Travel and Hiking

MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: Beijing is host to more birds than any other capital city during the seasonal migrations. RASBJ is very fortunate to offer a guided visit to the Guanting reservoir north of Beijing, led by Terry Townshend. Terry is Beijing's leading Western ornithologist and conservationist, and will introduce the general background of birding in China as well as provide expert commentary (including amusing anecdotes and factoids that will amaze as well as educate) about specific birds we will see – and he will help us see them!

The excursion will take just over six hours: 3 hours on-site at the reservoir, with 90 minutes ride each way on a private coach. The coach will leave at 5.30 am (sharp!) from a spot near Guloudajie subway station (Lines 2 & 8) and return there by 12.00 noon. Participants will be advised of the exact meeting location before the event date.

Walking may be rough but not arduous – we suggest you check the weather forecast and dress accordingly. Please bring your own refreshments, binoculars if you have them, and bird books.

At the request of Terry Townshend, CGTN will be filming this outing as part of a documentary on biodiversity in Beijing. Each registrant is required on the registration form to confirm explicitly "I consent to being filmed, interviewed and quoted by CGTN on this occasion".

The banner image was taken during RASBJ's Spring excursion to Shahe reservoir by RASBJ member Badr Mostafa.

Hike up and over repaired Great Wall and cross the glass bridge in the Lakeside Great Wall Scenic Area, and then hike out the back of the park area to find quieter trails and unrepaired Great Wall at Longquanyu.

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/2043/lakeside-great-wall-and-longquanyu-6/

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 A-to-B hike in the Xiangshan and Xishan area that follows forest paths, fire-break roads, and park trails around and over hills and tops.Great for autumn colours!

The autumn colours in the parks in Beijing’s West Mountains are famous throughout China, and the area is correspondingly crowded when the colours are at their peak.

We usually avoid hiking here for that reason. But during the lockdowns in early 2020 the hills here were one of the few places to go for a hike, and we got to know all the little trails in between the most popular areas.

On this visit we’ll use those little trails and firebreak roads to skirt the crowds, traversing hill sides and hiking gullies filled with all the fiery colours of the fall season.

Cost: ¥390 / ¥350 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1977/west-hills-red-leaves-route/

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 the old Qingchashan track up to the clifftops on the east side of Zhenzhu Lake for views of the lake far below, with mountains and canyons and cliffs all around.

The hike starts at a truly obscure location in Mentougou’s mountains.

Heading out west on the old National Highway, we take a tiny turn off on to a narrow road built out to serve a now-decommissioned power plant and its train station, and then turn off that narrow road into the Nanshiyang Grand Canyon, following a concrete road that is even narrower.

The cliffs of the canyon rise vertically, hundreds of meters above the canyon floor. We’ll eventually arrive at a gap in the cliffs, the beginning of the poetically-named Walnut Valley.

The hike starts out gradually, hopping over rocks in a rill formed by a washout.

At a fork further up the valley we’ll turn on to the Qingchashan Trail, once upon a time used by travellers crossing over the hills and by farmers making their way to flatter sections of land atop the canyon cliffs.

We’ll cross another ridge, and then make a climb on a zig-zagging trail to reach the tops of the cliffs above Zhenzhu Lake.

Some care is required in the cliffs area, as the trail runs close to the edge of the cliffs.

Here we’ll take a tour of the main outlooks, with some lovely views of the green lake far below, plus expansive views of mountains, canyons, and cliffs.

The hike finishes with a long descent on winding gravel tracks to come down from the cliffs.

Further down we’ll find some more farming tracks to follow, and after making our way out of a washed-out valley, we’ll walk down a gravel road passing the mostly-abandoned dormitories and housing built to accompany the old power plant.

Cost: ¥400 / ¥360 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1992/zhenzhu-lake-tops/

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 looping walk over tricky terrain and unrestored ‘wild’ Great Wall on the west side of Jiankou, peaking at the impressive Nine-Eyes Tower.

On a clear day in this spot in the heart of the mountains it will be possible to see the towers of our Great Wall Spur and Chinese Knot hikes, and the Mutianyu Great Wall, with glimpses of other sections of the Great Wall that follow nearby mountain ridges. When it's really clear, you can see all the way back to the skyscrapers of Beijing's CBD.

After hiking up to Nine-Eyes Tower we’ll take a side trail to get back to the Great Wall on the west side of Jiankou, and hike along it towards the Chinese Knot. We'll finish the walk not far from there, hiking down hill trails to the village car park.

Cost: ¥430 / ¥390 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1987/nine-eyes-tower-and-the-jiankou-big-west-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

Follow the western end of the repaired Great Wall at Badaling up and over a big mountain—a long climb up, and a steep descent from the top.

