China's 139-Kilometer Poplar Road Is a Free Autumn Wonder
Every October, a quiet corner of southern Xinjiang turns gold. The 139 Poplar Secret Road, a 139-kilometer drive hugging the south bank of the Tarim River in Shaya County, runs with the Taklamakan Desert on one side and the world’s largest area of wild desert poplar forest on the other. For a few weeks in mid-to-late October, the trees shift from green to amber, and the road becomes one of China’s most striking autumn drives.
The route is unusual for what it does not charge. Most of the road requires no admission ticket, a rarity for a scenic drive in China, where popular autumn destinations often levy entry fees and shuttle bus charges. That openness has made it a favorite for road-trippers looking for a quieter alternative to the crowded poplar forests of Ejina in Inner Mongolia, which draw huge autumn crowds.
The drive begins at the south bank of Hade Third Bridge in Hadedun township and ends where it meets the G217 highway at Tahe First Bridge. It can be driven in either direction. Travelers are advised to add waypoints in their navigation app, because without them the map may route only half the road. Recommended stops include Shayanzhou, Kekequelle tribe, Moon Bay, Star Lake, Paman Lake and the so-called Devil Forest.
The landscape shifts constantly. Some stretches are open sand and low scrub; others close in with dense stands of poplar, their leaves a bright, almost metallic gold against pale trunks. The Tarim River appears and disappears through the trees. Photographers favor early morning and late afternoon, when low light deepens the colors and long shadows stretch across the sand.
Desert poplars are a hardy species adapted to the region’s dry, salty soil and extreme temperature swings. The forest along the Tarim is also an ecological barrier, holding back the desert and sheltering farmland and settlements. Autumn is when the trees are most visible and most photographed, but the area’s appeal depends on the seasonal turn, which varies year to year.
Practical advice from those who have driven it is simple. Fuel up before entering, since services are sparse. Carry water and food, and expect patchy mobile signal. Nights can be cold in the desert even when days are mild. Drivers should watch for sand on the road surface and for livestock near villages.
The reward is a rare combination: a long, largely free drive through scenery that feels remote without being inaccessible. For travelers willing to trade crowds for quiet, the 139 Poplar Secret Road offers a very different kind of autumn trip, one measured in kilometers of gold rather than minutes in a queue.