Switchback Great Wall
A tough Great Wall hike over tricky terrain in a remote area of northwest Beijing, with a lot of ups and downs on the way to the end. Note: this route features steep ascents and descents on loose footing—if you’re not good with heights and balancing, you will not enjoy this hike.
This hike is not currently scheduled
Travel right on past touristy Badaling on the way out to a difficult Great Wall hike in the mountains overlooking the Guanting Reservoir in Yanqing. The climbing is steep and tough and we’ll take 4–5 hours to complete the 10km walk. For much of the hike we’ll be quite high up, peaking at 1,200m near the midpoint where the wall curves in a sharp switchback.
We have a shorter and longer version of this hike – on this trip we’re going to do a version that’s not quite as tough as the longer version. it will get us up to the top, by the switchback section, and then we’ll follow a hill trail down the other side instead of following the Great Wall down.
Midway through this tough hike the wall doubles back on itself in a sharp switchback, and that’s why we named this area the Switchback Great Wall. The local name is a little different: the Hunchback Great Wall!
We’ll drive up into the hills and start the hike by climbing up on to a tall ridge to reach the Great Wall.
We then follow the wall up to the “General’s Tower”, one of the biggest towers in the area, and likely the location of the commander in the area back in the Ming Dynasty. From here we’ll be able to see why it made such a good command post – the views are amazing!
After the General’s Tower, the condition of the Great Wall here deteriorates, and as we continue we’ll have some tricky descents on slippery, broken down sections of the wall – not much fun if you’re not good with balance or don’t enjoy heights so much.
The Great Wall leads up to towers that are even higher up than the General’s Tower, and just after the highest point we’ll reach the switchback section.
Also nearby is a rundown radio tower, accompanied by a tiny hut – a short detour if you’re interested to take a look, and we can figure out the path through the undergrowth.
Close to the radio tower is a side trail that leads down into a scenic valley. We’ll walk out down the valley and into the tidy and tiny village where we’ll find our bus.
What to bring on this hike
- Lunch to eat on the hike
- Sun protection: long-sleeved shirt, hat
- A bottle of sports drink with salt content (Gatorade, Pocari Sweat)
- Rain coat or poncho, just in case
- Good hiking boots
- (Click here to read our full What to Bring on a Hike list)
Reasons you might not enjoy this hike
- There are a few tricky descents on loose footing that will not be much fun if you are scared of heights.
- It’s quite a short hike for a Level 4, but there is a lot of climbing up and down.
COVID-19 and participation precautions
The current precautions are minimal. Please read in full here: Operating hikes under COVID-19 precautions
