Earth Day Cleanup: Nine-Eyes Tower

Nine-Eyes Tower on the west side of Jiankou has been somewhat spoiled by a buildup of trash and litter. Help us clean it up!

Level 4
approx. 4 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

Beijing Hikers 2014 Earth Day clean up
A photo from our 2014 clean up hike.

We’ve teamed up with Gung Ho! Pizza to make our 8th annual Earth Day clean up hike part of the 1st Beijing Earth Day Festival, and we hope we’ll get a big clean up crew this year for even better results!

Join the clean up and do your part to keep the Great Wall clean and green, and you’ll then enjoy free pizza and beer at the Gung Ho Hut at Jiankou courtesy of Gung Ho! Pizza.

The clean up hike

The Jiankou Great Wall is found in the hills north of Beijing—a location that is popular with hikers and casual visitors because of the superb views of the Great Wall running up and down steep ridgelines

Unfortunately, both hikers and casual visitors are not always conscientious about cleaning up after themselves. On recent visits we’ve seen that Nine-Eyes Tower, the tallest of the big towers at Jiankou, is looking messy due to a buildup of trash – plastic bottles, cans, tissues, noodle wrappers, and worse.

In the spirit of Earth Day we’re going to head out and clean up as much as we can, with the following plan:

  1. Hike up to the wall, keeping an eye out for things to pick up
  2. Walk along the Great Wall, stopping to clean up where it’s messy. Note: some sections steep and slippery.
  3. Carry out all the bags we’ll fill with rubbish
  4. Reward yourself for the hard work with snacks and drinks after the hike, with us picking up the tab

As well as clearing trash off the Great Wall, we’ll be setting an example for other hikers we see on the trail.

Beijing Hikers 2014 Earth Day clean up

Carrying out the trash on our 2014 Earth Day clean up hike.

We’re running this hike at cost, and with some sponsorship we estimate it will cost about 150-200 RMB per person. We’ll confirm that before the day of the hike. That cost covers the transportation, entry tickets, water, garbage bags and gloves, and a local guide who’ll be with us as a local representative.

Trash we’ll be collecting

  • Any plastic
  • Any metal without sharp edges
  • Cigarette butts
  • Orange peels (Even though they come from fruit, these peels do not break down quickly!)
  • Whatever you feel comfortable removing that was left by someone else

What to bring

We’ll provide

  • Water
  • Garbage bags
  • Plastic gloves

1st Annual Beijing Earth Day Festival

The festival is on April 22, at Sanlitun Soho, from 4pm to 10pm, featuring a Green Market, Charity Auction, Kids’ Events, Presentations, Film Screening, and live music.

Clean up hike 2016 - part of the Beijing Earth Day Festival

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: Earth Day Cleanup: Nine-Eyes Tower

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