In 1965, well before the establishment of the Gurvan Saikhan National Park, a small 69 km² area surrounding Yoliin Am Canyon was already a protected zone. Yoliin Am is located approximately 60 km southwest of Dalanzadgad in the Züün Saikhan mountains. The bearded vulture, called "Yol" in Mongolian, lent its name to the Yoliin Am valley, literally meaning the "Gorge of the Bearded Vultures".

At an altitude of 2,500 meters, Yol Canyon forms a gorge so deep and narrow that in certain sections, only two people can pass through side by side. Water cascades down in four small waterfalls. Despite the region's abundant sunshine, the canyon remains dark, so that at its base, much of the river remains locked beneath a thick layer of ice throughout most of the year.

Travelers can discover permanent glaciers, endemic plants, and rare animals such as Siberian ibex, argali sheep, and bearded vultures. Snow leopards and other predators also inhabit the Yol valley region.

North of the massif, dinosaur skeletons dating back more than 70 million years have been uncovered.