Work day If you work in Beijing you might be expected to show up at the office today, as it’s a make-up work day for the big holiday next week.

This trail follows short sections of a few of our Zhenbiancheng area hikes, but adds a big extra section that takes us back in time with a hike over to the left-in-the-80s village of Shuitou.16km in the hills and valleys, with a good 952m of ascent over the course of the hike.

Members and regulars who have had enough Great Wall: You’ll see a bit of wall on this hike, but just 600m of the whole trail is actually on the wall. The rest of it is hill trails and dirt roads.

Highlights

• Views of the jagged peaks of Brushrest Mountain
• The jungle-y trail through Potato Valley
• The Shuitou Great Wall water arch, through which water used to run down from the hills
• The isolated farming village of Shuitou, which made Big Boss Huijie feel like she was back in 80s-era China

What to bring on this hike

• Lunch and snacks to eat
• Sun protection: long-sleeved shirt, hat
• A bottle of sports drink with salt content (Gatorade, Pocari Sweat)
• Warm clothes in case it gets chilly
• Good hiking boots
• A light rain coat or poncho, just in case
• (Click here to read our full What to Bring on a Hike list)

Reasons you might not enjoy this hike

• Parts of the trail will be overgrown and scratchy, with a bit of ducking and weaving required to get through Potato Valley.
• We finish the hike following the first 4km of our Zhenbiancheng Great Wall hike.