One Day Private Juyongguan Great Wall Hiking

This morning, our guide and driver will greet you at your hotel lobby and then a private transfer will take you to the Juyongguan Pass of the Great Wall. Juyongguan Great Wall is constructed in a valley stretching for about 15 kilometers. It has been regarded as one of the Eight Scenes in Ancient Yanjing as early as 800 years ago. Our guide will escort you to hike the wall and enjoy the stunning scenery along the way. A pair of comfortable shoes is necessary as some of the steps are quite steep. Lunch is on your own arrangement. You may take some snacks or fast food to refresh yourself. After the Juyongguan Great Wall tour ends, we will transfer you back to your hotel.

Meals: not included, but our guide will offer some suggestions.

This section can be easily reached from Beijing in about 2 hours via any of the two transport modes as follows:

 By bus: 
1. Take bus No. 345 from Deshengmen to Shahe, and then change to Changping bus No. 68 to Juyongguan.
2. Take bus No.883 from Deshengmen to Nankou East Street, and then change to Changping bus No. 68 to Juyongguan.

 By car: Drive along the Badaling Expressway and take the Juyongguan Great Wall Exit.
 

Yuntai, Juyongguan Pass

Guoji Fang, Juyongguan Pass

Nanguan Lou & Yuntai
The ticket office is not far from the parking lot. The entrance fee is CNY45 during peak season (Apr 1st to Oct 30th) and CNY40 in the low season (Nov 1st to Mar 31st). There is no cable car service here. Proceed towards the north and you will pass by the Ying'en Fang, Liujiao Pavilion and Guanwang Temple, before reaching the Nanguan Lou (archway) where you will see a written banner "The number one guarding pass under the heaven" atop the decorated archway. Nanguan Lou with Beiguan Lou in the north is located between two mountains, forming a natural bottleneck in this main passage. An old Chinese saying goes like this: "one man guards the pass, and ten thousand enemies are unable to get through". Begin you climb of the wall by walking upwards along the stairways of the Nanguan Lou.

Guanwang Temple of the Pass

Juyongguan Section

Guoji Fang is another carved arch to the north of Nanguan Lou. Walk through it and you will see a ticket office near the Yuntai parking lot. The 4-star Juyongguan Ancient Hostel is located north of Yuntai.

The entire Juyongguan wall is circular in shape, with a perimeter of about 4,142 meters (4,530 yards) stretching along the ridge line of incredibly steep mountains. It consists of two sections: the 2,097.8-meter (2,294.2 yards) west wall on Jinju Mountain and the 1,505-meter (1,645.9 yards) east wall on Cuiping Mountain. The west wall is not only steeper but also more attractive than the east wall. There are altogether fifteen watchtowers with nine on the west wall and six on the east wall.

Juyongguan scenery

Climbing on the Wall

West Great Wall
There are 1,700 steps to the top of the mountain from the west wall. The first section is flat and in good condition. Shizi Tower is located here and Mashen Temple is towards the north. A 15-20 minutes trek will take you to the first watchtower in the west. The Biaozhong Ancestral Temple, Diecui College and Chenghuang Temple are located south of the watchtower. Continue forward to reach the second and the third watchtowers, and then you will pass by a turret tower on the west mountain where it was believed that soldiers ambushed their enemy during the ancient time.

The road beyond becomes gradually steeper with certain sections nearly 80 degree incline. As you approach the fourth watchtower, there is a narrow path in the north of the Xiju Mountian that leads to the Sifang Pavilion and the Guandi Temple. The temple was built to commemorate the famous general Guanyu of the Three Kingdoms Period (190-280). Before reaching the fifth watchtower, you will pass by a toilet and Pufang. The Pufang was the hidden and living quarter for the soldiers who guarded the pass in the ancient times. You will also find handicraft stores here. Take you time to browse around and rest a bit as you have already travelled half of the east wall.

Watchtower

Mashen Temple of the Pass

Beiguan Lou & East Great Wall
Only the Guancheng tower and north section of the east wall are clearly visible from the Beiguan Lou, where the Zhenwu Temple is located. From Beiguan Lou, walk eastward to the east wall. Climb up a steep section and after passing by the first and second watchtowers, you can see the No.1 flat roof. Further on is the third watchtower in the east where the route thereon is downhill. After passing the fourth tower, you will come across a narrow branch path to Lvzhu Temple and Changduan Pavilion. You are nearly at the foot of the East Wall once you reach the fifth watchtower, where the Water Gate connects the wall on the other side of the river.

Juyongguan

Water Gate

The Juyongguan Great Wall tour itinerary will take about three to four hours. To avoid the crowds, you may reverse the above itinerary by starting from East Wall and going down the mountain from the west wall.

There are many spectacular sights along the Guangou scenic area, such as Xianzhen Stone, Wulang Temple, Liulang Zhai, Tanqing Canyon, Wangjin Stone and Zhantianyou bronze. If time permits, you can have a night stay at Juyongguan Great Wall Old Hostel to continue your visit the next day. Otherwise, take a bus to Shahe and connect to bus No. 345 or 883 back to the city.

Photos of Juyongguan