[Objectives]   To describe the diversity, community structure and change in the ground beetle community along an altitude gradient (927-2 735 m) in the Bailong River forest area, and demonstrate the benefits of long-term monitoring and protection of forest biodiversity. [Methods]  Babbitt pot traps were set at different altitudes (927, 1 794, 2 376, 2 735 m) to capture ground beetles. [Results]  A total of 2 015 ground beetles were caught, which could be classified into 95 species and 18 families. Among these, the Elateridae, Carabidae, Silphidae, Staphylinidae and Cicindelidae were the dominant families comprising 75.1% of all species captured. The most numerically abundant family was the Cicindelidae which comprised 436 individuals or 21.6% of the total. The number of dominant species first increased, then decreased, along the elevation gradient. Both the diversity and number of beetles trapped were highest at 2 376 m, whereas both diversity and abundance were relatively low in low altitude areas. The number of dominant species in middle and high altitude areas had a single-peak growth pattern from June to September. Peak capture values differed among families at different altitudes. For example, the Carabidae were the most abundant beetles caught in July at all altitudes. However, the Elateridae were the most frequently caught in August at 2 376 m and 1 794 m. Conversely, the number of Elateridae captured decreased sharply at 927 m and 2 735 m. [Conclusion] Ground beetle species are abundant and dominant species are obvious in the Gongba River basin of the Bailongjiang forest. Dominant species varied with altitude. Ground beetles can be categorised into three types according to their distribution on the altitude gradient. The Mid-high altitude group includes the Carabidae, Staphylinidae and Cicindelidae, which are widely distributed at 4 different altitudes in the basin. The mid-high and high-altitude group, includes the Elateridae and Silphidae. The third group, comprised of the Scarabaeidae, Curculidae and Coccinellidae, are found at all altitudes, but are less abundant and are not dominant taxa at any altitude.