Weather and Climate of Minya Konka in Spring: March, April and May

Spring time is relatively short. At higher altitude places early March will still feel like winter. By Hailuogou Base (1600m) during daytime it gets to around 15C-20C or above and during nighttime it gets to around 5C or above. By Kangding (2500m) during daytime temperature gets to around 10-15C or above and during nighttime it gets to around 0C or lower. By Tsemed (3400) it gets to around 5C or higher during daytime and -5C or lower during nighttime. By anywhere at above 4000m it gets to around between 5C and 10C during daytime and around -5C or lower during nighttime. By March the temperature will start to rise. In May the color of trees and grass start to change and animals become active.

Mid-March in Yanzigou by East Minya Konka

Early April at Hailuogou

Late April by Tsemed Pass

Mid May by Yulongshi Pass

April and May are good seasons to travel to Minya Konka when it starts to get warmer while it is still relatively dry. April and May is a window of good and clear days while it is not cold. It is good to have trips to Minya Konka to its east, west, north and south. Although camping will see higher chance of heavy snow than winter time since it is wetter (it is still less rain than summer but note in summer it won't be snow but rather just rain). Therefore, some people choose not to go higher into the mountains due to possible heavy snow. It is not a very high chance that heavy snow will come maybe at a 20% to 30% chance. When it happens it is not very nice since the heavy snow usually blocks the high passes that you may need to walk over or anywhere at over 4000m may see as deep as up to your knee-deep snow, making the trek very uncomfortable. A good thing is the snow usually melts quickly especially in May when it is actually quite warm in daytime.

Camping is unfortunately not allowed in this season by the north of Minya Konka due to fire restrictions even though it may be a good time to do camping treks in Minya Konka. The temperature is now good for treks that involve camping. By the south of Minya Konka after April it is good to go hiking there are no restrictions. End of May will get quite warm and trees start to turn green. Marmots will start to come out of their caves.

From this season we should see more travelers coming to visit Minya Konka especially by the holiday of Qingming by the first week of April and Labor's Day by the first week of May. Most visitors will be going to its east to Hailuogou or Yanzigou parks or its west to Langgatso Lakes. It is still relatively quiet seasons if you are not traveling during the holidays. From this season most hotels will be open for business. Note the local people will be working on the mountain collecting precious medicinal herbs therefore any arrangement of porter or pack horses will need to be arranged beforehand.

Mar: Okay

April: Good

May: Good