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This week's hikes
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Short descriptions of this week's hikes are listed below, and our full hiking schedule is on the upcoming hikes page.
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Saturday January 28th, 2012
Immortal Valley Loop
This loop walk follows a park trail, passing streams, pools, waterfalls, boulders, and caves on the way to an 800m peak. From the peak we’ll get a good view of the surrounding hills and valleys, and should be able to spot the Miyun Reservoir. On the way back down we’ll follow a scenic ridgeline trail through pines and impressive rocky outcrops. The full loop is around 14km, and will take 4–5 hours to complete.
Immortal Valley Loop - Basic hike information
Cost: 300 RMB per person; Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 8:30am; 1.5–2 hours travel each way; 4–5 hours of hiking; return approx. 6:00pm.
Read more about this hike | Make a reservation | What to bring | Back to top of page -
Saturday January 28th, 2012
Countryside Stroll: Zhuangdaokou to the Walled Village
We will begin this hike at Zhuangdaokou and take a look at the 300-year old ‘Phoenix and Dragon’ pine trees before hiking up to the Zhuangdaokou Great Wall. From the wall, we have the option of an easy, flat walk, or a tougher climb up to some of the towers – both options ending up at the Walled Village, a settlement that has grown up inside and around an old army barracks that used to house soldiers tasked with guarding the Great Wall. 2–3 hours of relaxed walking, price includes lunch at a restaurant at the foot of the Huanghuacheng Great Wall. Hikers with extra energy have the option to finish lunch early and take a short climb up.
Countryside Strolls: Easy hikes that explore Beijing’s interesting rural areas, every Sunday. On these hikes, we’ll take a more relaxed pace.
The "Countryside Stroll: Zhuangdaokou to the Walled Village" hike is fully booked, and we can't take any more reservations. We can put your name on the standby list (please call (10) 6432-2786, or email with your name and mobile number) and call you if a seat becomes available, but can't guarantee a place on the hike.
Countryside Stroll: Zhuangdaokou to the Walled Village - Basic hike information
Cost: 350 RMB (200 RMB for children under 12); Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 9:00am; 2 hours travel each way; 2–3 hours of easy hiking, with an option to make it more difficult; return approx. 5:30pm.
Read more about this hike | What to bring | Back to top of page -
Sunday January 29th, 2012
Jiankou and Mutianyu Great Wall
Jiankou is west of Mutianyu, and is home to some of the most dramatic stretches of Great Wall in the Beijing area. This is a tough and challenging hike, suitable for fit hikers with a good head for heights. We’ll start off at Jiankou, following a zigzag hillside trail that rises quickly to a Great Wall tower that is 1,000 metres above sea level. From the tower we can see the Jiankou basin, as well as many other stretches of Great Wall in the area. From there we’ll head east, following the wall towards Mutianyu. After the hike we’ll get a late lunch at a local restaurant—the cost of food and drinks is included in the price of the hike.
Note: The start of this hike is shaded, and we expect the air temperature to be low. But you’ll get warm when climbing up, so layers will be a must.
UPDATE 2012/01/05: Added correct price for members.
Jiankou and Mutianyu Great Wall - Basic hike information
Cost: 420 RMB per person (375 RMB for members); Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 8:30am; 2 hours travel each way; 4 hours of hiking; return approx. 6:00pm.
Read more about this hike | Make a reservation | What to bring | Back to top of page -
Wednesday February 1st, 2012
Longyunshan ‘Dragon Cloud’ Mountain
On this relatively relaxed hike we’ll take a stroll about scenic Longyunshan, walking along a trail that leads up the steep hills beside the river canyon and visiting waterfalls on the way to the local ‘Heavenly Lake.’ The area is surrounded by mountains, and contains the largest river canyon in Beijing – as we climb into the hills we will get great views of both. We’ll finish the hike with a stroll up the river, and if the ice has frozen thick enough we’ll cross over for a look at the other side. This hike is suitable for families with teenagers, with 3 hours of hiking over approximately 6km. We’ll get a big meal of country-style Chinese food after the hike, included in the price.
Longyunshan ‘Dragon Cloud’ Mountain - Basic hike information
Cost: 350 RMB (200 RMB for children under the age of 12); Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 9:00am; 2–2.5 hours travel each way; 3–4 hours of hiking; return approx. 6:00pm.
