How to choose the best Great Wall hike

Classic Great Wall hikes

If you’ll only have time for one Great Wall hike, go for one of these classic routes.

You’ll get an up-close look at the best examples of “postcard-style” Ming Dynasty Great Wall:

• The large towers where guards were stationed
• Tall, impressive walls built on solid foundations, with brick ramparts and battlements
• Both restored and unrepaired ‘wild’ sections, showing the original appearance as well as ancient and weathered wall and towers
• All with long views of the Great Wall snaking over the mountains

These trails are some of our most popular hikes—frequently featured in our schedule of join-in group hikes, and they’re also available as private trips customised just for you.

Best classic Great Wall hikes

1. 

   Jinshanling Great Wall to Gubeikou Great Wall

   Level 4+ — The Jinshanling Great Wall is a mix of fully-restored and lightly-restored wall where you’ll see picturesque views of large towers and sweeping lines of wall along the ridgelines. The Gubeikou Great Wall is a mix of lightly-repaired and unrepaired ‘wild’ Great Wall, with photo opportunities for postcard-perfect shots of long stretches of wall and towers. A great challenge for fans of a long hike! 12-14km / 4-6 hours of hiking

   More info: Jinshanling Great Wall to Gubeikou Great Wall As a private hike • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Jinshanling Great Wall to Gubeikou Great Wall

2. 

   Jiankou Great Wall to Beigou Village

   Level 4 — Jiankou is famed for being one of the most photographed sections of Great Wall, with its steep, rugged cliffs making a stunning backdrop. If you’re a fit hiker who likes photography, this is the hike for you. You’ll hike—or climb—up to viewpoints that offer an angle for a shot with wall in the foreground, middle distance, and the background. Includes the top section of the Mutianyu Great Wall. 9km / 4 hours of hiking

   More info: Jiankou Great Wall to Beigou Village As a private hike • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Jiankou Great Wall to Beigou Village

3. 

   Gubeikou Great Wall

   Level 3 — The Gubeikou Great Wall is one of the most accessible stretches of ‘wild’ wall in Beijing, and the hiking trail can be customised to fit a variety of fitness levels—especially good for a family group. Surprisingly, Gubeikou seems seldom-visited, making a hike here a great way to explore the wall without the crowds. 5–8km / 3–4 hours of hiking

   More info: Gubeikou Great Wall As a private hike • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Gubeikou Great Wall

Hikes on unrepaired and ‘wild’ Great Wall

If you want to explore parts of the wall that are rarely visited by regular tourists then what you’re looking for is a hike on the ‘wild’ Great Wall.

Hiking the wild Great Wall in Beijing is more difficult that it used to be. Much of the formerly more accessible wild wall sections in Beijing have seen light repairs (at least) for preservation—collapsing foundations have been shored up, towers have been rebuilt, flagstones and steps have been reseated.

To go with that, Great Wall wardens and guards have been assigned to some areas, and their job is to stop people from hiking. If you cross paths with the wardens, the best-case scenario is that they just ask you to turn back. If you’re unlucky, they might take down your details, report you, or even issue a fine. (Some of them get quite shouty as well.)

If you’ve got just one day in your schedule for a Great Wall hike, it’s safer to choose a hiking trail that doesn’t have a risk of getting turned back at the trailhead.

We offer guided walks to sections of wild and unrepaired wall where it’s okay to hike. Here are our suggestions for a safe way to explore the wild Great Wall.

Best (and accessible) ‘wild’ Great Wall hikes

1. 

   Chenjiapu ‘Switchback’ Great Wall

   Level 4 — A tough Great Wall hike over tricky terrain in a remote area of northwest Beijing, with a lot of ups and downs on the way to the end. The trail covers both repaired and unrepaired sections, with steep ascents and descents on Great Wall steps and stairs and a peak elevation of around 1,200m. 9km / 4–5 hours of hiking

   More info: Enquire about a private hike at Switchback Great Wall • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Switchback Great Wall

2. 

