Great Wall Spur | Looking back up the Great Wall Spur
Taking a break on the way down from the top of the Great Wall Spur.

Great Wall Spur

After a tough hill climb of 50–60 minutes, we reach a beautiful, unrestored stretch of Great Wall. The hike continues along the wall, passing through towers, finishing in a rustic village. Includes a meal after the hike.

Level 3+
A big climb to get up to the Great Wall. 3–4 hours start to finish over 7.5km. (Can I do it?)

This hike is not currently scheduled

Contact us for schedule updates or set up a private hike

On this hike we will visit a section of the Great Wall that was completed around 1580 A.D., during the reign of the Ming Dynasty Emperor Wan Li.

The hike begins with a warmup walk up a valley road, followed by a fairly tough climb up a hillside path to reach the Great Wall. This climb is steep in a few places, and it will take us 50-60 minutes. This is the most difficult part of the hike: approximately 2km, with a change in elevation of approximately 500m.

After reaching the top we’ll follow the Great Wall as it winds along and up a ridge. Because the Great Wall was designed as a defensive fortification we will get excellent views, with mountains, villages, and other stretches of the Great Wall all in sight as we walk. We will pass through towers along the way, and stop for a snack break at the highest point.

Hiking down a rough section of the Great Wall Spur
Hiking down a rough section of the Great Wall Spur. (Click for larger image)

Our walk on the Wall will finish at a big tower – from there we’ll follow a trail down another valley, finally arriving at the small village where we’ll finish the walk.

On a clear day we’ll have great views of the Great Wall to the northeast and west as we walk.

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: Great Wall Spur

  1. Great Wall Spur, 2023/08/06

    Great Wall Spur, 2023/08/06

    Take a look at a few photos from a hike up to the Great Wall Spur—cloudy skies, green hills, and just us on the wall.
  2. Great Wall Spur, 2023/05/04

    Great Wall Spur, 2023/05/04

    See 18 photos from the Great Wall Spur hike—green hills, blue skies, and beautiful ‘wild’ Great Wall.
  3. Great Wall Spur, 2023/03/19

    Great Wall Spur, 2023/03/19

    See 30+ photos from the Great Wall Spur hike—a sort-of short hike with a serious amount of uphill required to reach the wall.
  4. Great Wall Spur, 2019/010/05

    Great Wall Spur, 2019/10/05

    Blue skies and the beginning of the autumn colours by the Great Wall—see 14 photos from the Great Wall Spur hike.
  5. Great Wall Spur, 2019/05/01

    Great Wall Spur, 2019/05/01

    For Labour Day 2019 we put our legs to work, hiking the unrepaired Great Wall Spur—see 18 photos of hills, hikers, blue skies, and Great Wall.
  6. Great Wall Spur, 2018/10/13

    Great Wall Spur, 2018/10/13

    We saw superb colours on this hike at the Great Wall Spur—see 13 photos of autumn views at the Great Wall.
  7. Great Wall Spur, 2018/10/04

    Great Wall Spur, 2018/10/04

    22 photos from a hike along the Great Wall Spur, with the autumn colours just starting to show around the wall.
  8. Great Wall Spur, 2017/09/06

    Great Wall Spur, 2017/09/06

    We had perfectly blue skies and long views on this hike along the Great Wall Spur—see a set of 18 photos.

See all the hikes  In the calendar / in a list