Zepu County & the Golden Poplar Forest: A Kashgar Side Trip

I expected another dusty southern town and instead found a river running gold — the poplars at Zepu turn the whole Yarkand River corridor into a flame in early November, and almost no foreign drivers have heard of it.

Zepu County sits in Kashgar Prefecture, about 180 km southwest of Kashgar city along the G315, on the road that continues to Hotan. It is best known for the Jinhuyang (Golden Poplar) Forest Park — a national forest park of Populus euphratica, the desert poplar, growing along the Yarkand River and turning brilliant gold for a few weeks each late autumn. For a self-driver it is a perfect Kashgar side trip: a half-day in the park plus a night in the county, with none of the crowds of the better-known Tarim poplar forest near Luntai. This guide covers getting to Zepu, the best window for the gold, where to stay, and how to chain it into a southern Xinjiang route toward Hotan or the Pamir.

Getting to Zepu from Kashgar

From Kashgar city take the G315 southwest; it is a straight, good-quality highway about 180 km and roughly 2.5 to 3 hours of driving, passing through Jiashi (Peyziwat) and Yopurga before Zepu. The road is flat and easy, with the Pamir foothills hazing to the southwest and cotton and jujube fields either side in season. There is no toll drama and fuel is easy in Kashgar before you leave; top up there because the smaller county pumps can be slower. A common mistake is treating Zepu as a detour on the way to Hotan and skipping it — but the poplar park is 30 km north of the county town, so budget a half day, not a drive-by. I leave Kashgar after breakfast, reach the park by late morning for the best light, and sleep in the county. The Kashgar to Pamir drive is a different direction entirely, so pick one or the other per day.

• G315 southwest from Kashgar, ~180 km, 2.5-3 hrs
• Fuel in Kashgar; county pumps are slower
• Park is 30 km north of the county town

The Golden Poplar Forest Park

Jinhuyang means ‘golden lake poplar’, and the park protects a ribbon of P. euphratica along the Yarkand River, with a lake and boardwalks that put you among the trees at water level. The desert poplar is the only broadleaf tree that grows in true desert, and here the river keeps a green belt alive against the brown Taklamakan edge — a striking contrast. Boardwalks and a small causeway loop take about two hours; a boat ride on the lake (seasonal) adds another hour. Entrance is around 40 RMB plus a shuttle if you don’t walk, and the park is a 4A-level scenic area, quieter and cheaper than the famous Luntai poplar forest. The bazaar in the county sells the local walnuts and red dates. I walk the outer boardwalk first for empty light, then the lake loop — the reflection doubles the gold.

• P. euphratica belt along the Yarkand River
• Boardwalk + lake loop ~2-3 hrs; ~40 RMB entry
• Quieter and cheaper than the Luntai poplar forest

Timing the gold

The poplars turn over a short window, usually late October to early November, peaking for about ten days around the first week of November depending on the year’s first cold snap. Go too early and the leaves are still green; too late and they’re on the ground. The park’s own website and the Kashgar tourism accounts post the peak dates, and local drivers know within a few days. Avoid the National Day week (Oct 1-7) for the park if you can — it is green then anyway and crowded; the gold crowd is smaller and later. Winter after mid-November is bare and cold, summer is green and hot. I aim for the first week of November and confirm by asking the county hotel a few days ahead; the window is short and worth timing.

• Peak ~late Oct to early Nov, ~10 days
• Confirm exact dates via local tourism accounts
• Skip National Day week; it is green and crowded then

Staying in Zepu county

The county town has straightforward hotels in the 200-350 RMB range — clean, modern, with parking that fits an SUV and a real breakfast, nothing characterful but reliable after a day in the park. Book the night before in ordinary months; around the poplar peak and National Day rooms tighten, so a few days ahead is safer. The town is small and walkable after dark, with a night market for kebabs and the local walnuts and red dates (the county is known for both). If you want more comfort, base in Kashgar and do Zepu as a long day trip, but an overnight lets you catch the dawn light in the park with no 3-hour drive. I take the county room in peak season and the day trip in green season — the gold is worth the bed.

• County hotels 200-350 RMB, SUV parking, real breakfast
• Book ahead at poplar peak and National Day
• Kashgar base possible as a long day trip

Chaining Zepu into a southern route

Zepu sits on the Kashgar-Hotan corridor, so the natural extension is to continue south on the G315 to Hotan (another ~200 km) for the jade market and the southern oasis culture, or to double back to Kashgar. It is not on the Pamir road (that branches southwest at Opal, before Kashgar), so don’t try to fold both into one day. For a slow southern loop I run Kashgar to Zepu (park + night), Zepu to Hotan (night), then either Hotan to Kashgar or push the desert highway north. The bazaar shopping guide helps you handle the Hotan jade market without overpaying. I keep Zepu as the green-and-gold palate cleanser between the two big oasis cities — easy driving, small town, big trees.

• Continue G315 south to Hotan (~200 km)
• Not on the Pamir road; separate day
• Good green break between Kashgar and Hotan