Jinshanling to W. Simatai Great Wall Hike

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Your guide will meet you around 8:00 am at your hotel. It will be a 2.5 hours of drive from Beijing to Jinshanling and West Simatai. 

The West Simatai Great Wall is separated into eastern and western halves by a valley, with a rainbow-like chain bridge over the valley. The hills in the west are sloping gently, with 20 watchtowers remaining in good shape. The Simatai section of the Great Wall is one of the few sections to retain the original appearance of the Great Wall. Incorporating a variety of characteristics of other sections of the Great Wall, Simatai also displays some unique features of its own. It is often described with the following five words: perilous, dense, diverse, artful, and peculiar. 

The Great Wall at Jinshanling is one of the best preserved parts of the Great Wall with many original features. It got its name because it was built on the Greater and Lesser Jinshan (‘Gold Mountain’) Ranges. The Jinshanling Great Wall has not been repaired since 1570. It is a remote and relatively isolated section of the Great Wall. As there are relatively few tourists at Jinshanling Great Wall, it is a good place to explore on foot.

According to one hiker this is what you should expect to find at Jinshanling:

“Meticulous detail is evident in the construction of the wall. Everywhere consideration has been given to deterring and defeating invading armies. The uneven steps meant to slow down advancing armies should they make it onto the wall. The narrowing curves and paths that would bottleneck and slow them down, limiting the invaders to moving single file, making them vulnerable to the defending army. Far down the mountain each brick was crafted by thousands of workers and carried up the mountain on the backs of mules. The architecture and engineering a feat that would challenge us even today.”

When we finally reach the park at Jinshanling, we'll stop by a local farmer's restaurant for a late lunch before we head back to your hotel in Beijing.  

The Great Wall of Jinsanling was built in the first year of Longqing (1567 AD) on the basis of the Great Wall built by Xu Da by Qi Jiguang, the Chief Military Officer of Jizhen and Tan Lun, Governor of Jiliao. It is the essence of the Great Wall, known as "the Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles, Jinshan unique show" reputation. The barrier wall, text brick and horse stopping stone are the three best of Jinshanling Great Wall, known as "the paradise for photography lovers". 

The Great Wall of Jinshanling is located at the junction of Luanping County, Chengde City, Hebei Province, and Miyun County, Beijing, Yanshan Branch, east of Simatai Great Wall, west of the Great Wall with the ancient north entrance.

The Great Wall of Jinshanling is a national key cultural heritage protection unit, national scenic spot, national 4A level tourist attractions, and listed in the World Cultural Heritage List.On November 15, 1992, the Asian "flying man" Ke Shuangliang successfully flew over the Great Wall of Jinshanling on a motorcycle.