Night hike: Full Moon Over Lily Village

Hike the hills of Huairou District beneath the light of a full moon.

Level 2+
approx. 3 hours start to finish over 6km. (Can I do it?)

This hike is not currently scheduled

Contact us for schedule updates or set up a private hike

The route is very gentle, without a great deal of uphill or downhill walking, and will take us through remote countryside. Even during daytime hikes in this area, we run into very few people. At night, it should be all but empty. The area is far enough away from any towns or cities that there should not be very much light pollution, which means that the night time sky will be all the more impressive! 

We scheduled this hike to take advantage of the full moon, which will rise around about 6:30pm on the day of the hike, just before sunset.

This will be a ”no-frills“ hike, and so hikers will have to provide their own snacks and drinks for during and after the hike. It might be a good idea to have something to eat for dinner during the drive out to the trailhead, as well as a flask of hot water for making hot cocoa or other warming drinks. We will provide water and hiking sticks. Hikers will also need to bring their own flashlights and spare batteries for the hike.

More about full moons: the full moon in August is known by various names, including Full Sturgeon Moon, Full Green Corn Moon, and Full Grain Moon.

The hike

We’re going to do the first half of our Triangle Hike, starting off close by to a slightly stinky pig farm and walking down a long valley before following a rocky trail up to a ridge lookout.

We’ll head down the other side of the hill, following dirt trails through farmland and orchards on the way to the hills on the other side of the valley. After climbing up the other side of this valley, we’ll come to an old pine tree that marks an old temple site. Nothing remains of the temple, but the tree is still growing happily. From the pine tree, we’ll head downhill through chestnut orchards towards Lily Village, where we’ll meet our bus and head back to the city.

The hike is mostly flat, with just a few sections of uphill. Much of the trail is still used by farmers, and is in good condition and easy to follow.

We hope that the weather will be cooperative and that the moon will be clearly visible.

What to bring on this hike

Reasons you might not enjoy this hike

  • We’ll be aiming to let our eyes adjust to the darkness, which means we’ll be trying to avoid use of the flashlights and headlamps.
  • We’ll be getting back to the city quite late, perhaps after midnight.

COVID-19 and participation precautions

The current precautions are minimal. Please read in full here: Operating hikes under COVID-19 precautions

Related content

Photos and trip reports: Night hike: Full Moon Over Lily Village

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