Read more about this hike | Make a reservation | What to bring | Back to top of page -
Saturday February 4th, 2012
White River ice hike
Make crossings of a frozen river on this long and level canyon hike in Miyun District, passing beneath tall cliffs and following the path of the river as it winds through the mountains. The area is relatively unpopulated, making this an excellent scenic hike that will fill your lungs with fresh air. Five or so hours of reasonably easy hiking over approximately 14km, crossing thick ice eight times along the way!
White River ice hike - Basic hike information
Cost: 300 RMB per person; Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 8:30am; 2–2.5 hours travel each way; approx. 5 hours of hiking; return approx. 6:00pm.
Read more about this hike | Make a reservation | What to bring | Back to top of page -
Saturday February 4th, 2012
Middle Route of Switchback Great Wall
This stretch of Great Wall in Yanqing County is extremely picturesque, and seldom visited, but its steepness can prove difficult for casual hikers. On this visit we’ll do the ‘middle route,’ cutting out the toughest parts to make it a little easier. There are still some steep climbs to do, but overall this hike isn’t long enough to rate as difficult - we’ll take our time climbing up and down and make sure that we have a relaxed and enjoyable visit. Three hours walking over approximately 6km, with one or two steep-but-short climbs up the hillside and the steps of the wall. Price includes late lunch of Chinese food and drinks at a countryside restaurant.
Middle Route of Switchback Great Wall - Basic hike information
Cost: 350 RMB; Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 9:00am; 2–2.5 hours travel each way; 3 hours of hiking; return approx. 6:00pm.
Read more about this hike | Make a reservation | What to bring | Back to top of page - For a full list of all our upcoming hikes, please visit our upcoming hikes page.
2012 Special Trips
View the 2012 Long Distance trip schedule.
2011 Long Distance trips: See the trips completed, and photos.
Beijing Hikers Club Membership
Become a club member; hike for a 10% discount.
Read the membership info page for details
News and updates
Hiking photos – Gubeikou and Jinshanling Great Wall Christmas hike, 2011/12/24
Every year we do a Christmas hike, usually walking a nice stretch of Great Wall before a feast of food at a local restaurant. For 2011, we did the Gubeikou to Jinshanling Great Wall hike – click through to see a whole lot of Great Wall photos! (2012/01/13)
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Sixteen trips, seven provinces: a review of our 2011 Long Distance trips
In 2011 we did sixteen special long distance trips, visiting interesting and scenic locations outside of Beijing. We'll be doing more of them in 2012—some to the same places, and some others to places we didn't get to in 2011. Click through to see photos from where we went in 2011, and where we'll be going in 2012! (2011/12/30)
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Special trip photos – Lijiang and Shangri-La, 2011/11
Our last long distance trip for the year was to Yunnan Province, where we walked the cobbled lanes of the old towns of Lijiang and Shangri-La, did a little countryside hiking, and got a good local at the local ethnic culture. Huijie took hundreds of photographs – click through to take a look at her favourites! (2011/12/30)
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Hiking photos – Auspicious Village to Huanghuacheng Great Wall, 2011/12/10
Our Auspicious Village is a nice long walk that takes us through the typical Chinese countryside. On the way we saw small villages, empty fields, and a variety of animals commonly found in the country – click through to see some photos! (2011/12/29)
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Hiking photos - Silver Pagodas hike, 2011/11/30
We took the long way to the Silver Pagodas, walking through two small villages and crossing some nice countryside as we went. The weather was clear and crisp – click through to see photos of a very nice day out. (2011/12/28)
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Hiking photos – Big Black Mountain to the Walled Village, 2011/11/20
The Big Black Mountain hike is a nice long tramp through the hills of Changping and Huairou District, starting off near Big Black Mountain and ending up at the Walled Village, near the Huanghuacheng Great Wall. Click through to see photos from the hike. (2011/11/29)
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Current Conditions
Light Snow, -6°C
Sunrise: 7:26 am
Sunset: 5:26 pm
Humidity: 62%
Forecast Conditions
Sat, 28 Jan 2012
Mostly Cloudy, high of 1°C, low of -11°C
Sun, 29 Jan 2012
Partly Cloudy, high of -1°C, low of -11°C
View extended forecast at Yahoo! Weather
