Quarrymen’s Trail

Walk up and down valleys and over hills on the way from a small valley village over to the Ming Tombs area, passing by two closed tombs on the way to the end of the hike. 14km with two good climbs, trails quite brushy in places.

Level 3+
3–4 hours start to finish over 14km. (Can I do it?)

This hike is not currently scheduled

Contact us for schedule updates or set up a private hike

Hikers on a path through the trees in Changping District
Hikers on a path through the trees in Changping District.

This hike starts off at a village at the end of a road up a deep valley. From the village we head further up the valley, following old paths past big trees and the terraced fields that are worked by the local villagers. After approximately forty minutes of walking, the fields begin to give way to forest, and we’ll get on to a trail that leads up to a clearing on on the ridge at the top of the valley.

The clearing and the trail beyond used to be maintained by the quarrymen who work in the neighbouring valley, and from the clearing we can usually see dust rising from the quarry. We’ll follow their trail down into the valley on the other side of the ridge. It’s interesting the way that the vegetation is different on the two sides of this ridge – pines and forest on one side, coloured rocks and different flora on the other.

Before we reach the quarry, we’ll turn off on to an old road, and follow it to the outskirts of an abandoned village. There are several empty villages in the area, likely abandoned due to lack of water, but perhaps also because of the expansion of the quarry. Instead of continuing into the village, we’ll follow a trail that leads from the village up through more terraces, eventually crossing over to the Changping side of the hills through a saddle on the ridge.

From the saddle we’ll head downhill, following a steep and sometimes bushy old path down and out a valley, passing a small reservoir and two of the closed Ming Tombs on the way to where our bus will be waiting for us.

What to bring on this hike

Reasons you might not enjoy this hike

  • The middle section gets kind of jungle-y at times, with some ducking and weaving between trees required.
  • There may be a bit of road construction going on in the first part of the hike as preparations are made for the restoration of an old temple site.

COVID-19 and participation precautions

The current precautions are minimal. Please read in full here: Operating hikes under COVID-19 precautions