We sequenced and annotated the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Gynaephora menyuanensis (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), which is a major pest in alpine meadows and endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. This mitogenome is 15,770 bp in length with an A+T content of 81.48%, and contains 37 typical animal mitochondrial genes that are arranged in the same order as that of other lepidopteran species. All protein-coding genes (PCGs) start with a typical ATN codon, with the exception of cox1, which begins with CGA. Eleven PCGs stop with termination codon TAA, whereas cox2 and nad4 have single T as the incomplete stop codon. All of the 22 transfer RNA genes present the typical clover leaf secondary structure. The A+T-rich region is located between rrnS and trnM with a length of 449 bp, and contains a 19 bp poly-T stretch as found in other lepidopteran mitogenomes. This is the second completely sequenced mitogenome from the family Lymantriidae of Lepidoptera, providing important molecular information to phylogenetic and population genetic researches.