80% of the days will be clear and sunny and it feels nice in the sun but in the shed it is very cold. Traveling in this season will see a very low possibility of snow/rain but when it happens it can be super cold during the day, temperature may stay below 0C all day if weather is not good. Another issue with traveling in winter is the time of a day. The daytime is shorter in winter, sunrise usually after 7am or even at around 8am in the mountains. You normally don't want to move around because it is too cold in the morning, can be at -15C the coldest time. And the morning sun doesn't provide any heat and if you stay in the mountains (Yading Village, for example), the sun hits you after 9am. Sunset is earlier than other seasons, in the mountains the sun hides behind mountains by around 4pm. This means you have less time to move around and visit. But if you can cope with the low temperature winter is good season to travel.

Another issue with traveling in winter, is that some sections inside Yading park may not be open because they don't have that many visitors during this season, so to avoid hiring people as in other seasons to take care of the boardwalks, trails, etc, they simply shut it off for example they may shut off the boardwalk from Chonggu to Luorong. But the trail up to Milk Lake and 5-Color Lake are always open.

December

Late December in Daocheng Yading at Luorong Yak Ranch.

December is cold. Temperature during a day is between -10C to 8C by average. The same like in January December has the highest chance of sunny weather, most of the days in this month will see sunny weather. This month you won't see many visitors come to Yading hence a very pleasant time for visitors who wish to enjoy more quiet journey. From December the park of Yading will start its winter schedule when the tourist bus and golf car will start later and end earlier each day, so please make your plans in accordance if you are traveling during this time of year.

January

Middle January in Daocheng Yading at Milk Lake.

Late January in Daocheng Yading at Milk Lake.

January is the coldest time of the year in Daocheng Yading. At night and in the morning the temperature drops below -10C and in the mountains of Yading below -15C and the wind will make it feel even colder. Same as in December, this month will have a very high chance of sunny weather all the month. Blue sky without cloud is the usual weather in Yading in this month. However, because this month (usually from second half of January) is usually both the Tibetan New Year and the Chinese New Year when lots of local service providers will not be providing services around Daocheng Yading therefore many hotels and restaurants will be closed due to the holiday and also due to the lack of visitors. So if you are traveling in this month, please make sure to make arrangement before hand.

February

Late February in Daocheng Yading at Luorong Yak Ranch.

February starts to get warmer than the former two months. Temperature at night and morning starts to go above -10C but during daytime the temperature will still be lower than 10C. February is still in winter in Daocheng Yading. It is not spring yet. Weather is sunny, windy and dry. Except some travelers during the Lunar New Year, other weeks won't see many visitors as in January. This month will have possibility of sow higher than its former months as the teperature rises. But in general it is still dry.