Kanas Wilderness Trail

The Altai Mountains of northern Xinjiang are the least-visited section of China's most remote province. The landscape here is closer to Siberia than to the rest of China — silver birch forest, dark conifer stands, broad river valleys with glacially-fed turquoise rivers, and the snow-capped peaks of the Altai marking the border with Russia and Kazakhstan to the north.

Kanas Lake is the entry point. The lake is deep, cold, and impossibly blue at 1374m altitude, surrounded by larches that turn gold in September in a display that draws Chinese tourists in large numbers. The trail departs from the lake's southern shore and moves south through the Kanas National Nature Reserve on a route that quickly leaves the tourist infrastructure behind.

The Hemu Valley is the second set piece of the route — a flat valley floor with a Tuva village (the Tuva are a Turkic people distantly related to the Mongolians) surrounded by enormous pine forest and backed by 4000m peaks. The village of Hemu is frequently photographed from the sunrise overlook above; arriving on foot from the north on a backcountry trail is a different experience from the tourist buses.

The southern section of the route moves into wilder country as it approaches the edge of the restricted border zone with Kazakhstan and Russia. Navigation requires care: the border zone designation means some sections have restricted access that varies by year and political climate. Research current access before committing to the southern portion.

Wildlife in the Chinese Altai includes snow leopard (rarely seen, but present), Altai argali sheep, brown bears (distinct from the Russian brown bear — Altai bears are smaller but present in good numbers), and wolverine. The bird list is exceptional for Central Asian species.

Most parties take 6-9 days. The route requires wilderness camping and self-sufficiency — there are no services between Kanas and Hemu beyond Tuva homestays that operate informally.