With the acceleration of urbanization and the increasing recreational demand of residents, the recreational spots around medium and small cities also developed rapidly and showed particular distribution patterns. By the exploration of analysis method about recreational ring around Yanji City, we could get better understanding about the systems of urban spatial structure and recreation spatial structure of the medium and small city which is similar as Yanji City. By using the analysis methods of turning radius, buffer analysis, cost path, network analysis, point interpolation in ring structure, we compared the spatial structure of recreational areas and the best distance of recreation behavior around Yanji City, The results showed that the analysis method of the point interpolation in ring structure could be fit for the analysis of the recreational needs of residents, and could reflect the characteristics of the recreational spots distribution objectively. In spite of its normativeness and popularity, the best distance of recreation behavior which based on the turning radius analysis methods just considered the Euclidean distance between the recreation center and the recreational spots unilaterally. The cost path analysis method which based on Digital elevation model Considered the terrain elements fully, and the network analysis method which based on the transport topology network of urban and rural took into account of the feasibility of recreation behavior well. but the quantitative recreational radius and the minimum cost routing couldn't explained the geographical distribution characteristics caused by the recreational spots around the medium and small cities. With the development of computer technology, and the study of recreational ring structure in depth, there would be further innovation and breakthrough in the methodology of recreational ring structure analysis.