Abstract: In this paper, the pile-soil load transfer characteristics under different water level of reservoir area were studied, and the evolution law of the negative friction resistance of the pile shaft was discussed to provide certain engineering guidance for the pile foundation design in the reservoir area. Numerical results show that the rise and fall of water level has a significant impact on the development of the pile-head settlement and the negative friction resistance. The drop in the water level promotes the negative friction of the pile body, which increases the axial force in the pile body and the pile-head settlement. In addition, the distribution of negative friction resistance and the settlement of pile top are affected by the number of water level cycles and pile head load. With the increase of the number of cycles and the load, both the settlement and negative friction resistance increase, and the first cycle of water level fluctuation has the greatest impact on it.