Travel and Hiking

A moderately difficult hike that follows a line of wild wall up to a tall tower with 360° views of mountains, valleys, small villages, and a long line of wall heading high into the hills. Some sections extremely tricky underfoot.

We start the hike not far past Chenjiapu Village, taking a short walk up a concrete road before turning off on to a dirt track that leads up a valley towards the Great Wall.

The valley is narrow to begin with, and slowly opens up to give views of Great Wall and towers on a high ridgeline.

At the top of the valley we’ll find the Great Wall, with two mostly-intact towers sited to guard a pass at a dip in the mountains.

We’ll be headed north from the dip, following a rough line of ‘wild’ Great Wall through the two towers and up to the local “General’s Tower”.

We’ll continue down the wall, taking a few detours around broken sections, and hike along the flatter section of wall above Chenjiapu Village.

The hike takes us by a few more towers on the way, and there’s at least one tricky section where we might find it easier to hike beside the Great Wall instead of on top of it.

Before the wall gets way too steep to walk on we’ll turn off on to a hill trail, and follow it down to the village road to end the hike.

Bring your passport/ID in case we get checked at the border crossing on the way home.

Cost: ¥420 / ¥380 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1884/chenjiapu-great-wall/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

A long hill climb takes us up on to a remote, rough, and seldom-visited stretch of unrestored Great Wall, with awesome views of the surrounding mountains.

The Great Wall out here is rough and seldom-visited—choose this hike if you're interested in a visit to a section of wall very different to what you've seen on postcards.

In the Ming Dynasty, Zhenbiancheng was one of three important outposts on the border, along with Changyucheng and Hengling. Modern Zhenbiancheng has grown in and around the old city walls. Much of the town walls still remain, as well as archways, bricks, and stone carvings.

In more recent times, the area was the site of a major battle between the Chinese and Japanese armies, and it’s said that bullet holes can be seen in some of the walls.

Dragon Boat Festival holiday—we might get stuck in traffic at some point on the way to or from the hike. We recommend you don't make fixed plans for the evening, just in case.

Important—Bring your passport/ID card. We cross into Hebei for this hike, and if there are checks at the border crossing it could delay our arrival back in Beijing.

Cost: ¥400 / ¥360 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/895/zhenbiancheng-great-wall-loop-hike-reverse-3/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Hike down to the White River and head downstream on trails, gravel tracks, and dirt roads by the riverside, passing below tall cliffs.

You'll see the running river, leafy green trees by the riverside, impressive tall and steep cliffs made from massive slabs of rock and boulders, and hopefully the local family of herons that nest high up in the cliffs.

It’s possible to hike all the way down without crossing, but it’s also fun to get your feet wet on a few of the crossings—up to you!

Dragon Boat Festival holiday—we might get stuck in traffic at some point on the way to or from the hike. We recommend you don't make fixed plans for the evening, just in case.

Good for kids age 7 and up. This hike is too long for younger kids to walk the whole way by themselves.

Cost: ¥420 / ¥380 for members / ¥220 for kids

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1682/along-the-white-river-4/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

A long ramble through the hills, hiking narrow roads and farm tracks near the tiny settlement of Hemp Village before hiking down the Gubeikou Great Wall to finish as the sun is setting.

We’ve planned this hike so that we’ll be hiking down the Gubeikou Great Wall during the ‘golden hour’, the hour before sunset in which the sunlight gets an extra filter as it passes through more of the atmosphere and (hopefully!) gives some lovely soft and warm light for photos of the Great Wall and scenery. And hopefully we’ll miss all the traffic on the motorway coming back … fingers crossed!

Bring your passport/ID. This hike starts in Hebei Province, but because we’ll be hiking back over the border we don’t expect we’ll be asked to show passports. (You should have your ID with you, just in case.)

Dragon Boat Festival holiday—there's a chance we'll get stuck in bad traffic at some point during the drive, and we might be back to Beijing later than estimated. The subway system will nearly be closed by the time we get back, too, so you’ll need your DiDi app ready to grab a taxi home just in case.

Cost: ¥430 / ¥390 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1998/hemp-village-to-gubeikou-great-wall-sundown-hike-2/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Ramble about in the hills of Huailai, passing villages, valleys, and fields, with views of big mountains and Great Wall.

We’ll drive out past Badaling into Hebei Province to reach the trailhead, which begins on a lonely stretch of mountain highway. After a 30–40 minute walk up a road into the mountains, we’ll arrive at Big Camp Plate Village.

The ‘Camp’ part of the name comes from the village being an old supply point for the wall in this area, back in the Ming Dynasty. Nowadays the village is virtually empty, apart from when everyone shows up for the planting and harvest seasons.

From the village we continue along a dirt road, aiming for the meadows by the Great Wall. We’ll hike up to the wall for a look. The wall here is built on a cliff, and the views are amazing.

From the meadows we’ll backtrack a short distance to find the trail that heads down to a narrow gully, which we’ll follow to find another interesting feature of the Great Wall in this area – a gate in the wall at the end of the gully. Don’t go through the gate – you’ll be in for a drop of about six metres.

We’ll climb up over the gate and follow a narrow trail that takes us up on to the wall high above, which we’ll then follow up to a high point.

This line of wall is fairly steep, and a lot of it has fallen down. This makes it a fairly tricky climb. But it’s worth it, with the views getting better and better the higher we get.

We’ll aim to get to the high point for lunch, and we’ll stop to enjoy the views as we eat – Great Wall on two sides, and mountains and valleys all around.

