Travel and Hiking

Escape to the hills for the Kaishan Tanko Mountain Party (檀谷开山节). This three-day spring gathering at Tanko Flash Park features a vibrant mix of outdoor activities and social vibes. Perfect for Beijing's adventurous youth looking to celebrate the season with a 'mountain party' experience in a scenic, artistic setting.

More Info: Sponsor: Tanko; Presented by: SRAVAKA

A mostly-flat up-and-back walk up to a fun riverside picnic spot in Yunmeng Gorge. Also suitable for adults who’d like a relaxing walk and maybe a swim!

This valley had a big flood last summer, and we’re not totally sure how that might have changed the shape of the river near the swimming hole. We’ll hike up and check it out.

The sandy beaches and pools of water in Yunmeng Gorge make a perfect place to picnic, and the tall cliffs and big boulders make the scenery extra pretty.

Things to do

Paddle in the swimming hole: The water in the pool is cool and clear, shallow on the edges and deeper in the middle. One side is sandy, the other side rocky—good for paddling and splashing. (The water might be a bit chilly on this visit.)

Find fish, frog’s eggs, and tadpoles: A little further down the river are shallow rock pools where we might find bunches of frog eggs … or maybe tadpoles!

Hike up to a village: 20–30 minutes further up the gorge is a small village (best for older kids who want more exercise).

Cost: ¥390 / ¥350 for members / ¥220 for kids 6–18 / ¥200 for kids 4–5

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1271/kids-club-yunmeng-gorge/

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 past the Ming-era walled barracks at Changyucheng and up a quiet valley on the way to the one of the highest Great Wall towers in Beijing, then follow repaired wall to the rocky path that leads down past the old farm at Huanglouyuan.

Cost: ¥390 / ¥350 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/2091/high-tower-and-huanglouyuan-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

Hike by the Great Wall section that our local guide calls ‘the most beautiful part of the Jiankou Great Wall’ and then explore around Zhengbei Tower, including an out-and-back walk to the steep ‘Ox-Horn’ section. We’ll time it to arrive back at Zhengbei Tower before sundown, and then hike down to the end before it gets too dark to see the trail.

Cost: ¥460 / ¥415 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/2203/jiankou-zhengbei-tower-great-wall-loop-sundown-hike/

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 loop hike in Beijing’s northeast that follows old roads and tracks through the mountains to pass by Big Tiger Stone and through Yellowstone Gap, with a good climb near the end to check out a short stretch of repaired Great Wall.\

After a short walk from the village square, we’ll be on to a rough gravel road that leads up into the mountains. The road was built in order to access some fields farther up the valley.

The land farther up the valley is rather marginal in terms of farming – there’s not a lot of flat ground in between the steep sides of the valley. The fields are mostly fallow now. We’ll spot a few little shacks and farmhouses on the way up, and in the right season we’ll be able to pick some wild hawthorns.

On the way up we’ll also pass one of the main landmarks on the hike, where the sides of the valley turn into cliffs and leave a narrow winding gap to walk through.

As we get further into the valley the hills turn into crags and we’ll be in for the main ascent of the hike, working our way up a hillside to cross over at a pass in the mountains.

On the other side of the pass the trail will take us down through forest and then out through a mostly-abandoned village. After walking through the village we’ll get on to a concreted road for an easy walk of 30-40 minutes down another valley. We’ll come out to the main road, on the Hebei side of the border.

Cost: ¥400 / ¥360 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1715/yellowstone-gap-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

On this hike we’ll head out to the border of Beijing Municipality and Hebei Province for a moderately difficult walk through peach orchards, up valleys, and along the Great Wall.

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.

Cost: ¥400 / ¥360 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/259/zhenbiancheng-great-wall-loop-hike-reverse/

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 hike around the hills on the border of Miyun and Hebei’s Xinglong County, featuring a look at what’s known as ‘the V-shaped Great Wall’.

The main focus of this hike is the “V-shaped” Great Wall, but we’ll hike some of the other wall in the area as well. We’ll see both early and later Ming-style Great Wall—some untouched and crumbling, and some that’s been repaired and restored. As well as the wall, we’ll hike through some small hamlets and villages.

Cost: ¥390 / ¥350 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/2154/qiangzilu-bricks-in-the-wall-hike/

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.

The hike begins at the Gubeikou section of the Great Wall in Miyun County, very close to the border of the Beijing and Hebei provinces. Even though it’s designated as a park, this section of the Great Wall is largely unrestored. It’s not often visited either, probably because it is so far away from central Beijing.

We’ll start the walk with a short climb up to a tower on the Wall. There are a lot of towers on this stretch of the Wall – some in good condition, some tumbled down to foundations only. From the first tower we can see the Wall stretching off into the hills of northern Miyun. We’ll be following it the other way, towards Jinshanling, and Hebei Province.

Along the way to Jinshanling we’ll get a different view of the wall, walking a trail by the base of the Mongolia side, and making a few tricky ascents and descents on the way to the archway that will get us back on top. This section is the west side of the Jinshanling Great Wall.

We’ll be following the Jinshanling Great Wall from west to east, starting off on the unrestored section before heading down into the main restored area. We’ll follow the wall into the middle section of the Jinshanling Great Wall, and then up past both ‘Small’ and ‘Big’ Jinshan towers to reach Houchuankou Pass.

Cost: ¥510 / ¥460 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1037/gubeikou-to-jinshanling-great-wall-east-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 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 near the temple in Chenjiapu Village, taking a short walk up through the village and then hiking dirt tracks through fields to get up on to the Great Wall.

This first part of the wall is in rough condition, broken down and rocky, and there’s just one intact tower.

Further on, though, is the General’s Tower. We’ll follow the wall up to the General’s Tower, with a few short off-wall detours around tricky spots.

At an elevation of 1,040m, the General’s Tower has superb views of all the Great Wall in the area.

To the east we’ll be able to spot the eastern side of the Stone Valley Great Wall and possibly parts of the Badaling Ancient Great Wall; to the south we’ll see the higher parts of this line Great Wall, and, if it’s a clear day, the High Tower on a faraway peak.

With line-of-sight to all that Great Wall, and a not-too-long hike down to the old fort at Stone Valley Village, this tower was probably the command post for the wall in the area—and that’s why it’s named “General’s Tower”.

Cost: ¥420 / ¥380 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/2141/chenjiapu-great-wall-to-shixiaguan-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