The species composition, frequency and cover of species, and vegetation types of natural vegetation in Yan′an, An′sai and Wuqi in a transect of 174 samples in the abandoned lands in the hilly-gullied region of the North Shaanxi Province were analyzed and classified using TWINSPAN. The analysis of species composition shows that almost half of the species belong to the gramineae, compositae, leguminoseae and rosaceae, and nearly 75% of species belong to the north temperate, old world temperate, cosmopolitan and pantropic groups, the hydro-ecological types are mainly xerophytic-mesophytic, mesophytic and xerophytic, and the main life form is the hemicryptophyte. The TWINSPAN analysis shows the main vegetation types of the area. In the earlier stages of succession from annual to perennial herbs in Yan′an, An′sai and Wuqi, the main plant communities include the dominant species Artemisia scoparia, Leymus scalinus, Lespedeza davurica, Stipa bungeana, Artemisia gmelinii, Artemisia giraldii and Bothriochloa ischaemun in different combinations, and these species have higher cover and frequency. However, in the later stages of succession, the vegetation of different zones, aspect and slope changes significantly. In the forest zone in the Yan′an area, the vegetation of shady slopes is Rosa xanthina, Acer buergerianum, Quercus liaotungensis dominated communities, and the vegetation of sunny slopes is Sophora viciifolia and Platycladus orientalis dominated communities. In the forest-steppe zone in the An′sai area, the vegetation of shady slopes is Rosa xanthina, Syringa julianae, Ostryopsis davidiana dominated communities, and on sunny slopes is Bothriochloa ischaemun and Sophora viciifolia dominated communities. In the steppe zone in the Wuqi area, the vegetation variation between sunny and shady slopes is not obvious and the main vegetation types consist of perennial herbs. The shrub and tree species in the later stages are all phaenerophytes, and the species of sunny slopes are mainly xerophytic and mesophytic, and of shady slopes are mainly mesophytic, with higher cover but occurring only sporadically, and are not the main vegetation types in the hilly-gullied region of the North Shaanxi Province.