Hike! Jiankou hike

[sinatavist]

I posted a couple of weeks ago about this hike but ended up not doing it, though I visited Huanghuacheng & Mutianyu. Planning to go back soon, hope people can help confirm the following details gleaned on my last trip:

- There are two ways up the southern side of the mountain, a long trail (2-3 hours) from Zhenzhuquan and a short one (less than one hour) from Yangzichang. The second one is apparently better marked and the one that all the Chinese climbers use.

- There's no direct access up the mountain to the section called Yingfei Daoyang ('Eagle flies upward') from the south, you have to ascend the wall at Jiankou and then walk west. From Yingfei Daoyang I was advised not to return the same way but to descend directly down the mountain on its northern side, I'm not sure why.
Alternatively, would it be possible to backtrack to Jiankou and then descend at Mutianyu in the same day?

- Is there a regular bus to Huairou from the trailhead (Xihazi village) on the northern side of the mountain?

- From Jiankou to Mutianyu can be done in about 4 hours. You can't climb directly to Zhengbeilou (sunset watching spot) in between, Jiankou is the only spot where you can ascend the wall on the southern side.

- Is the tower called Jiuyanlou ('nine eye tower') on the stretch between Jiankou and Mutianyu? When I gave him that name, a local told me it's closer to the Huanghuacheng section, 35km west from Jiankou.


Also if anyone could comment on the best time for seeing gold and red leaves. Week before last there didn't seem to be much autumn foliage along the Jiankou stretch, locals told me the leaves have already fallen due to early cold weather this year.

[Bryan]

Originally Posted by sinatavist

There are two ways up the southern side of the mountain, a long trail (2-3 hours) from Zhenzhuquan and a short one (less than one hour) from Yangzichang. The second one is apparently better marked and the one that all the Chinese climbers use.

The shorter trail is about one hour. See this post. The trail is marked somewhat well near the bottom and less so near the top.

Originally Posted by sinatavist

There's no direct access up the mountain to the section called Yingfei Daoyang ('Eagle flies upward') from the south, you have to ascend the wall at Jiankou and then walk west. From Yingfei Daoyang I was advised not to return the same way but to descend directly down the mountain on its northern side, I'm not sure why.

By descending the same way (from Yingfeidaoyang to Jiankou), you will be going down the heavenly ladder (Tianti) which is a little scary. Going up, it's easier to reach up to the side walls and hold on. It's only wide enough for one person so two people can't pass each other in opposite directions easily. Maybe that's why they encouraged you not to return. However, it's not impossible to return. The only path to Yingfeidaoyang other than the Wall itself that I know of is from Xizhazi. I have taken it and it's easy to follow. From there you can go in either direction on the Wall or you can return via the path.

Originally Posted by sinatavist

Alternatively, would it be possible to backtrack to Jiankou and then descend at Mutianyu in the same day?

That's a pretty long day of climbing and you would be in a hurry, especially as the days are getting shorter. Personally, I don't like to have to rush so I would not try to get all of that in in one day. Note that you can't safely climb from Jiankou to Mutianyu without coming down to the road and walking east and then back up to Zhengbeilou and continuing along the Wall from there.

Originally Posted by sinatavist

Is there a regular bus to Huairou from the trailhead (Xihazi village) on the northern side of the mountain?

Yes, there are two, one is early in the morning and one leaves at noon. None in the afternoon or evening, unfortunately.

Originally Posted by sinatavist

From Jiankou to Mutianyu can be done in about 4 hours. You can't climb directly to Zhengbeilou (sunset watching spot) in between, Jiankou is the only spot where you can ascend the wall on the southern side.

You can climb to Zhengbeilou from the south, but I wouldn't recommend it myself. See this post again.

Originally Posted by sinatavist

Is the tower called Jiuyanlou ('nine eye tower') on the stretch between Jiankou and Mutianyu? When I gave him that name, a local told me it's closer to the Huanghuacheng section, 35km west from Jiankou.

Jiuyanlou is not between Jiankou and Mutianyu. From Jiankou, heading west, you pass Yingfeidaoyang and come to Beijingjie, the Beijing knot. This is where the inner and outer walls meet. You follow the outer wall north from there to reach Jiuyanlou. The inner wall leads west to Moyashike, Xiangshuihu, Lianyunling, and Huanghuacheng.

I recommend you don't bother with the south side but do all of your Jiankou access from Xizhazi. For a one-day trip you could take the bus to Xizhazi, climb up to Zhengbeilou and from there to Mutianyu where you can find transportation back to Huairou. For an overnight trip, take the bus to Xizhazi, climb up to Jiuyanlou and from there follow the Wall back to Beijingjie, Yingfeidaoyang, etc. and return to Xizhazi to have dinner and spend the night. Next day you can take the bus back to Huairou or hike from Zhengbeilou to Mutianyu.

GPS coordinates for all of these spots are here and I suggest you use Google Earth to review them.

Have fun and be careful!

[sinatavist]

thanks. It looks like you can walk from Jiuyanlou to Yingfeidaoyang in about the same time as from Jiankou to Mutianyu (about 4 hours).

how long does it take to get by bus from Huairou to Xizhazi?

[Bryan]

Originally Posted by sinatavist

how long does it take to get by bus from Huairou to Xizhazi?

About one hour and ten minutes. The bus station is at 40°18'50.58"N 116°38'26.86"E (Google Earth picture), 40°18'55.76"N 116°38'27.78"E (actual).

[sinatavist]

how about the time to walk between Xizhazi and Jiuyanlou, or Xizhazi and Yingfeidaoyang?
Are both these trails well marked?

[Bryan]

Xizhazi to Yingfeidaoyang is easier to find. It's a long way, over one mountain, down to the valley, and up another mountain, through lots of brush, to find Jiuyanlou. Do you have a GPS receiver? If so, I can give you the routes.

[Bryan]

Xizhazi to Yingfeidaoyang is about one hour and Xizhazi to Jiuyanlou is about 2 or 2.5 hours. Between Yingfeidaoyang and Jiuyanlou via the Great Wall is about 4 hours as you stated.

[sinatavist]

would appreciate that, haven't got a GPS receiver but planning to buy one. Hiking maps simply can't be found in Beijing.

would you say this hike is too dangerous to do alone? my friends aren't really outdoorsy types.

[Bryan]

The attached files (JiankouRoutes.zip) should help you. Remember that the image on Google Earth is not very accurate in this area.

Is this safe to do alone? There is no yes or no answer; safety is relative. The danger level is somewhere between climbing the north face of the Eiger and strolling around the block. Groups are always safer than alone. However, I like hiking alone, personally. How much experience do you have hiking and climbing alone? How self-sufficient do you consider yourself? Only you can make this decision. Note that on the Jiankou Great Wall, my cell phone didn't work.

[sinatavist]

thanks for that. My cellphone didn't work at Mutianyu

a local contact of mine said the bus for Xizhazi leaves Huairou at 9:30am, which would make it very tight to do the loop Xizhazi-Jiuyanlou-Yingfeidaoyang that same day.
Right now it's pretty gloomy by 5pm