High Bridge Monastery | The old 'mountain gate' near High Bridge Monastery.
The old 'mountain gate' near High Bridge Monastery.

‘High Bridge’ Monastery hike

Hike up a long valley to find the remains of ‘High Bridge’ monastery, and then head up to a saddle on a ridge to find more temple ruins.

Level 4
One steep climb. 4–5 hours of hiking over approx. 15km. (Can I do it?)

This hike is not currently scheduled

Contact us for schedule updates or set up a private hike

On this walk we hike up into a long valley to find the remains of ‘High Bridge’ monastery (as well as the ‘high bridge’), and then head up to a saddle on a ridge to find more temple ruins.

From the start point of the hike the valley doesn’t look super interesting. And maybe that’s why it was a good spot to hide a temple and monastery way back in the day.

The temple and monastery date back to the 1300s. They were in use through to the Qing Dynasty, and were pulled down for building materials during the Cultural Revolution. Large gates and arches remain, as well as large carved blocks that were too heavy to haul away.

We’ll hike up into the valley and explore the side trail that leads up to the ruins and piles of carved blocks that are all that's left of ‘High Bridge’ monastery.

Our next destination on the hike is the saddle at the top of the first valley. From the monastery ruins we’ll need to follow the same trail back down to the valley, and then continue on and up.

From that saddle we'll do a loop trail to visit some more ruins and a big pagoda. It will take about an hour to walk over to the ruins, and then another hour on the way back. We'll finish the hike by walking out the main valley trail back to the start of the hike.

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: ‘High Bridge’ Monastery hike

  1. High Bridge Monastery hike, 2021/03/06

    High Bridge Monastery hike, 2021/03/06

    We hiked a long trail into an obscure valley on the west side of Beijing to find the remains of High Bridge Monastery, and pagodas and stupas in the hills nearby—see 13 photos.
  2. High Bridge Monastery, 2020/10/17

    High Bridge Monastery, 2020/10/17

    We hiked up into the hills of Mentougou to find ‘High Bridge’ Monastery and other historical remnants—see twenty photos from the hills and hike.

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