1. Sunday February 5th, 2012

    The Hidden Village

    On this moderately difficult hike we’ll take a long stroll up a gently sloping valley, followed by a bushwhacking climb up a ridge, ending up at a lookout point high on the mountain. Along the way we’ll pass through a village that’s been empty for a long time. Much of the area has been set aside for reforestation purposes, and we’ve seen more traces of wildlife here than on other trails we walk – perhaps because there are fewer people about.

    The Hidden Village - Basic hike information
    Cost: 300 RMB; Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 8:30am; 2 hours travel each way; 3–4 hours of hiking; return approx. 5:30pm.
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  2. Wednesday February 8th, 2012

    Intelligence Valley Midweek

    A clear stream runs through Intelligence Valley, and the surrounding mountains form a microclimate that makes this a very nice walk. At this time of year all the streams and pools will have frozen over, and we’ll do a bit of walking on ice. It’s a flat hike, and one of the easiest that we do – perfect for kids and families. At the end of the hike we’ll stop by our farmer friend’s guesthouse for a big lunch of homestyle Chinese food – cost included in the price of the hike. 

    Intelligence Valley Midweek - 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; 2.5–3 hours of easy walking; return approx. 5:00pm.
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  3. Saturday February 11th, 2012

    Changyucheng ‘Long Valley City’ day trip

    On this trip we’ll explore the village of Changyucheng, looking at old shrines, defensive walls, and a temple with a big old tree, before taking a good long walk up a long valley to a tablet that marks the border of Beijing Municipality and Hebei Province. We usually make this village a start or finish point for several of our tough Great Wall hikes in the same area—this trip is a good chance to see some of the same great scenery without making your legs so tired! We follow mountain roads on the way to this hike. If the roads are closed, we’ll switch the trip to one that is closer to the city.

    Changyucheng ‘Long Valley City’ day trip - 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 5:30pm.
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  4. Saturday February 11th, 2012

    Zhuangdaokou Great Wall, Huairou District, Beijing

    Zhuangdaokou Great Wall and the Walled Village

    On this slightly tougher version of one of our nicest countryside walks we’ll take a look at the ‘Dragon and Phoenix’ pines at Zhuangdaokou, hike up a valley to a nearby stretch of Great Wall and follow an unrestored section up and along a ridgeline. On our way down, we’ll pass the Walled Village, and then head to a restaurant near the Huanghuacheng Great Wall for a big lunch.

    Zhuangdaokou Great Wall and the Walled Village - Basic hike information
    Cost: 350 RMB; Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 8:30am; 2 hours travel each way; 3–4 hours of hiking; return approx. 5:30pm.
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    Huairou District, Beijing Municipality

    Hike Difficulty level

    Level 3

    Difficulty ratings (?)

  5. Sunday February 12th, 2012

    Silver Pagoda Loop

    For this hike we will follow a seldom-used trail to get to the Silver Pagodas, a set of five impressive 600 year-old pagodas still standing on the site of an old temple. On the way to the pagoda site we will take a long walk through the countryside, passing a village, quarries, and a local shrine, before a steep climb to the 730m peak of Holly Mountain. From the top we can look down on the pagodas and large swathes of the surrounding countryside, and as we follow the path down we will pass large bells, “North Beijing’s Number One Waterfall,” and plenty of other interesting local landmarks. After the hike we’ll get a late lunch at a local restaurant - the cost of the food and drinks is included in the price of the hike.

    NOTE: This hike is mostly flat, but there’s one tough climb in the middle that will give your legs and lungs a good workout, particularly if you’re not used to climbing in the hills.

    Silver Pagoda Loop - Basic hike information
    Cost: 350 RMB per person; Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 8:30am; 2 hours travel each way; approx. 3 hours of hiking; return approx. 5:30pm.
    Read more about this hike | Make a reservation | What to bring | Back to top of page

  6. Wednesday February 15th, 2012

    Silver Pagodas and Hot Springs hike

    Start with a look about the Silver Pagodas, then stair-climb to the summit before walking through the countryside to the Hot Springs hotel for a tasty meal and a soak in the steaming water. Limited number of places available, quite a few stairs to climb and a descent that may be a little slippery. 9am departure.

