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Hiking the Chajianling Great Wall from Beijing

Chajianling Great Wall is located in Laiyuan County, Baoding City of Hebei Province, about a 3-hour drive from downtown Beijing. What makes it different is that it was mainly built of stones, which were brought from the nearby Mount Baishi. If looking carefully, you will find beautiful patterns on some of the stones. Being in the wild, there is no admission fee to approach it.

Traveling from Beijing or Shijiazhuang to the Chajianling Great Wall by public transport is time-consuming, taking over four hours. For a one-day hiking trip, it is recommended that you hire a car with a driver from Beijing/Shijiazhuang. The cost for a day is approximately CNY 800 to 1,000. If you have more time and would like an affordable way to travel by public transportation, you can take public transportation to Chajianling Village on the first day, stay overnight in Chajianling Village, and start your hiking trip the next day.

One-day Hiking Plan:

Step 1: Get to Chajingling Village from Beijing/Shijiazhuang

Get up as early as possible and have your driver pick you up to head to Chajianling Village, which takes about 2.5 - 3 hours.

Step 2: Meal and Rest in Chajianling Village

Find a local farmhouse in the village for a meal. Take a short break to prepare for the upcoming hike.

Step 3: Hiking the Chajinglian Great Wall: 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles), 7 hours

1. Chajianling Village - Chajianling Great Wall

After having meals, follow the ramparts stretching out from the village westwards to go uphill. The initial section of the path is extremely steep and requires you to use both hands and feet. Fortunately, there is a gentler path beside the slope that can also lead you up.

2. Explore the Chajianling Great Wall

After climbing up the ridge, you need to hike along the Great Wall. After passing by six dilapidated watchtowers, the Great Wall turns a right angle and extends to the bottom of a valley.

And then continues to crawl up along the wall. You will encounter several relatively well-preserved watchtowers afterwards. Each of them is in the shape of '回' if seen from the air and you can find exquisite patterns of flowers carved above the arrow holes on the walls.

When arriving at the tenth watchtower, you need to walk backward to the south and then go along the other path to the 11th tower, since there is no wall connecting the two towers.

3. Chajianling Great Wall - Shicheng’an Gate

You will get downhill again from the 11th watchtower to the ruins of Shicheng’an Gate via another two towers. Continue to hike uphill from the gate to the top of the next hill to reach the 17th tower, which is also the best-preserved tower along the Chajianling Great Wall.

4. Shicheng’an Gate - Yangjiachuan Village

Go back to the Shicheng’an Gate and head northwards to Yangjiachuan Village. Turn eastwards there and go forward until arriving at a wide highway.

Step 4: Return to Beijing/Shijiazhuang

Wait on the roadside for your driver to pick you up and take you back to Beijing or Shijiazhuang.

A Broken Tower on Chajianling

Hiking on the Chajianling Great Wall

Two-day Hiking Plan by Public Transport:

Day 1: Beijing/Shijiazhuang - Laiyuan Bus Terminal - Chajianling Village

Step 1: Beijing - Laiyuan
→ Take subway line 9 or line 10 to Liuliqiao Station. Leave from Exit D and walk about 300 meters (330 yards) to reach the Beijing Liuliqiao Bus Station.
→ Take the bus from Beijing Liuliqiao Bus Station to Laiyuan Bus Station, which departs hourly from 7:30 to 17:30 every day. The journey takes about 3 hours and the fare is CNY 82.

Or Shijiazhuang - Baoding - Laiyuan
Option 1:
→Take the train from Shijiazhuang Railway Station to Baoding Railway Station, the journey takes about 1 hour, and the minimum fare is CNY 21.5.
→Exit from the Baoding Railway Station, and then take bus No. 1 from Baoding Railway Station East Square bus stop and arrive at Keyun Zhongxin bus stop in about 40 minutes to reach Baoding Bus Terminal.
→ Then, take the bus from Baoding Bus Terminal to Laiyuan Bus Terminal, which runs from 07:00 to 17:00 daily at one-hour intervals. The trip takes about 2.5 hours and the fare is CNY 58.

Option 2:
→ Take bus 96, 107, 10, 19, 22, or 27 to Keyun Zongzhan bus stop and then go across the road to the Shijiazhuang Passenger Transport Station.
→ Take the 12:40 daily bus from Shijiazhuang Passenger Transport Station to Baoding Bus Terminal. This journey lasts around 2.5 hours and costs CNY 38.
→ Then take the bus from Baoding Bus Station to Laiyuan Bus Terminal.

Step 2: Laiyuan - Chajianling Village
It takes about 30 minutes to reach Chajianling Village from Laiyuan Bus Terminal by taxi, costing around CNY 40 - 50.

Step 3: Stay Overnight in Chajianling Village
There are many homestays in Chajianling Village that provide both accommodation and dining services. Some of them are located within a mere 300 meters (330 yards) from the foot of the Chajianling Great Wall. From the rooms of these homestays, you can enjoy a clear view of the Great Wall snaking gracefully through the distance. The prices for these homestays typically range from CNY 150 to CNY 300.

Day 2:

Step 4: Hiking the Chajinglian Great Wall: 9 kilometers (5.6 miles), 8 hours
Refer to the one-day hiking plan route mentioned above for hiking. After completion, walk south along the wide highway for about 1 hour to return to Chajianling Village.

Step 5: Chajianling Village - Laiyuan - Beijing/Shijiazhuang
After having a meal at Chajianling Village, please take a taxi to return to Laiyuan and then reverse the trip back to Beijing or Shijiazhuang. If finishing your hike too late, you can stay in Laiyuan County for one night and return the next day.

Bus schedule:
Laiyuan Bus Terminal - Beijing Liuliqiao Bus Station: 05:00 - 17:30
Laiyuan Bus Terminal - Baoding Bus Terminal: 06:00 - 18:00
Baoding Bus Terminal - Shijiazhuang Passenger Transport Station: 12:30

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- Last updated on Mar. 19, 2025 by Sherry Xia -