The county is 112 kilometers wide and 151 kilometers long.
Mountainous terrain covers seventy percent and flat plains only five percent of the land area.
The Jade Dragon Mountain is 5596 meters above sea level and is the highest mountain in Yunnan. The Jinsha River or River of the Golden Sands, which forms the northern border of the county, is considered the upper reaches of the Yangtze. The county's lowest elevation, in the southeast corner, is 1,213 meters above sea level. In this area it is possible to grow semi-tropical crops. The Lijiang County seat consists of a new administrative section and the original town of Dayan.