    Silver Pagodas and Hot Springs hike - Basic hike information
    Cost: 550 RMB per person (400 RMB for kids under the age of 12); Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 9:00am; 1.5 hours each way; 3–3.5 hours of hiking; return approx. 6:00pm.
    Read more about this hike | Make a reservation | What to bring | Back to top of page

  7. Saturday February 18th, 2012

    The Rolling Hills and Empty Lanes

    Take a Miyun countryside ramble with us on a long walk through peaceful and sparsely populated hills, valleys, and forests. This walk is quite long, but it’s not difficult - there is not a lot of climbing up and down. The countryside scenery is excellent and we’ll follow country trails and lanes through pine forests, cornfields, orchards, villages, and farmland.

    The Rolling Hills and Empty Lanes - Basic hike information
    Cost: 300 RMB per person; Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 8:30am; 2 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

  8. Saturday February 18th, 2012

    Gubeikou Great Wall Loop

    On this hike we’ll head out to a beautiful section of the Great Wall that is further outside the city than the crowded main tourist sites, and much quieter. You’ll have a chance to hike along an unrestored section of the Great Wall that grants magnificent views of the Great Wall stretching beyond the horizon in the east and west.  As we follow the wall, we’ll pass through restored and unrestored sections, as well as taking a nice detour through pines on a hillside tail. Warning – if you’re not good with heights, you might not enjoy sections of this hike. 

    Gubeikou Great Wall Loop - Basic hike information
    Cost: 350 RMB per person (200 RMB for kids under the age of 12); Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 9:00am; 2 hours travel each way; approx. 3–4 hours of hiking; return approx 5:30pm.
    Read more about this hike | Make a reservation | What to bring | Back to top of page

  9. Sunday February 19th, 2012

    Cypress Wells Canyon

    Visit Yanqing Country to find a short stretch of ‘Warring States’ era Great Wall and an old village amidst the mountainous landscapes. The hike begins with a nice long, flat walk along the floor of the canyon. Mid-way, we’ll stop for a break at a small and interesting mostly-abandoned village before following a trail up through a pine forest to take a look at the Great Wall. We’ll finish the hike by following a hill trail down and out to the nearest road.

    NOTES: The last section of the hike involves a steep descent that is a little slippery. We follow mountain roads to get to this hike - if the roads close because of snow we’ll switch to a different but similar hike.

    Cypress Wells Canyon - Basic hike information
    Cost: 300 RMB; Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 8:30am; 2–2.5 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

  10. Wednesday February 22nd, 2012

    Countryside Stroll: The Rolling Hills

    For this outing we’ll do an easier version of our Rolling Hills hike—a Miyun county countryside ramble through peaceful and sparsely populated hills and valleys. There’s a little climbing up and down on this hike, but not too much, and the countryside scenery is excellent. 

    Countryside Stroll: The Rolling Hills - Basic hike information
    Cost: 350 RMB per person; Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 9:00am; 2 hours travel each way; 2–3 hours of hiking; return approx. 5:30pm.
    Read more about this hike | Make a reservation | What to bring | Back to top of page

  11. Saturday February 25th, 2012

    Yanqing Great Wall and Long Valley City

    Head far out into the mountains of Yanqing County for a tough five-hour walk that follows a section of wall reconstructed in the early Ming Dynasty. Along the way we’ll get views of the Guanting Reservoir, valleys and mountains, one of the highest Great Wall towers in Beijing, and a well-positioned radar station. We’ll finish up with a downhill stroll through a leafy valley, passing a reservoir before taking a look around a village with an ancient shrine, a restored temple, and a venerable old tree. 13km with some steep ascents and descents. We’ll have snacks and hot drinks at the village after we finish hiking. Recommended for experienced hikers, good boots required.

    Yanqing Great Wall and Long Valley City - Basic hike information
    Cost: 340 RMB per person; Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 8:00am; 2.5 hours travel each way; 5–6 hours of hiking; return est. 6:00pm at earliest.
    Read more about this hike | Make a reservation | What to bring | Back to top of page

  12. Saturday February 25th, 2012

    Intelligence Valley

    A clear stream runs through Intelligence Valley, and the surrounding mountains form a microclimate that makes this a very nice walk. At this time of year all the streams and pools will have frozen over, and we’ll do a bit of walking on ice. It’s a flat hike, and one of the easiest that we do – perfect for kids and families. At the end of the hike we’ll stop by a farmers’ guesthouse for a big lunch of homestyle Chinese food – cost included in the price of the hike.

