Jiugongshan

Chinese: 九公山
Pinyin: Jiǔ gōng shān
English: Nine honorable mountain
Coordinates: 40°25'53"N 116°22'37"E

Heading west from the Tiekuangyu Great Wall at Sancha, we've seen that the wall is in a highly deteriorated and overgrown condition. After a distance of about 2 kilometers (1.1 miles) and five towers, the wall turns from brick to stone and there are very few towers. This is the point where reinforcement later in the Ming Dynasty ends and the original stone wall from the early Ming Dynasty begins. The stone wall continues for about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) to the point where it changes back to the brick style of the late Ming Dynasty, about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) before the pass at Huanghuacheng.

Jiugongshan Great Wall

At about half of the distance of about 10 kilometers (6.3 miles) from Tiekuangyu to Huanghuacheng lies the Jiugongshan Great Wall Memorial Forest and the Jiugongshan Great Wall. If you want to experience an early Ming Dynasty wall in a very challenging terrain, this location is a good choice as it is reasonably easy to access.

View of Huanghuacheng from Jiugongshan

Jiugongshan is one of the wildest of wild Great Walls I have visited in the Beijing area. It’s an early Ming Dynasty stone wall which in many places is heavily overgrown with vegetation. It’s remotely located in mountains with altitudes of around 1000 meters (3000 feet). It’s rarely visited and therefore difficult to access. And with its steep and crumbling surfaces it’s difficult and risky to climb.

The road to Jiugongshan terminates at a large Buddhist temple. About 160 meters (525 feet) before the end of the road, there is a cemetery on the west (left) side of the road. At the top end of the cemetery is a trail through the woods that leads to the Jiugongshan Great Wall. The trail is about 730 meters (2400 feet) long and is interesting in its own right. It reaches the Great Wall where it runs in a north and south orientation. To the south (left), you can follow the wall for a short distance before it nearly disappears among large boulders and becomes very hard to follow due to heavy vegetation and no obvious trails. To the north, you can follow the wall for a much longer distance, but there is a long steep uphill incline that must be climbed carefully as the surface of the wall is merely a loose pile of stones. The wall turns sharply to the left and continues up another steep incline, at the top of which is a large tower built of brick and cut stone. The elevation of this tower is about 960 meters (3150 feet) and the views from the area are impressive indeed. To the southwest, it's possible to see the majority of the Huanghuacheng Great Wall area, all of which is lower than your vantage point. On a clear weather day the photography possibilities from here are enticing.

Location summary: Jiugongshan is about 58 kilometers (36 miles) north of downtown Beijing. It is about 3.3 kilometers (2 miles) southwest of Dazhenyu and about 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles) northeast of Huanghuacheng. The path of the Great Wall from Tiekuangyu to Jiugongshan is about 4.6 kilometers (2.9 miles) and from Jiugongshan to Huanghuacheng is about 5.4 kilometers (3.4 miles).

Driving directions: From the Huairou urban area, take X009 northwest for 24 kilometers (14.9 miles) to Nanye village. Turn left to remain on X009 Huaihuang Road and drive west for 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) and then turn right towards Jiugongshan National Forest. Drive about 4.1 kilometers (2.55 miles) to the end of the road.

Jiugongshan Great Wall

Jiugongshan Great Wall

Jiugongshan Great Wall

Jiugongshan Great Wall

Jiugongshan Great Wall

Jiugongshan Great Wall

Heavy growth impedes progress

Jiugongshan Great Wall

A very challenging climb

Great Wall dwindles down to a few stones among huge rocks

It was hard to find a clear spot from which to take a side photo of the Wall

Jiugongshan Great Wall

Jiugongshan Great Wall

Fantastic view of Huanghuacheng makes you realize how high up you are

And a fantastic view of Erdaoguan confirms some unsure data from our Great Wall maps

Jiugongshan Great Wall

Jiugongshan Great Wall

Jiugongshan Great Wall map