Further to the previous article about the Great Wall of China, many friends showed great interests in the world famous man-made constructions. In this edition, a fantastic Hiking Tour on the Great Wall is recommended so that you may take a chance to have a really close touch on the Great Wall in Beijing.

As everyone knows, the Great Wall extends from the Jiayu Pass in Western Gansu Province to the Eastern mount of the Yalu River in Liaoning Province, like a giant dragon lying on the mountain ridges or creeping on the isolated deserts. It measures more than 10,000 kilometers in length.

Each dynasty that ruled the states of China worked hard to keep the Wall stronger to defend them from the invaders. The famous fortresses include Jiayuguan, Shanhaiguan, Juyongguan, Yumenguan, Yanmenguan, Yangguan and so on. The Great Wall of Beijing we see today was mostly rebuilt in Ming Dynasty, and there are many different sections of the Wall running along the northwest mountain areas in Beijing.

Do you know the most renowned sections of the Great Wall in and around Beijing? They are the Great Wall at Badaling, Mutianyu, Juyongguan, Jiankou, Gubeikou, Jinshanling, Huangyaguan, Simatai and Huanghuacheng sections.

The following is the map of the Great Wall of Beijing. How many sections of the Wall have you ever been to？Which section of the Wall has been impressed you most?

Each section of the Great Wall has its own character, but surely all of them are magnificent with grand view of the surrounding mountains under the vast sky. Now, the epidemic is gone, everything has been returning to normal. It’s time to take exercise and strengthen our bodies.

Hiking along the Wall of Gubeikou and Jinshanling is only one of many itineraries for experiences of the different sections of the Wall. Last August, although it was very hot, four colleagues of us accompanied by a professional local guide, took an inspection tour on the Hiking route. All the photos in this edition were provided by staffs of Top China Tour.

Firstly, a brief introduction of Gubeikou Great Wall and Jinshanling Great Wall is right here waiting for you to explore.

Gubeikou Great Wall 

The majority of Gubeikou Great Wall is in a collapsed state with original and unrestored watchtowers as well as the overgrown grasses and weeds, all looks like its ancient appearances, favored by experienced travelers!

Jinshanling Great Wall

This section of the Great Wall was renovated during the Ming Dynasty, maintaining a semi-primitive state.  With splendid landscape and steep slopes of the Wall, this section has been famed as “the essence of the Great Wall” by experts, favored by international travelers. 

This hiking distance is about 12 kilometers. Visitors can feel the magnificence of the Great Wall, witness the vicissitudes of history, and touch the traces of the Great Wall made of earth and brick in 5.5-6 hours.

​Everything is ready! Let’s start today’s hiking tour with our experienced escort early in the morning and enjoy a lush pastoral scene on the way to Gubeikou Great Wall.

Slowly, we enter the mountain areas. The road is rugged, and the difficulty of the hiking is gradually increasing. Look, the well-known Great Wall is just in front us.

According to our guide, the gorgeous view of the Great Wall is always shot or produced on the little paths outside the Wall rather than on it, while the best shooting time is either in early morning or at twilight.

Walking from Gubeikou to Jinshanling Great Wall without turning back is the greatest advantage of the tour, because hiking on some other sections of the Wall, the farther you go, the longer way you have to walk back.

Some parts of the Great Wall are dilapidated and not easy to walk, so sometimes we can only follow the foot of the Great Wall and make our own way. Don’t be surprised, it's common to use both hands and feet in these places. Luckily, we have a local guide to lead us the way, it turns out to be very helpful.

Pass by the "twenty-four eye tower", a square shaped and double-layered watchtower with 24 holes in total, that’s why it was named. It is the end of Gubeikou Great Wall and located at a high rise. Bordered by Jinshan mountain in the east and lying on the tiger mountain in the west, it was of a strategic position in the old time.

From this place onward, we are heading for Jinshanling Great Wall. The hiking paths become more difficult, but the trekking view gets boarder and the landscape becomes more charming.

Some parts of the Wall in Jinshanling have collapsed due to lack of maintenance, the old bricks and tiles are scattered on the ground. We also have to use both hands and feet to maintain the balance when going up and down the slope. The sense of excitement and achievement walking like this is much better than that of on the repaired Great Wall.

According to the location of the mountains and waters, Jiinshanling Great Wall rises and falls, served as a protected steel and iron wall for the country in the old time. Many solid towers were established on the way, like an old saying goes: One man is standing at the gate, ten thousand soldiers cannot get through".

Although it is a long distance in between the two sections of the Great Wall, walking in the beautiful mountains, encountering with the lovely little animals, we are singing and enjoying a brilliant hike in the surrounding of the Great Wall areas.

We finished our fabulous trekking tour in the late afternoon. You are reluctant to go home, aren’t you?! It is indeed an unforgettable tour!

Tips for Hiking on the Great Wall：

A small bag is more suitable than a big one on the tour.

Comfortable sport shoes, sun-proof caps and sun-prevent cream are required.

Enough drinking water and snacks like chocolate etc. are requested.

Alpenstock is a MUST for your assistance while hiking.