Tianchi Lake in Tianshan Tianchi National Park is a scenic highlight about 1.5 to 2 hours out of Urumqi. It is a small lake in high mountains. The northwestern area is highly developed and even has a mall. But the eastern and southern areas have a trail and beautiful hiking. If you like nature and ethnic culture, it is a place to go, and you can find economical accommodations and meals in the Kazakh yurts. Some of the yurts are beautiful inside with lots of brightly colored and decorated rugs, quilts and wall hangings. They sort of remind me of camping in American Indian wigwams that were probably made similarly. Because of the ready and fairly inexpensive ethnic accommodations in a high-mountain national park, the Tianchi Lake is a great place to camp.

The lake itself is about 3 kilometers long and averages about 600 or 700 meters wide (2 miles by less than half a mile). It is surrounded by many rugged and forested valleys that lead down to the lake from closely surrounding peaks that reach about 2,400 meters (7,800 feet). The surface of the lake itself is at an altitude of about 2,000 meters or about 6,600 feet, and it is about 100 meters at the deepest point. There is a hiking trail that goes around it. The yurt accommodations are on the northwest side near the road and the entrance.

To really enjoy the place, it is best to stay overnight so as to have the time to hike around and to be there when the crowds are gone and the speed boats and tour boats are retired. The tour buses often arrive around noon and leave by three or 4 pm to take groups to restaurants or back to Urumqi. Staying in an authentic Kazakh yurt is a cultural experience. Once the tour buses and crowds leave in the late afternoon, the lake and the valley becomes quiet. People can go for strolls on the mountain paths, and they can hike or ride a horse up to the glacier plains where the scenery is simply stunning. If the sky is clear, you can enjoy the stunning celestial display and maybe campfires or meals with your Kazakh hosts.