   Nine-Eyes Tower and the Jiankou ‘Big West’ Great Wall

   Level 4 — The Great Wall at Jiankou has seen repairs in recent years, but there are still untouched sections to see on the west side, including the rough line that leads up to Nine-Eyes Tower (elev. 1,156m). After the tough climb up to Nine-Eyes Tower, the hike loops back to follow the flatter ‘Big West’ Great Wall. On this hike you’ll see Great Wall all around—the steepest parts of the Jiankou Great Wall on the opposite side of the valley, the Mutianyu Great Wall further beyond, with glimpses of even more Great Wall following nearby mountain ridges. 8km / 3–4 hours of hiking

   More info: Nine-Eyes Tower and the Jiankou ‘Big West’ Great Wall As a private hike • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Nine-Eyes Tower and the Jiankou ‘Big West’ Great Wall

3. 

   Chenjiapu Great Wall

   Level 3+ — An easier, shorter version of the Chenjiapu ‘Switchback’ Great Wall hike. This is a moderately difficult hike that follows a line of wild wall up to a tall tower that offers 360° views of mountains, valleys, small villages, and the long line of wall that heads up to the ‘switchback’ section. 7km / 3–4 hours of hiking

   More info: Enquire about a private hike at Chenjiapu Great Wall • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Chenjiapu Great Wall

4. 

   Zhenbiancheng Great Wall

   Level 4 — The Great Wall at Zhenbiancheng has had no repairs at all since the end of the Ming Dynasty. The wall here was built of stone and rock during the early Ming Dynasty, with hollow towers added on near the end of the Ming rule. A hike here is an adventurous outing that covers rough and tricky Great Wall in a mountainous rural area that is so far off the tourist trail that it’s virtually unknown. 10km / 3–4 hours of hiking

   More info: Enquire about a private hike at Zhenbiancheng Great Wall Loop Hike • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Zhenbiancheng Great Wall Loop Hike

5. 

   Chinese Knot Great Wall

   Level 4 — The Chinese Knot – also known as the Beijing Knot – is where Beijing’s inner and outer lines of Great Wall meet. The hike begins with a climb up to the Knot from Xizhazi Village on the Jiankou side, and continues along the wall to finish on the Great Wall Spur section, showing some extremely well-preserved ‘wild’ wall. 9km / 4–5 hours of hiking

   More info: Enquire about a private hike at Great Wall: Chinese Knot to Xiangshuihu • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Great Wall: Chinese Knot to Xiangshuihu

6. 

   Jiankou Great Wall to Beigou Village

   Level 4 — Jiankou is famed for being one of the most photographed sections of Great Wall, with its steep, rugged cliffs making a stunning backdrop. If you’re a fit hiker who likes photography, this is the hike for you. You’ll hike—or climb—up to viewpoints that offer an angle for a shot with wall in the foreground, middle distance, and the background. Includes the top section of the Mutianyu Great Wall. 9km / 4 hours of hiking

   More info: Jiankou Great Wall to Beigou Village As a private hike • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Jiankou Great Wall to Beigou Village

Easier Great Wall hikes that aren’t too touristy

These easier Great Wall hikes offer a more relaxed Great Wall experience, and aren’t crowded like the touristy sections with cable-cars.

Rated as moderate on our scale of difficulty, they’re a great choice for occasional exercisers and families looking for an fun outdoor adventure.

You’ll get a mix of repaired and unrepaired wall, large towers, as well as beautiful natural scenery, without as much steep climbing and long distances as some of our other picks.

1. 

   Huanghuacheng ‘Lakeside’ Great Wall and Longquanyu Great Wall

   Level 3 — On this hike you’ll first explore the Great Wall at the Lakeside Great Wall scenic area, hiking repaired sections with views over the lake and mountains, and crossing a submerged section via the Glass Bridge. From there we’ll hike out of the park area to find unrepaired parts of the less-visited Longquanyu Great Wall. 5–8km / 4 hours of hiking

   More info: Huanghuacheng ‘Lakeside’ Great Wall and Longquanyu Great Wall As a private hike • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Huanghuacheng ‘Lakeside’ Great Wall and Longquanyu Great Wall

2. 

