A cable car zips above snowcapped peaks at the Dagu Glacier Scenic Area. [Photo by Xu Lin/China Daily] 

I sipped a small cup of steaming coffee while looking at the frozen water mass out of the window of a cafe that claims to be the world's highest at 4,860 meters.

The cup was close and warm. The ancient glaciers seemed cold and far away.

But they weren't, really.

I was exploring the Dagu Glacier Scenic Area in Sichuan Province's Heishui County. The county in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture is encapsulated by 13 glaciers that encrust an area of over 210 kilometers.

They're among the world's youngest.

From below, autumn visitors can float above yellow leaves and snowcapped peaks on a 15-minute cable car that zips 1.6 km upwards vertically to the two-story coffeehouse.

Tourists can sniff oxygen from tabletop machines while nibbling on local snacks.

I walked from the coffee shop to a large wooden platform offering panoramic views of this remarkable landscape. The path leads to a lake that's like an oasis among the white. It's like a gemstone in a crown.

This constellation of glaciers attracts photographers who come to its lakes, valleys and Tibetan villages.

A cafe that claims to be the world's highest at 4,860 meters. [Photo by Xu Lin/China Daily] 

The nature reserve hosts 1,000 plant species and 150 types of wild animals, such as golden monkeys. Tibetan macaques eat and frolic near the Golden Monkey Lake.

Mountains are reflected in the water in ways that resemble traditional Chinese paintings.

An orchestral rhythm of waves taps against its stony shoals.

Visually, it's a photographer's dreamland.

Red boulders bulge from the riverbanks. Their hue hails from a special kind of algae that fleeces such rocks at high altitudes.

Dagu's snows start in August. I witnessed one turn from gold to white on one late-October day. It was as if Elsa from Frozen had flashed her wand.

A stream in the mountains and boulders are fleeced by a type of red algae. [Photo by Xu Lin/China Daily] 

After taking in the vista for a while, I hiked. I made a snowman. The area also has a history.

The Communist Party of China's Red Army trekked over five snowcaps in total－two of which are in the scenic area－during its historic Long March military retreat. The last one was Dagu Snow Mountain, standing at an altitude of 4,728 meters.

In 1936, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and other Communist leaders led the army as they ascended and camped in the Changde Snow Mountain. Local Tibetans named the area's lake the Red Army Lake when the fighters left.