Walled Village to the Little West Lake Great Wall, 2016/07/07
Photos from an easy hike in the Huanghuacheng area that finished at the Little West Lake, a park area in Huairou.
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On this walk we saw the Great Wall and other sights of the Beijing countryside, including Yaoziyu Village, chestnut orchards, and the reservoir at the Little West Lake.
It's a fairly short walk, with some steep climbs on the Great Wall. As well as walking on the unrestored 'wild' Great Wall, we had excellent views from high up. The section of wall near the Little West Lake has one of the best lookout points in the area: views of the Little West Lake reservoir far below and a long line of Great Wall that runs off into the mountains.
The hike started on field trails through chestnut orchards near Yaoziyu Village. Some of the older chestnut trees in this area are said to date back to the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
Looking down from the Great Wall at Zhuangdaokou. The hikers below are on the old path that leads through a massive archway in the Great Wall right here.
First steep climb of the day - up the repaired stairs.
It’s steep on the other side, too!
We headed up towards the tower in the background.
The wall here hasn't been repaired since the Ming Dynasty, and is now well overgrown. The foundation looks strong, but the battlements have all fallen down.
A shorter, but still steep climb.
Looking back down the trail.
Here's the view of the Little West Lake Reservoir. Construction started in the ‘70s, and wasn't finished until the ‘90s.
Views of a resort town far below.