Tiger Valley to Zhao Tomb

Follow a slightly tricky hill trail up into the hills behind Tiger Valley, and then walk through the woods up and over a ridge and down the other side, finishing up at Zhao Tomb. Note: This hike has one tricky climb over rocks. If you’re good with heights, no problem!

Level 3

Approx. 3 hours start to finish over 10km. (Can I do it?)

This hike is not currently scheduled

Contact us for schedule updates or set up a private hike

At one point on the hike there's a tricky clamber over some rocks, are you okay with exposure to heights?

This hike is not too tough, but the middle section is all uphill. There’s not much walking on flat ground until right at the end of the hike.

The hike starts from the Tiger Valley park in Changping, and follows a mountain trail up and over a ridge, passing a reservoir on the way. The park management have built a road up the valley—unecessarily, in our opinion. We won’t walk on the road for too long, and will soon be heading for the hills.

After climbing up a hill trail on the far side of the reservoir, we’ll come to a fairly tricky section of trail where we’ll need to clamber over exposed rocks. You’ll need good balance for this 5–10 minute part of the hike, and if you’re not fond of heights it will not be enjoyable – please take this into consideration when booking this hike, especially if you are making a reservation for friends.

After crossing the rocks, we continue to climb, following a hill trail that is steep in sections. After 30–40 minutes we’ll reach the highest point of the hike, and it’s all down from there, following a leafy path down through a valley. We’ve often found small rabbit snares on this section of trail.

Towards the end of the valley we’ll pass a small settlement with chickens and noisy dogs. We’ll continue on and out of the valley, and down to a small town..

From there we'll walk on, following a road alongside a dried riverbed to end up at one of the Ming Tombs. This particular tomb was built by a Ming Dynasty emperor for one of his wives. We’ll buy tickets for you, and we'll have a good look about inside before we head back to Beijing.

Nature interpretation: On this hike we will be accompanied by Betsy Taylor, an experienced Naturalist who will keep an eye out for interesting flora, fauna, and geology while we walk. Stick close to her if you're interested to learn more about what we see on the hike, and she'll talk about anything we find.

What to bring on this hike

• Lunch and snacks
• Sun protection: hat, sunscreen, long-sleeved shirt
• Good hiking boots
• (Click here to read our full What to Bring on a Hike list)

Reasons you might not enjoy this hike

• There's a tricky climb over some rocks that will not be much fun if you are don't like exposure to heights.
• The trail could be brushy and scratchy in places.