To leave the Ili valley to the north you have to cross the Tianshan, and the historic road goes through a gorge called Guozigou - the fruit valley - which has been the main link between the valley and the northern side of the mountains for centuries. It was one of the routes of the northern Silk Road, it carried imperial armies and exiles, and it is still the road that takes you to the high lake of Sayram on the other side.
The gorge
The name comes from the wild fruit: apples, apricots, cherries and other trees grow on the slopes of the valley in quantity, and in spring the hillsides are in blossom. The gorge itself is steep and narrow, with a river at the bottom, conifer forest on the shoulders and rock walls above, and the road climbs through it in a long series of bends. In recent years a viaduct and tunnel system has been built across the gorge for the expressway and the railway, so you now see two generations of road engineering at once, with the new bridge carrying traffic high above the old switchbacks.
Sayram Lake beyond it
At the top of the pass the road emerges onto the Sayram Lake basin, a large, deep, very blue alpine lake at around two thousand metres, ringed by grassland and snow-capped mountains. It is one of the most beautiful places in Xinjiang, and it is a natural stopping point on the drive between Yining and Urumqi. The lake is a scenic area with yurt camps on the shore, horse riding, and viewpoints along the ring road; the water is cold and clear, and the light changes constantly as weather moves across the basin.
Practical notes
Guozigou is on the road between Yining and the lake, about an hour and a half from Yining, and is usually driven through rather than stopped in, although there are laybys with views of the bridge and the old road. The drive from Yining to Urumqi over the pass and past the lake takes most of a day, and breaking it at Sayram is the sensible arrangement. The pass is high and exposed, and can be closed by snow from late autumn to spring; check conditions before setting out, and allow extra time for the slow ascent in bad weather.
