Tulugou National Forest Park locates in Yongdeng County, 140 kilometers away from Lanzhou. The park belongs to the eastern branch of Qilian Range, with the elevation ranging from 1998 to 3165 meters above sea level. The park has a total area of 5848.4 hectares with the forest coverage rate of 79.2%. The landscape of the park is undulating and the mountains are rugged. It is known as the "Mythic Green Valley". In 2005, it was listed as the National 4A Class Scenic Spot.
History of Tulugou National Forest Park
Tulugou is also known as "Tulvgou", because of its strange peaks and evergreen trees. "Tulu" is an ancient Mongolian word, meaning "big and good", or "beautiful orchard".
Tulugou National Forest Park once was the multi-ethnic gathering areas. In 1984, Tulugou National Forest Park was officially opened to the public. In 1987, it was designated as a forest park. In September 1992, the park was approved as a national forest park by the National Ministry of Forestry.
Attractions of Tulugou National Forest Park
The scenery of Tulugou National Forest Park is very beautiful while the vegetation has the obvious vertical distribution feature. At the top of the mountain is the rich and vast pastures; trees stand at the hillside; the farmlands locate the foot of the mountain. Affected by the mountain climate and abundant rainfalls, it becomes an original natural scenic area without any artificial carving.
Turogou National Forest Park has more than 1,600 plant species, including the endangered protected plants such as Circaeaster, Cloves and Astragalus. Rare animals and plants add more mystery and beauty to this fairy land. Inside the park, the Turu River, originated from Erbo Peak, flows from the northwest to the southeast and merges into the Datong River.
Tulugou National Forest Park is divided into five major scenic zones, including Front Tulugou National Forest Park, Huge Tulugou National Forest Park, Small Tulugou National Forest Park, Sancha Tourist Village and Tulugou Pasture Pleasure Place. Altogether, there are 47 scenic spots, including the Skylight Hole, Canglong Cave, Buddha Rock, and Heaven Pass Gate. These stones have various and peculiar shapes, which are regarded as graceful as Mountain Emei, as perilous as Mount Hua and as queer as Jiuzhai Valley.