For travelers who want snow without the crowds of the famous northern resorts, Gongliu winter travel is one of the Ili valley’s best-kept secrets. Gongliu County, in western Xinjiang’s Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, is home to Kuerdening, a component of the Xinjiang Tianshan UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most beautiful spruce-forest snow valleys in Central Asia. In recent winters the county has added a real ski slope at Yilegdai and turned its forests into a playground of horse treks, sleigh rides, and snowmobile runs. Paired with the county town’s pretty Diehu Lake, it makes a calm, photogenic stop on any skiing in Xinjiang route.
Why Gongliu for a Winter Trip
Gongliu does not try to compete with the 1,400-meter vertical drops of Altay. Instead it sells tranquility: silence under tall spruce, open snow meadows, and a slower pace where a horse ride through the woods is the main event. The county has invested heavily in winter tourism, and the results showed on January 2, 2026, when Kuerdening logged a clear winter-visitor boom. As part of the wider Ili “Beautiful Ili” winter season, Gongliu links naturally with nearby Yining and the other Ili ski areas, making it an easy half-day or overnight add-on rather than a destination in itself. If your main goal is downhill skiing, treat Gongliu as a relaxing counterpoint to the bigger hills rather than a replacement for them.
Kuerdening: A UNESCO Snow Valley
Kuerdening (also spelled Kurdening) sits about 88 kilometers southeast of Gongliu town, deep in the Tianshan. Its winter operating season runs from early November to late March, with a ticket of about 60 yuan that includes self-drive access. The mountain roads are steep and bendy, and because the shuttle buses stop in winter, you must enter in a four-wheel-drive vehicle with snow tires, limited to seven seats or fewer. Once inside, the payoff is immediate: a valley of pristine white, still spruce, and a winding river you can hear over the silence. The Qimengde area has grown into a small hub with food stalls, souvenir shops, and new photo studios, while the Wucai Qiuyun viewpoint shows off the layered forest and snow ridges. Snowshoeing or simply walking the cleared boardwalks gives you the valley’s signature views without any special skill.
Snow Activities Inside the Valley
The classic Kuerdening experiences are low-tech and high-charm. You can ride a horse through the snow plain and forest with a local herder, take a horse-drawn sleigh padded with soft cushions for a 360-degree moving view, or hop on a snowmobile for a faster secret-glen crossing. At the Zhonglu Borui camp, a snow-tube run pulled by an excavator has become the surprise hit, with visitors shrieking as they accelerate across the white. A herder horse team that started on December 4, 2025, now runs 83 horses and carries 80 to 100 guests a day through the plains and forest, sharing income with local families. Note that the high-altitude Ayusai area closes in deep winter for safety, so plan your route around the lower valleys and always respect the barriers.
Yilegdai Ski Resort: Gongliu’s New Slope
Gongliu’s headline news for skiers is the Yilegdai Ski Resort (Yilegdai Huaxue Chang). Located in the county, it pressed into final preparations through December 2025 with snowmaking machines running, a chairlift cable being installed, and a new equipment hall stocked with helmets, boards, boots, and suits sorted by size. It opened around December 20, 2025, and now gives Gongliu its own proper downhill slope alongside the forest play at Kuerdening. It is a beginner-to-intermediate mountain, ideal for travelers who want to add a few ski runs to a nature trip without driving all the way to Altay. Check current lift and lane status with the resort before you go, since new venues fine-tune their openings through the season, and weather can pause operations for a day or two.
Skill Level & Rentals
Like most new county resorts in Ili, Yilegdai is pitched at casual and first-time skiers. Rentals are on site, and the focus is on safe, wide groomed runs rather than steep terrain. If you are a confident rider chasing big vertical, treat Yilegdai as a fun warm-up and save the serious descents for the major resorts in our Xinjiang ski resort overview. The on-mountain staff are used to teaching beginners, which makes it a low-pressure place to try the sport.
Diehu Lake & the County Town
Back in Gongliu town, Diehu Lake (Butterfly Lake) is a calm urban spot that freezes into a tidy winter scene, good for a relaxed walk and photos after a day in the mountains. The town itself has the practical comforts: hotels, repair shops for cold-weather gear, and restaurants serving the hearty Ili classics. Many visitors base here and make a day trip to Kuerdening or Yilegdai, then return for a hot meal and a warm bed. For a broader regional plan, our Yili winter ski guide maps the full loop of valleys and slopes nearby, and our best-time-to-ski guide explains when each area has the most reliable snow.
Getting There & Staying Warm
The simplest approach is to fly into Yining and drive south: from Yining, follow the S315 for about two to three hours to reach Kuerdening. Public buses run to Gongliu town, where you transfer to a scenic-area shuttle. Always use a four-wheel-drive with snow tires for the mountain roads, and never enter closed high-altitude zones. Dress in the three-layer system, pack sunglasses for snow glare, and keep hand warmers handy; temperatures drop sharply after dark. Camps inside Kuerdening offer heated wooden cabins, and the town has budget-to-mid hotels within easy reach of Diehu Lake. Booking a cabin ahead is wise on weekends, when the valley fills with Yining day-trippers.
Safety Notes for the Mountains
Cell coverage inside the valley can be spotty, so download offline maps and tell someone your plan. Stay on marked routes, avoid the closed Ayusai area, and turn back if weather closes in. The spruce forest is beautiful but unforgiving if you wander off track, so a local guide or the herder horse teams are the safest way to explore deeper sections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kuerdening a ski resort?
Not primarily. Kuerdening is a protected snow valley best known for forest scenery, horse treks, sleigh rides, and snowmobiling. For actual downhill skiing in Gongliu, head to the Yilegdai Ski Resort, which opened for the 2025-2026 winter.
Do I need a 4WD to enter Kuerdening in winter?
Yes. The scenic shuttle buses stop in winter, and the access road is steep and icy, so only four-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires, seven seats or fewer, are allowed inside the valley.
How long should I spend in Gongliu?
Most visitors spend one day, combining a morning at Kuerdening with an afternoon at Yilegdai or Diehu Lake, or overnight in a heated forest cabin to catch sunrise over the spruce.
When does Kuerdening open in winter?
The winter season typically runs from early November to late March, with last entry around 20:00 at the middle gate and an overnight cutoff at midnight for lodging guests. Always confirm before a long drive.
Can I visit Gongliu as part of a wider Xinjiang ski trip?
Definitely. Gongliu sits in the Ili valley and works well as a nature-and-culture add-on to a longer Xinjiang ski itinerary built around the best snow months, especially if you want a quieter counterpoint to the big resorts.