[Objective] This study aims to investigate the spatiotemporal evolutionary traits and the trade-offs/synergies of ecosystem services within the Beiluo River Basin, thereby offering a scientific foundation for the judicious allocation of resources and the pursuit of sustainable development in the area. [Methods] Utilizing a suite of multi-source data, including land use/cover datasets, meteorological records, soil information, and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) spanning from 1970 to 2020, we employed models such as InVEST and CSLE to quantitatively evaluate and dissect the spatiotemporal dynamics of three pivotal ecosystem services: water yield, soil conservation, and carbon sequestration, while also examining their interplay through trade-offs and synergies. [Results] (1) The basin's overall water yield trended upwards initially, followed by fluctuations and eventual decline, bottoming out in the 2000s. During the phase of stable land use, the average water yield across decades was 10.16×108 m3 (corresponding to a water yield depth of 37.75 mm). This figure saw a 36.9% drop during the transitional period and a further 25.53% decrease during the ecological restoration phase compared to the initial period. Among the three land use types—forest, cropland, and grassland—cropland consistently yielded the highest volume of water, while forest land consistently had the lowest water yield depth. (2) The basin's total soil retention displayed an upward trend with fluctuations, reaching its zenith in the 2010s. Over the stable land use period, the average annual soil conservation was 305.62×106 t (equating to a conservation rate of 113.57t/hm2). This figure surged to 364.52×106 t in the transition period and significantly increased to 426.19×106 t during the ecological restoration period (with a retention rate of 157.75 t/hm2), marking a 38.9% rise from the first period. The soil conservation capacity of forest land significantly outperforms that of cropland, and the implementation of conservation measures such as terracing has substantially enhanced the soil conservation capabilities of cropland. (3) The total carbon storage maintained stability before embarking on a continuous climb, with a notable acceleration in growth from the 2000s onwards. When compared to the 1970s, carbon storage in the 2020s has seen a 24.09% increase. Forest land serves as the primary carbon repository, with a substantial uptick in its storage capacity. Conversely, the carbon storage in grassland and cropland has diminished in line with their shrinking areas, while the carbon storage in urbanized areas has increased as cities have expanded. (4) In terms of spatial pattern changes, the regions where water yield has decreased, and soil retention and carbon storage have increased, are primarily concentrated in the high plateau and gully areas, as well as the hilly and gully regions. (5) At the basin scale, there was a trade-off between water yield and soil retention, as well as carbon storage in the Beiluo River Basin from 1970 to 2020. Soil retention and carbon storage, however, exhibited a synergistic relationship. The degree of synergy between soil retention and carbon storage decreased over time, while the trade-off relationship between water yield and the other two factors remained relatively stable. [Conclusion] The restoration of vegetation has imparted distinct temporal and spatial characteristics to the ecosystem services of water yield, soil conservation, and carbon storage within the basin, which exhibit relatively stable trade-off and synergistic relationships. These findings offer a scientific underpinning for enhancing the comprehensive benefits of ecosystem services on the Loess Plateau.