    Intelligence Valley - 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; 2.5–3 hours of easy walking; return approx. 5:00pm.
    Read more about this hike | Make a reservation | What to bring | Back to top of page

  13. Sunday February 26th, 2012

    Longquanyu Loop and Great Wall

    On this hike you’ll visit small villages, walk through valleys, and follow a nice stretch of Great Wall in the area north of the Ming Tombs. We hike the valleys in this area quite regularly – the streams are good to cool down in during summer, and we can walk on the ice when they freeze in winter. At this time of year, we’re not sure if the ice will be thick enough to walk on, so to avoid wet and cold feet we’re going to stay up in the higher valleys and follow the Great Wall. The Great Wall is found in the middle section of this hike—about a quarter of the total distance.

    Longquanyu Loop and Great Wall - Basic hike information
    Cost: 300 RMB; Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 8:30am; 2 hours travel each way; 3–4 hours of hiking; return approx 5:00pm.
    Read more about this hike | Make a reservation | What to bring | Back to top of page

  14. Wednesday February 29th, 2012

    Jinshanling Great Wall

    The Great Wall at Jinshanling is the type often seen on postcards: large, intact towers, and impressive stretches of wall that climb steep ridgelines. Parts of the Jinshanling Great Wall have been reconstructed and see quite a few visitors, but with a bit of hiking it’s possible to explore sections that are unrestored and not quite so commonly visited by tour groups.

    On this hike, we’ll walk all of the eastern section of Jinshanling; hike a few towers of Simatai and maybe get a little look at what they’re doing over there; and follow a paved park trail through the hills to finish. 

    Jinshanling Great Wall - Basic hike information
    Cost: 400 RMB (360 RMB for members); Bus leaves from Lido Starbucks at 8:30am; 2 hours travel each way; 3–4 hours of hiking; return approx. 6:30pm.
    Read more about this hike | Make a reservation | What to bring | Back to top of page

Coloured Cliffs of Zhangye, Gansu Prov.
2012 Special Trips

View the 2012 Long Distance trip schedule.
2011 Long Distance trips: See the trips completed, and photos.

Hiking schedule

We hike every weekend, and plan our hikes a month at a time. The schedule is usually updated by the 10th of each month.

The current schedule is listed below - the 'Brief description link will take you to a short description of the hike (on this page); the 'Full info' link will take you to a new page with detailed information about the hike.

Sunday Feb 5

The Hidden Village
Brief description | Full info | Photos

Wednesday Feb 8

Intelligence Valley Midweek
Brief description | Full info | Photos

Saturday Feb 11

Changyucheng ‘Long Valley City’ day trip
Brief description | Full info | Photos

Saturday Feb 11

Zhuangdaokou Great Wall and the Walled Village
Brief description | Full info

Sunday Feb 12

Silver Pagoda Loop
Brief description | Full info | Photos

Wednesday Feb 15

Silver Pagodas and Hot Springs hike
Brief description | Full info | Photos

Saturday Feb 18

The Rolling Hills and Empty Lanes
Brief description | Full info | Photos

Saturday Feb 18

Gubeikou Great Wall Loop
Brief description | Full info | Photos

Sunday Feb 19

Cypress Wells Canyon
Brief description | Full info | Photos

Wednesday Feb 22

Countryside Stroll: The Rolling Hills
Brief description | Full info | Photos

Saturday Feb 25

Yanqing Great Wall and Long Valley City
Brief description | Full info | Photos

Saturday Feb 25

Intelligence Valley
Brief description | Full info | Photos

Sunday Feb 26

Longquanyu Loop and Great Wall
Brief description | Full info | Photos

Wednesday Feb 29

Jinshanling Great Wall
Brief description | Full info | Photos

Make a reservation

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(9am-6pm Mon-Fri)
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Weather - what's the forecast?
Current Conditions
Fair

Fair, -5°C

Sunrise: 7:18 am
Sunset: 5:36 pm
Humidity: 47%

Forecast Conditions

Sun, 5 Feb 2012
Partly Cloudy, high of 6°C, low of -7°C

Mon, 6 Feb 2012
Sunny/Wind, high of -3°C, low of -10°C

View extended forecast at Yahoo! Weather

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