   Gubeikou Great Wall

   Level 3 — The Gubeikou Great Wall is one of the most accessible stretches of ‘wild’ wall in Beijing, and the hiking trail can be customised to fit a variety of fitness levels—especially good for a family group. Surprisingly, Gubeikou seems seldom-visited, making a hike here a great way to explore the wall without the crowds. 5–8km / 3–4 hours of hiking

   More info: Gubeikou Great Wall As a private hike • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Gubeikou Great Wall

Really easy Great Wall hikes that are a bit touristy

If you pick the right time for a visit*, these touristy sections shouldn’t be too crowded. While they’re not really hikes, we’d be happy to set up a tour for a relaxed day trip.

* As an example of picking the right time for a visit, we did the mega-touristy Juyongguan Great Wall and Badaling Great Wall hikes for fun (?!) in the depths of winter, during the 2022 Winter Olympics, while Beijing was under a soft lockdown to prevent an outbreak during the winter games—we saw hardly anyone! We’ve also done extra-early departures to get there before the tour buses.

1. 

   Mutianyu Great Wall

   Level 2 — Take a walk along a famous section of Great Wall that has been restored to its original Ming Dynasty-era appearance. Cable-car/toboggan options available. 2–3 hours of walking and hiking

   More info: Enquire about a private hike at Mutianyu Great Wall

2. 

   Juyongguan Great Wall

   Level 3 — Walk the loop of Great Wall that surrounds Juyongguan and the Cloud Platform, hitting the high point on the west side as well as the wall on the slightly lower east side, and finishing with a look at the Cloud Platform. For an easier walk, climb the east side only. 3–6km / 2–4 hours of hiking

   More info: Enquire about a private hike at Juyongguan Great Wall • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Juyongguan Great Wall

3. 

   Simatai Great Wall and the Gubei Shuizhen Lantern Festival Fair

   Level 3 — A seasonal special—visit the Gubei Shuizhen to hike the Simatai Great Wall and explore the annual Lantern Festival fair. 3–4 hours of walking and hiking

   More info: Enquire about a private hike at Simatai Great Wall and the Gubei Shuizhen Lantern Festival Fair • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Simatai Great Wall and the Gubei Shuizhen Lantern Festival Fair

Rarely-visited and hard-to-reach sections of Great Wall

If you’ve already done the ‘normal’ Great Wall hikes, these hikes will show you another side of the Great Walll—wild, rugged, and nothing like the postcard-perfect sections.

These are the sections when, if you tell people you went to the Great Wall, and they say “oh I bet it was crowded”, you’ll say “we didn’t see anyone”.

These parts of the Great Wall are harder to reach. They’re farther from Beijing, high up in the mountains, and untouched by restoration. In contrast to the well-known sites, the wall here feels almost forgotten—weathered and broken-down since the end of the Ming Dynasty, with tumbled-down battlements, fewer intact towers, and barely a soul in sight.

If you’re ready for a new type of Great Wall adventure, these hikes are perfect.

Best rarely-visited and hard-to-reach Great Wall hikes

1. 

   Big Camp Plate Great Wall

   Level 4 — The rough and rocky Great Wall at Big Camp Plate tops tall bluffs and cliffs and encircles an all-but abandoned village that used to be the home of soldiers. High up in the mountains, the wall here is slippery and tricky. You’ll see big mountains and early Ming-era Great Wall, plus old orchards, field trails, and tracks around a tiny mountain village. 13km / 5–6 hours of hiking

   More info: Enquire about a private hike at Big Camp Plate Great Wall • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Big Camp Plate Great Wall

2. 

   Zhenbiancheng Great Wall

   Level 4 — The Great Wall at Zhenbiancheng has had no repairs at all since the end of the Ming Dynasty. The wall here was built of stone and rock during the early Ming Dynasty, with hollow towers added on near the end of the Ming rule. A hike here is an adventurous outing that covers rough and tricky Great Wall in a mountainous rural area that is so far off the tourist trail that it’s virtually unknown. 10km / 3–4 hours of hiking

   More info: Enquire about a private hike at Zhenbiancheng Great Wall Loop Hike • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Zhenbiancheng Great Wall Loop Hike

3. 

