Two thousand metres up in the Tiān Shān range is Tiān Chí, a small, long, steely-blue lake nestled below the view-grabbing 5445m Peak of God (博格达峰; Bógédá Fēng). Scattered across the alpine pine and spruce-covered slopes are Kazakh yurts and lots of sheep. It was a paradise described in Vikram Seth’s wonderful travelogue From Heaven Lake ; and still is for some.
There are dirt roads, boardwalks and trails at Tiān Chí to various peaks, or it's seven hours hiking around the lake (if the whole system is open, which it may not be anymore). For an easy walk try the path up to Little Heavenly East Lake (东小天池, Dōng Xiǎo Tiānchí). There are also temples to explore on both the east and west shores, though many travellers are turned off by the commercial nature of these.
