The establishment of ecotourism corridors, meticulously tailored to the distinct resource landscapes and socio-economic contexts of specific regions, has significant implications for the preservation of ecological systems as well as the augmentation of tourism value. These corridors function as pivotal channels for sustainable progress, orchestrating a delicate balance between environmental conservation and the socio-economic benefits derived from tourism endeavors. To delve into this multifaceted dilemma, the current investigation adopts an integrative methodology that amalgamates diverse analytical instruments and theoretical constructs. In particular, the study is grounded in the principle of resource patchwork theory, which underscores the judicious concatenation and deployment of varied resources to attain optimal results within intricate environmental settings. This theoretical perspective is especially pertinent for scrutinizing the subtle interactions among natural resources, anthropogenic activities, and infrastructure development in the context of ecotourism. The Qilian Mountain area, celebrated for its rich biodiversity and cultural patrimony, is selected as the central case study for this inquiry. Leveraging the region's unique geographical attributes and socio-economic framework, the research employs a spectrum of advanced methodologies, including kernel density estimation, minimum resistance modeling, and social network analysis. These methodologies afford a refined comprehension of the spatial distribution and interconnectedness of pivotal resources, along with the modalities of tourist circulation and predilections. Moreover, the amalgamation of digital tourism review data yields indispensable perspectives on the genuine encounters and perceptions of visitors, thereby enriching the empirical underpinnings of the investigation. The findings indicate that the ecotourism corridor system within the Qilian Mountains comprises 16 central nodes (also known as source areas) interconnected by 36 segments, forming a closed-loop network configuration oriented along a "northwest-southeast" axis. Within this conduit, the complexity of tourism services and amenities is manifested through a spatial distribution that conforms to a core-periphery gradient, with Huangzhong and Datong counties acting as crucial nodal points from which services decrement radially. This scholarly inquiry has effectively delineated two established ecotourism corridors: the Huangzhong-Delingha and Tianzhu-Sunan routes. In addition, it has ascertained three emerging corridors currently under progression: the Huangzhong-Datong-Sunan, Huangzhong-Haiyan-Sunan, and Huangzhong-Datong-Delingha routes.Based on the data from 2015 to 2023, two hot tourism routes were extracted. The overlap degree of corridor and tourism routes reached 42.57%, and the mature Huangzhong-Delingha route overlapped with the hot tourism route twice. After years of data verification, the results can provide scientific guidance for the construction and management of regional tourism routes.