   Yanqing Great Wall and Hengling Village

   Level 4 — The majority of the wall here dates back to the early Ming Dynasty and is mostly constructed of rocks and stones. The hike follows a rough and wild line of Great Wall to a high point in the mountains where there’s one of the rare round-shaped towers, and finishes with a long walk out through farmland to finish at a small village that’s wrapped in walls left from its history as a barracks for Great Wall guards. 10km / 4–5 hours of hiking

   More info: Enquire about a private hike at Yanqing Great Wall and Hengling Village • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Yanqing Great Wall and Hengling Village

4. 

   High Tower and Huanglouyuan

   Level 4+ — Hike past the Ming-era walled barracks at Changyucheng and up a quiet valley on the way to the one of the highest Great Wall towers in Beijing. We’ll detour to explore some rough, rocky wall near the High Tower, including the remains of one of the rare round-shaped towers, before following repaired wall to the rocky path that leads down past the old farm at Huanglouyuan. Highest elevation 1,400m, some tricky sections. 13–14km / 5 hours of hiking

   More info: Enquire about a private hike at High Tower and Huanglouyuan • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for High Tower and Huanglouyuan

Great Wall camping

Wake up on the Great Wall on a supported camping trip!

Take a two-day hike on the Great Wall, and set up to spend the night in a tent on the wall or in a tower.

While we’re currently not offering camping trips, they’ll be back in our schedule again sooner or later.

For now, check out two of our most popular Great Wall camping routes—perfect for when our trips return!

1. 

   Camping: Jinshanling Great Wall and Gubeikou Great Wall

   Level 3+ — Hike the Jinshanling Great Wall and then cross through farmland to reach our campsite in a tower on the Great Wall at Gubeikou. You’ll hike easier with just the essentials in your day pack; we’ll arrange delivery of the camping equipment to the campsite. 12–14km / 2–4 hours of hiking each day

   More info: Enquire about a private hike at Camping: Jinshanling Great Wall and Gubeikou Great Wall • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Jinshanling Great Wall and Gubeikou Great Wall camping

2. 

   Camping: Gubeikou Great Wall

   Level 2 — Spend a night in a tower on the Great Wall at Gubeikou, with short, easy hikes on both days. Short hikes, easy walking

   More info: Enquire about a private hike at Camping: Gubeikou Great Wall • Check dates for upcoming group hikes for Camping: Gubeikou Great Wall

Great Wall hikes that are not currently recommended

These hikes used to be in our picks for best Great Wall hikes but we’ve stopped doing them for now.

It’s a pity, because some of them—especially the Huanghuacheng Great Wall—were favourites amongst the guides.

Why are they not recommended?

• For some of them, we don’t have a good read on the ‘local situation’ – and we don’t want to drive all the way out there only to find that hiking isn’t allowed.
• For others, we do know the situation, and it’s not good – wall wardens will be on duty, trails have been blocked with gates and barbed wire, or the wall has had unsightly cover-it-with-concrete type repairs—just no fun for hiking.

For now, we won’t be doing these hikes. But, if the situation changes, we’ll bring them back!

1. 

   Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall

   Not currently recommended because … Mutianyu Great Wall guards will probably prevent us from climbing the wall into the ticketed area of the Mutianyu Great Wall. See the old hike description for Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall

2. 

   Huanghuacheng Great Wall

   Not currently recommended because … local villagers got in trouble for charging ‘ticket money’ for access, so now the trailheads are guarded so no one can go up. See the old hike description for Huanghuacheng Great Wall

3. 

   Great Wall Spur

   Not currently recommended because … Great Wall wardens at the trailheads are on the lookout to stop anyone who looks like a hiker. See the old hike description for Great Wall Spur

4. 

   Longquanyu Great Wall to the Little West Lake

   Not currently recommended because … barbed-wire fences and gates at the trailheads, and a Great Wall warden who gets really shouty. See the old hike description for Longquanyu Great Wall to the Little West Lake