Nearby the high point is a line of Great Wall known as Yangbiancheng, which was built as a model for the construction of other Great Wall in the same area. We’ll hike down here after lunch for a look.

On the other side of the Yangbiancheng wall is a narrow trail that leads down and out a valley, and we’ll head down that way to finish the walk. It’s a relaxing walk down – a nice dirt path of about 5km that is shaded by trees. As we get further down, the path widens as we near fields and terraces that are farmed by people from the nearby village of Hengling.

Dragon Boat Festival holiday—we might get stuck in traffic at some point on the way to or from the hike. We recommend you don't make fixed plans for the evening, just in case.

Important—Bring your passport/ID card for this hike. We cross into Hebei and if there are checks at the border crossing it could delay our arrival back in Beijing.

Cost: ¥390 / ¥350 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/746/big-camp-plate-village-and-hengling-valley/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Explore the Panlongshan section of the the Gubeikou Great Wall, starting with a climb up to the 24-Eyes Tower, finishing with a look at some of the Great Wall towers on the west side of the big North Gate, and hiking all the wall in between.

24-Eyes Tower is the highest tower on the Panlongshan ‘Coiling Dragon Mountain’ part of the Great Wall, and was one of the largest, too. The name ’24-Eyes’ came from the number of windows—six on each of the tower’s four sides. The tower only has two sides now due to damage over the years, including explosions and gunfire during a 1930s battle between Chinese and Japanese armies.

From 24-Eyes Tower we’ll hike down the Great Wall, heading for Gubeikou’s North Gate. We’ll be on the wall most of the way there, passing through Haowang Tower and the General’s Tower along the way.

Just after the General’s Tower we’ll take a detour off the wall to head for the North Gate, hiking hill trails to get back to the wall that encircled Gubeikou Village, and then along the wall to the North Gate, an arched gate in the wall.

Includes a post-hike lunch at a countryside restaurant.

Cost: ¥470 / ¥420 for members / ¥240 for kids

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1772/gubeikou-great-wall-3/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

A moderately difficult hike that follows a line of wild wall up to a tall tower with 360° views of mountains, valleys, small villages, and a long line of wall heading high into the hills. Some sections extremely tricky underfoot.

We start the hike not far past Chenjiapu Village, taking a short walk up a concrete road before turning off on to a dirt track that leads up a valley towards the Great Wall.

The valley is narrow to begin with, and slowly opens up to give views of Great Wall and towers on a high ridgeline.

At the top of the valley we’ll find the Great Wall, with two mostly-intact towers sited to guard a pass at a dip in the mountains.

We’ll be headed north from the dip, following a rough line of ‘wild’ Great Wall through the two towers and up to the local “General’s Tower”.

We’ll continue down the wall, taking a few detours around broken sections, and hike along the flatter section of wall above Chenjiapu Village.

The hike takes us by a few more towers on the way, and there’s at least one tricky section where we might find it easier to hike beside the Great Wall instead of on top of it.

Before the wall gets way too steep to walk on we’ll turn off on to a hill trail, and follow it down to the village road to end the hike.

Bring your passport/ID in case we get checked at the border crossing on the way home.

Cost: ¥420 / ¥380 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1918/chenjiapu-great-wall-3/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

An easy bike ride along forested country lanes and roads, passing by rivers and woods on the way to the ‘Sea of Flowers’. Includes a mid-ride meal.

Inclusions

• Bicycle rental and cycling guide


• Lunch at a countryside restaurant


• Transport and support vehicle


• AXA outdoor insurance


• Bottled drinking water

Itinerary outline

07:30 — Depart from Liangmaqiao pickup and drive to Lido Metropark Hotel Starbucks
08:00 — Driving to the start point
10:30 — Arrive at the cycling club and get set up with your bike
10:45 — Safety briefing and ride introduction from the cycling guide
11:00 — Ride your bike to the river, and then on to the farmhouse for lunch
12:00 — Lunch at the countryside restaurant
13:00 — Ride your bike to the Sea of Flowers
13:30 — Ride through the Sea of Flowers, stopping for photos
13:45 — Ride on through woods and cornfields to the stream
15:30 — Take a break by the stream, and then ride on to the end
16:30 — Finish back at the cycling club, return the bikes
16:45 — Warm down and stretching before boarding the bus
19:30 — Back at the Lido Hotel, then on to Liangmaqiao (est.)

Cost: ¥518 for adults / ¥478 for 5-12 year olds / 10% discount for Beijing Hikers members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1712/countryside-cycling-to-the-sea-of-flowers/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Hike down to the White River and head downstream on trails, gravel tracks, and dirt roads by the riverside, passing below tall cliffs.

You'll see the running river, leafy green trees by the riverside, impressive tall and steep cliffs made from massive slabs of rock and boulders, and hopefully the local family of herons that nest high up in the cliffs.

It’s possible to hike all the way down without crossing, but it’s also fun to get your feet wet on a few of the crossings—up to you!

Cost: ¥420 / ¥380 for members / ¥220 for kids

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1692/along-the-white-river-5/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Walk from Gubeikou to Jinshanling, following stretches of restored and unrestored Great Wall and taking a detour through the pretty farmland that surrounds Hemp Village, finishing all the way over at the eastern end of Jinshanling.

Cost: ¥510 / ¥460 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/792/gubeikou-to-jinshanling-great-wall-east-2/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com