Way back at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng, the ‘Dashing King’ and leader of a peasant rebellion, broke through the Great Wall at an obscure pass in the mountains just west of the Badaling Great Wall. He went on through the mountains with his army to Beijing, besieged it, and proclaimed himself Emperor of the new Shun Dynasty.

The pass where the Peasant King broke through is still obscure, reached by doing a U-turn out of one of those long tunnels that go under the mountains and then driving up to the end of a narrow road.

It’s now known as the Badaling Ancient Great Wall, and it has all been repaired and fixed up.

But most visitors here just take a look at the lower two towers and head back, as the Great Wall here gets rather steep.

What we’ll do for this hike is keep going up, and up, and then over and down, then up and over another hill … all the way to Stone Valley Village.

Cost: ¥450 / ¥405 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1633/badaling-ancient-great-wall-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 a relatively mellow track through the mountains northwest of Beijing, reaching the quirky and intriguing Baipu Temple for a mid-afternoon look about.

A lot of visits here just cover the temple area – which is fine by itself, of course! – but we’ll make our visit a mini-pilgrimage by hiking in through the hills.

The hike

We start off at an out-of-the-way spot on the side of the road that goes over the mountains in the northwest of Beijing, stepping off the bus and right on to the trail.

The trail is flat to begin, but we’ll soon be starting the first climb of the day.

We’ll be hiking up a narrow valley, heading for a low ridge. Before 2023, this part of the hike would have been on a nice dirt track, passing through pine forest. But this area was hit hard by the Typhone Doksuri flooding mid-2023, and now the scenery features exposed tree roots and a lot of rocks that were previously covered by pine needles and top soil.

From the pavilion we’ll follow a track along the ridge for a short while before hiking down into a valley. This part of the track was mostly untouched by the torrents, but we’ll still see some slips.

The valley track eventually leads to the backdoor of Baipu Temple, but we’ll have to get by the pig farm first!

After the pig farm, not far down the valley, we’ll get on to a concrete road. That road eventually brings us down to the temple, which is where the hiking part of our day finishes.

The temple

Stelae at the Baipu ‘White Waterfall’ Temple site date it to the Liao Dynasty (916–1125), and there are carved tablets and stelae that date restorations and extensions to various times during the Jin(1115–1234), Yuan (1279–1368), Ming (1368–1644) dynasties, and the Republic of China era (1912–1949).

Of particular interest is the shrine inside a cave high on the hillside, the huge dragon sculptures, and the can’t-miss-it white Buddha surrounded by gold.

At the temple, you’ll be able to look around by yourself, or follow the guides about the main sites. We’ll set aside about 45 minutes for your tour of the temple.

Cost: ¥380 / ¥340 for members / ¥220 for kids

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1968/through-the-hills-to-baipu-temple/

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

Pickups at DD's near Xiangjiang Huayuan, and at the Pinnacle Plaza Starbucks.

Hike through and out of a park to reach a beautiful ridgeline trail with views of mountains and the Miyun Reservoir.

There's a lot to see on our Immortal Valley Loop hike – pools filled with clear spring water, waterfalls, big trees, wild flowers, some distant Great Wall, the Miyun Reservoir, and long views of valleys and mountains.

The first section of the trail is through a park and is well shaded by leafy trees. A clear stream runs down through the valley, passing large granite boulders, forming natural pools, and flowing off cliffs in waterfalls that are up to twenty metres high.

We’ll continue up the valley, passing cliffs, waterfalls, boulders, and pools of water on the way to the ‘Big Buddha’ carved into the cliffside.

From there we continue up into a forested area, hiking a shaded valley trail that will take us up to the top.

We'll take a lunch break at the top, and will take our time to enjoy the views – a deep river valley on one side, the Miyun Reservoir on the other side, and mountains all around.

Cost: ¥410 / ¥370 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/286/immortal-valley-loop/

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.

At 1,440m of elevation, the High Tower is one of the highest in Beijing. It’s one of the most prominent, too, and you’ll have views on two sides of Great Wall disappearing into the mountains. Keen eyes might spot the Stone Valley Great Wall far below, which is one of our favourite 'wild' Great Wall hikes.

The trail to the top is on a well-formed trail with super views of mountains all around, and if it’s a clear day you’ll easily spot Beijing city through one of the gaps in the hills.

Cost: ¥390 / ¥350 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1533/high-tower-and-huanglouyuan/

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

This hike is a slightly different way to do the Gubeikou Great Wall, starting with a climb up to the 24-Eyes Tower and finishing with a look at the big North Gate.

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/1811/gubeikou-great-wall-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