White River Ice Hike | Hiking down the frozen White River
Hiking down the frozen White River.

White River Ice Hike

Follow a trail that crosses a frozen river in Miyun District, walking out down a long canyon and passing below cliffs on the way to the end.

Level 3
3–4 hours of hiking over approx. 10km. (Can I do it?)

This hike is not currently scheduled

Contact us for schedule updates or set up a private hike

After an interesting drive through the mountains of Miyun, we’ll arrive at a small scenic area where we’ll begin the walk. The scenic area has a long track down a narrow gully that will bring us to the riverside.

We’ll be following the White River as it winds through a deep and wide canyon with numerous forks and steep rocky cliffs, making this an extremely picturesque hike that is easy to finish.

All up, there are around eight places the path crosses the river. In summer we need to take our shoes off to wade across, but in winter we’ll be able to walk across the thick ice.

At times, the trail leads us through trees, but for most of the walk we’ll follow the course of the river. It’s flat the whole way, and the only thing that might slow us down is slippery ice.

Hiking down the frozen White River
Thick ice, frozen clear. (Click for larger image)

Sometimes, we cross over ice that has frozen clear, and we can see all the way down to the bottom of the river. It’s like walking on thick glass – a little unnerving, but very pretty!

Midway on the hike we’ll stop for a quick lunch in a nice spot with rocks and (hopefully!) a bit of sun.

From that spot we’ll walk on down the river, crossing a few more times on the way to the end.

After we’re done hiking we’ll unpack our picnic tables for snacks and drinks, and then we’ll head back to Beijing.

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: White River Ice Hike

  1. White River ice hike, 2021/01/31

    White River ice hike, 2021/01/31

    With the ice starting to thaw a little, we spent some time on side trails to avoid wet (and frozen!) feet—take a look at 16 photos.
  2. White River ice hike, 2021/01/10

    White River ice hike, 2021/01/10

    The first ice hike of the year was spectacular, with clean air and awesome views of the frozen river and tall cliffs—see 25 photos and 2 short videos.

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