Everyone thought I was hiking in Beijing, but this is the Great Wall hidden in Ningbo

How can you believe it if you haven't experienced it yourself? Hidden in the rolling green hills between Ningbo Bay and Sanmen Bay is a hiking route of more than 12 kilometers, of which the 10-kilometer firebreak is a circular path surrounding the Ninghai Forest Hot Spring, hence the name Hot Spring Firebreak.
The name of the Hot Springs Fire Trail hiking route is quite different from its actual scenery. Stepping onto the firebreak, it doesn't have the gentleness of hot spring water, but it has the momentum of "沁园春·雪", it is the heroic and exciting feeling of the dancing green snakes on the mountains trying to compete with the sky for height, it is the majestic atmosphere of the firebreak on the top of the mountain winding like the Badaling Great Wall in Beijing, it is one mountain top after another, like a series of progressive attacks that come one after another before they subside.
To immerse yourself in this Ninghai version of the "Great Wall", my suggestion is to start from the hot spring parking lot and hike clockwise for more than 2 kilometers to reach the firebreak. Standing at the high point of the firebreak, you can have a panoramic view of the rural scenery of Shencun, Ninghai. But what is even more shocking is that the entire firebreak circular hiking route can continue to show its spectacular side as the route progresses. It is in no way inferior to the Great Wall in terms of magnificence. It makes people instantly feel the desolate and tragic beauty of "the setting sun over the long river and the solitary smoke rising in the desert", as if they were in the wilderness of the Northwest.
Another kind of beauty of the hiking route is the gracefulness of the Jiangnan water village. The sassafras flowers along the way often give people the surprise of "after high mountains and deep waters, you think there is no way out, but when you turn around, you find another village with willows and flowers." Towards the end of the route, the warm colors of dusk make the rolling green hills present the artistic conception of an ink painting. The ancient stream trail, chain of pools and waterfalls, ancient plank road and bridge, and plum blossoms in the ancient house at the end calmed my mood for hiking and gave me a sense of balance and satisfaction in my heart.
This hot spring hiking route is well designed, with several drop-off points along the way that allow the route to be adjusted into small loops to meet the needs of hikers of different abilities and to accommodate changes during the hike. However, what I want to say is that although it is cool to persevere, it is wiser to do things within your ability and adapt when necessary. Hiking tips
Self-driving navigation address: Tianmingshan Forest Hot Spring Hotel, Ninghai County, Ningbo
There are dozens of free parking spaces at the starting point
1Hiking route details: 12 km loop, 971 meters of climbing, takes about 7 hours.
It is not recommended to go there in summer or with children. Please refer to the trail description before hiking. The current hiking route allows you to see spring flowers such as magnolia, plum blossoms, and sassafras flowers.

Post by Phoenix_Dravenwood/65 | Mar 25, 2025