Get behind the wheels for Yangi Daban, one of Earth’s highest roads

Yangi Daban is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 5.899m (19,353ft) above the sea level, located in the northwestern part of Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang Autonomous Region, in China. It’s one of the world's highest motorable roads.

Yangi Daban

The road to the summit is totally unpaved and narrow. 4x4 vehicles only. The road is very steep, hitting an 18% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. Starting at the paved G219, the ascent is 14.8km (9,19 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 971 meters. The average gradient is 6.56%. There is a real risk of AMS (altitude-mountain-sickness) and death due to Pulmonary Edema and Cerebral Edema. Due to the high elevations and exposure, the road is subject to strong winds and rapid weather changes. Temperatures here in the winter are brutally cold. It plummets as low as -55 C in the winters. The weather deteriorates frequently with strong icy winds. It’s one of the highest roads of the country.
Road suggested by: Hugh Wilson

 

Drive Us to Your Road!

With over 13,000 roads cataloged, we're always on the lookout for unique routes. Know of a road that deserves to be featured? Click here to share your suggestion, and we may add it to dangerousroads.org.