Jinshanling to Simatai — FAQ

[PWCCA]

Originally Posted by greatwallforum

Take a bus from Beijing bound for Chengde, and get off at Gubeikou (40°41'21"N 117°9'23"E). These buses used to leave from Dongzhimen station but I think that station is closed now. From Gubeikou, take a taxi to Jinshanling or Simatai.

To return from Jinshanling or Simatai, get a taxi to Gubeikou. Wait at the bus stop (40°41'21"N 117°9'23"E) for a southbound bus. You can wait for a Beijing bus (coming from Chengde to Beijing) or get on a bus for Miyun and transfer from there to Beijing.

Great. Thanks for the info. I have a friend coming to visit from Hong Kong so we plan to do the trek. I originally wanted to do the hike from Gubeikou and then to Simatai from there but feared that would be rather ambitious, lol. Do you think it would be better to do the walk from Gubeikou to Jinshanling an then Jinshanling to Simatai the next day?

[Bryan]

Originally Posted by PWCCA

Great. Thanks for the info. I have a friend coming to visit from Hong Kong so we plan to do the trek. I originally wanted to do the hike from Gubeikou and then to Simatai from there but feared that would be rather ambitious, lol. Do you think it would be better to do the walk from Gubeikou to Jinshanling an then Jinshanling to Simatai the next day?

You need to be used to hiking two days in a row. You also need to be able to find your way to the Great Wall in Gubeikou and then around the military area of the Great Wall, where you must trek through fields. A GPS is very helpful for this.

There is no issue of finding your way when hiking from Jinshanling to Simatai.

[PWCCA]

Great. Thanks for the info Bryan

[PWCCA]

Where is the best place to be on Jinshanling to photograph at sunset? Which direction will the sun set this time of year?

[Bryan]

Originally Posted by PWCCA

Where is the best place to be on Jinshanling to photograph at sunset? Which direction will the sun set this time of year?

Xiwuyanlou is undoubtedly the spot. From here, facing east is the classic view and the sun is setting behind you and slightly to your right.

40°40'41"N 117°13'44"E

[PWCCA]

Originally Posted by Bryan

Xiwuyanlou is undoubtedly the spot. From here, facing east is the classic view and the sun is setting behind you and slightly to your right.

40°40'41"N 117°13'44"E

Thanks Bryan. Looks like I will finally visit over the weekend with some Danish friends that are visiting. I wanna make sure I get as many beautiful photographs as possible

[ekroeger]

Hi,

is it possible to stay at night in one of the watchtowers in this section? For sleeping, getting the sunrise etc. und completing the trip on the other day, or is this not allowed?

Eckhard

[chinoook]

If you ask for it the answer will very probably be no.
You also have to get rid of the pack in the evening, I don't have any idea how difficult this might be. You are probably not the first to try this and it can be difficult to annoying.
It depends where you want to spend the night. At simatai you might try to enter the wall after sunset when everyone has disappered there. If I were you I would stay at Jinshanling and leave the tourist part of the wall and stay in one of the first towers to the west of it. Then you could get up quite early and walk on to Simatai with the most stunning views of the whole GW. You will not have the Simatai ridge then around sunrise.


-chinoook

[Bryan]

Originally Posted by ekroeger

Hi,

is it possible to stay at night in one of the watchtowers in this section? For sleeping, getting the sunrise etc. und completing the trip on the other day, or is this not allowed?

Eckhard

Read this thread for more details: Sleep on the Great Wall

This one too: Jinshanling hotels

[Kim]

How long will the hike take?

Plan on four to six hours of hiking all told, depending on your exact route and speed. Also plan to spend some time exploring at each end of the hike if possible.

According to my new Dakota 20 () we spend about 5 hours in total from the hotel, walking up to the wall, walking west towards Xiwuyanlou and then turned back and walked east to the Simatai reservoir where we had lunch.

Totally 2 hours of walking and 3 hours of resting. We did not walk very fast and had it not been for me taking a lot of photos we could easily had finished the walk in much shorter time. After the recent repairs of the wall there is really no scary parts (), just remember to look for paths around some of the watch towers - they are there for a reason, and there is no need to climb 3 meters down from a tower when you can just walk around it.