Gubeikou to Jinshanling

The hike begins at the Gubeikou section of the Great Wall in Miyun County, very close to the border of the Beijing and Hebei provinces. Even though it’s designated as a park, this section of the Great Wall is largely unrestored. It’s not often visited either, probably because it is so far away from central Beijing.

We’ll start the walk with a short climb up to a tower on the Wall. There are a lot of towers on this stretch of the Wall – some in good condition, some tumbled down to foundations only. From the first tower we can see the Wall stretching off into Hebei Province. We’ll be following it the other way, towards Jinshanling. It would be nice to walk on the Wall all the way to Jinshanling, but part of it borders military land and that section of it is blocked off. This means taking a detour through Spider Valley!

In summer, the bushy path through Spider Valley is draped with cobwebs, and you can see many a big fat spider sitting in the middle of their web. In winter, though, there aren’t so many spiders about, and the path is much clearer. In the middle of Spider Valley is an abandoned house, complete with a well and a mid-sized water store.

Once we’re out of Spider Valley we’ll start getting into the fields that surround Hemp Village. There are about 100 people living in this valley, surrounded by hills on all sides. They mostly grow corn in this area, but in the right season you can spot hemp and tobacco, and there are donkeys, cows, chickens, and dogs about the place as well.

Before we arrive at the main part of Hemp Village we’ll make a turn-off and head back up towards the Wall, following a trail up the valley. It will take about forty minutes to get up there, and parts of it get a bit steep. There are good views at the top – Gubeikou Wall one way, Jinshanling Wall the other – and we’ll stop for a snack and a bit of rest before heading down to Jinshanling.

After we finish the hike we’ll have a late lunch at one of the restaurants at Jinshanling – the cost of the food and drinks is included in the price of the hike.

What to bring on this hike?
A snack to eat along the way
Warm clothes and a hat.
Good hiking boots
(Click here to read our full What To Bring on a Hike list.)

Previous visits
View photos and a write up of our Jan. 9 2010 hike along the Gubeikou Great Wall.