Beijing Lianhuatan: No Need to Stress About Outdoor Hiking Outfits

📍Navigation: Yanqing Jianganling Village Villagers' Committee

🚗: About a 1-hour drive from downtown Beijing

⏰ According to the original loop route, the hiking trail is 8.5 km with a 300 m elevation gain. Unfortunately, there was a local competition that day, so the original route was closed. We had to take a detour to reach Yixiantian and Shuiguan Great Wall. We initially planned a leisurely hike but ended up hiking 13.5 km with over 500 m elevation gain 😂

Fortunately, the entire route was through dense forest and along streams (no wading needed), with very high vegetation coverage. We even saw ostriches, alpacas 🦙, and rabbits 🐰. Most of the time, we walked in the shade, feeling like we had entered the Land of Oz. 📸 I took many photos in the woods, and it was during this hike that I realized girls really don’t need to stress about what to wear for outdoor hiking 🌈—all colors perfectly blend in, nature has the best filter ❤️

The forest trail was mostly gentle in slope. We played and walked, and soon reached Yixiantian. 👉 Yixiantian is a granite fissure so narrow that only one person can pass sideways at the narrowest point, with several large stones underfoot requiring hands and feet to climb up. 🏞️ There were many people, so we had to queue; it’s best not to carry a backpack as it can get stuck. While waiting, I heard a guy ahead shout, “It’s really narrow, fat people will definitely get stuck~” 😂😂😂 which scared off two “fat” guys right away~

👏🏻 But after passing through Yixiantian and reaching the summit, the view opened up dramatically. You can see distant mountains and sit on wooden steps to take photos. 👏🏻 The scenery was stunning, and my hiking buddies exclaimed, “It was worth the climb”~

🚶🏻‍♀️ Next, we headed to Shuiguan Great Wall. We were too tired to climb up, so we just walked to the visitor center at the foot of the wall and took a bus back to the city.

Overall, the trail is relatively easy to walk, but ⚠️ trekking poles and hiking shoes are still necessary. With over 500 m elevation gain, bad weather or rain and wind make it quite dangerous without proper gear. Sneakers can slip and make you question your life choices. ⚠️ Wear long sleeves and pants, ⚠️ apply sunscreen, and be careful on narrow sections to avoid skin scratches.

Post by Marja-LiisaKuusisto | Oct 19, 2025