Taking five counties, Songpan County, Heishui County, Mao County, Li County and Wenchuan County in the upstream area of the Minjiang River as the research object, the data of the tourism-economy-ecological environment system (TEE system) of the five counties in the period of 2010-2023 was measured, and the comprehensive effect and the degree of coupling coordination were quantified by using the entropy method and the coupling coordination model. The spatial and temporal evolution characteristics and spatial differences of the coordinated development of different county systems were analyzed. The results show that the state of coordinated development of the TEE system in the five counties in the upper Minjiang River region is at a low level type. All five counties’ coupling coordination degree scores are below 0.3, and all of them are still in the state of severe or moderate dysfunction. The development of TEE system coupling coordination degree of the five counties upstream of Minjiang River is in the fluctuating upward trend, in which the development trend of tourism-economy system maintains rapid development, and the ecological environment system lags behind relatively. The evolution path of TEE system coordination in the five counties upstream of the Minjiang River is a gradual leaping path model, which can be divided into three specific subdivided situations, such as the “severe disorder” path, the “extreme disorder - severe disorder” path, and the “severe disorder - moderate disorder” path. According to the results of the internal coupling and coordination analysis, Songpan County and Heishui County belong to the tourism super-advanced type, while Mao County, Li County and Wenchuan County belong to the economic super-advanced type. The scores of the ecological environment system of the five counties are seriously lagging behind the tourism system and the economic system, and the ecological environment is under severe pressure. Finally, the five counties in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River are proposed to improve their TEE system by improving their spatial and temporal characteristics and laws.