Great Wall Spur | Clouds over the Great Wall Spur
Clouds over the Great Wall Spur.

Great Wall Spur

A steep climb up a hillside trail gets us on to a well-preserved line of 'wild' Great Wall. We follow the wall up to a high point and then down the 'spur', passing through big towers on the way.

Level 3+
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 remote stretch of the Great Wall that was completed around 1580 AD and not touched again since. It’s in surprisingly good shape after 400 or so years of weathering.

We’re doing this hike in the opposite direction than usual—it’s a shorter (but steeper) climb up to the wall, and we finish the hike with a nice stroll down through a forested valley.

We do this hike a lot, but not often this way. If you’ve done the Great Wall Spur before, it might be interesting to get a new angle on it!

The hike begins with a short walk up a valley road, followed by a climb up a hillside path to reach the Great Wall. This steep climb will take about forty minutes, and is the most difficult part of the hike.

A tower on the 'spur' section of the Great Wall Spur
A tower on the 'spur' section of the Great Wall Spur. (Click for larger image)

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.

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 countryside guesthouse with a distinctive red roof. We may have been able to spot the red roof from up on the wall!

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

What to bring on this hike

Reasons you might not enjoy this hike

  • The climb up to the wall is steep in places – no problem if you’re into exercise!

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