Lianyunling

Chinese: 连云岭
Pinyin: Lián yún lǐng
English: Mountain ridge reaching the clouds
Coordinates: 40°27'10"N 116°26'42"E

Walking to the west from Xiangshuihu, the next section of the Great Wall we reach is called Lianyunling. At this point, the mountains begin to get even more steep and the Great Wall even more challenging. But due to difficult access, the wall starts to show better and better condition in many areas.

Lianyunling

On the way from Xiangshuihu to Lianyunling, there are several towers in excellent condition. The first of these towers is located where the wall turns left (south) along a high ridge. This is a large tower in very good condition. The following towers are smaller but are also well-preserved.

Western side of Lianyunling

You will soon leave the high ridge and follow the wall down towards the valley of Lianyunling. Once you pass the first tower on the slope down towards the valley, go down for a few more minutes (about 60 meters or 70 yards) and look for a path on your left, on the south side of the wall. Take this path to the valley; there is no good way off of the wall or across the valley if you stay on the wall at this point. Once you reach the valley's bottom, which has a trail along it, you can turn right and take the trail north for a short distance to see the original location of the pass at the bottom of the valley. There is no easy way to get onto the wall heading to the west from here, so turn around and walk south down the valley for about 290 meters (320 yards). Here you will find a stone wall-like structure and, just beyond it, a trail to the right that leads west and up to the wall. Once on the Great Wall, you will find that the condition of the wall here is worse and there a few places that are quite tricky to pass, especially as you near the summit. Once you reach the top, you will find a tower which was once quite large. Only a few partial walls of this tower still stand today. Beyond this tower you will be in the Luanling section as you head down to Dazhenyu valley.

Lianyunling living up to its name

Location summary: Lianyunling is about 61 kilometers (38 miles) north of downtown Beijing. It is about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) west of Xiangshuihu and about 1.1 kilometers (0.7 miles) east of Luanling. The path of the Great Wall from Lianyunling to Luanling is about 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles).

Driving directions: From the Huairou urban area, take X009 northwest for 24 kilometers (14.9 miles) to Nanye village. Turn right on X008 County Road and drive north for 1.6 kilometers (1 mile). Turn right again and drive for about 2.8 kilometers (1.8 miles) to Lianyunling.

Dazhenyu and Jiajiaguguan Great Wall map

Dazhenyu and Lianyunling Great Wall map

Lianyunling

Lianyunling Great Wall