Mugetso(Mugecuo) is a park 20km north to Kangding. It is called Kangding Qingge Mugetso Scenic Area. It covers an area of 350sqkm including the tourist attractions inside Azalea Gorge, Fancao Prairie, Seven-Color Lake, Yaochi Hot Spring, Mugetso Lake, Honghai Lake Prairie. It is a gallery of primitive forest, alpine lakes, hot springs, prairies and snow-capped mountains. It is listed as of the top tourist parks in Kangding.
Mugetso is located 20km north to the town of Kangding. It takes around 40 minutes drive to get to the park from Kangding. From Xinduqiao it takes around 2 hours drive to get to Mugecuo Park. From Chengdu it takes around 4 to 4.5h to get to Mugetso park by driving.
Mugetso is located in on the east edge of Tibetan Plateau. It has cool summer and fall while cold winter and spring. From December to the next February, Mugeso Lake is iced up and will gradually melt from March. Summer is from late June to early September when the average temperature is between 10 and 14 C. The most distinct feature of the climate here is that it has warm day and cold night. Every year by the second half of October the snow comes usually. But some year the snow maybe little when it is dry. The best time of come to visit Mugetso is May to June for it is between the dry season and the monsoon season when it is not so cold nor too wet and you get to see the azalea flowers. While in July and August the park become alive due to its many flowers and green trees. But rain may come often in this season. October is also very good season to come to shoot the golden colors of Mugetso when the trees on the mountains will turn yellow or red. Read more on Kangding Travel Season.
Mugetso Park is an organized tourist park that uses tourist buses to take visitors up to the end by Mugecuo Lake and tour down the valley after a visit around the lake. Along the valley there are stops made to appreciate the views of the park including the following places.
Fangcao Prairie is a place located by the end of Mugetso park. In summer time it becomes a fairyland for its many flowers and green grass. A horse-riding is available here for visitors. It is also a place where local people have picnic and spend their free time.
7-color Lake is located at the elevation of 2600 meters above sea level. The lake resembles a crescent and is 20-meter deep. This lake is surrounded by forest and will usually have the reflections of sunlight therefore local people have given it the name 7-color lake. The reflections on the surface of the lake are also considered something amazing in this park. Another amazing fact of this lake is that it is half cold water and half warm water from the hot spring. By the exit of the hot spring at the bottom of the lake, somewhere the temperature is as high to 67C.
The valley that connects 7-color lake and Mugetso is called Azalea Gorge with a stream running through this 8-km gorge. Many Azalea trees stand in this gorge by the river. It is a nice path to walk on with the newly built boardwalk. Normally visitors come to the end of the valley by bus and walk down through the Azalea Gorge.
Yaochi Hot Spring is called “Medicine Pool of Boiling Spring”. It is located at the elevation of 3500 meters and with a number of over 20 springs. Highest temperature gets to 90C. The hot spring is believed to have a medicinal effect on human body that is why it is called Medicine Pool.
The park is named after this lake. It is also called Yeren Lake, meaning Wildman Lake. Local people call it Big Lake. It is one of the biggest lakes around this area. Mugetso is located by the end of the valley in the park and at the altitude of 3700 meters. Around Mugetso there are several smaller lakes.
195 yuan per person includes the tourist bus (April to 15th November)
165 yuan per person includes the tourist bus (15th November to the next March)
Recommended length of visit: 4-6 hours
Opening Hour: 08:00-17:00
Altitude Range:3300m - 3900m
A normal visit to Mugetso you can start your visit by Mugecuo lake after using the tourist bus from the entrance for around 40 minutes. This kind of visit is done by most of the visitors to Mugetso Park. You can get off at every stop in the park while using the park bus down the valley and then take photos and appreciate the views by each stop. The tourist buses run like public buses in Mugetso and you can decide however long you want by each stop. Normally for this kind of visit it will take you around 3-5h to tour the park.
For more active visitors you can consider to walk the boardwalks between each stops. Around Mugecuo Lake, which is the biggest lake in this park one can walk around to appreciate the stunning highland views of lake, mountains. From Mugecuo Lake one can walk down on the boardwalk for 3km to the hot spring stop (where bus is available), and then another 2km to 7-color Lake (bus stop) and then another 4km to Fangcao Prairie (bus stop). It is total around 10km walking down the valley if you wish to walk them all, or one can choose to walk only one or two part of the boardwalk with flexibility because one can choose to use bus by each bus stop. All the hiking will be on well-paved boardwalk (stairs) from Mugecuo Lake down.
This is a wild hiking that is not part of the official park of Mugetso but rather the hiking itself ends by the park of Mugetso. It is a 10km wild horse trail hiking that starts from the upper Mugetso Lake (Honghaizi Lake) and walk on wild horse trail down to the lake of Mugecuo and then connect to the park boardwalk (or use the bus from there). It is not inside any park but rather just views of wilderness with amazing highland lakes and the Lamoshe Mountains (northern range of Minya Konka Mountains). Hiking this part is more physically-demanding than visiting the park of Mugetso.
There are simple food stores by each stop in the park of Mugetso where the tourist buses make stops. Please note the food options are very limited and you are recommended to bring some snacks with you as well as dinking water. By the entrance/parking lot of Mugetso Park there are some restaurants available during high travel seasons.
Accommodations are only available in the town of Kangding 20km drive away.
Route: Kangding - Gongga - Kangding
Route: Chengdu - Danba - Tagong - Kangding - Chengdu
Route: Chengdu - Siguniangshan - Danba - Tagong - Kangding - Hailuogou - Chengdu
