Mutianyu Great Wall: Watchtowers, Cable Car and Toboggan

Seventy kilometres northeast of central Beijing in Huairou District, the Mutianyu Great Wall is the finest all-round section of the wall for first-time visitors, families and walkers alike. Built first in the mid-sixth century and rebuilt in granite and kiln-fired grey brick in 1569 under Ming General Qi Jiguang to guard the northern approaches to the capital and the Ming Tombs, Mutianyu packs twenty-three closely spaced watchtowers into a three-kilometre restored crest. Unlike most stretches of the wall, both the northern outer parapet and the southern inner parapet are crenellated so soldiers could repel raiders from either flank, while forested slopes of pine, oak, chestnut and smoke tree surround the ridge.

Cable car at Tower 14 versus chairlift and toboggan at Tower 6

The single most important detail at Mutianyu is that two completely separate lift companies operate on different parts of the mountain, and their tickets are not interchangeable unless you plan a one-way hike between them:

• Western Enclosed Cable Car (lands at Watchtower 14): six-person enclosed gondolas carry you swiftly up to a high saddle beside Tower 14. This is the ideal choice for elders, families with young children, windy winter days or anyone aiming straight for the high western viewpoints.
• Eastern Open Chairlift and Toboggan Slide (lands at Watchtower 6): an open two-seat ski chairlift rises to the unique three-linked-tower fort of Zhengguantai (Watchtower 6). For the descent, you sit on a wheeled sled inside a twisting stainless-steel toboggan chute, pushing a central lever forward to glide and pulling back to brake.

Three classic walking routes along the ridge

Once the park shuttle bus drops you from the visitor centre to the valley foot, choose your ridge walk according to your knees and stamina. Westward from Tower 14 to Tower 20 is the signature climb: the wall rises steeply up the final 450 steps of the Hero Slope between Towers 19 and 20, rewarding you with the highest panoramic view back across the whole serpentine wall and westward toward wild Jiankou. Eastward from Tower 6 to Tower 1 (Big Corner Tower, Dajiaolou) offers dramatic roller-coaster staircases and a junction where three wall ridges meet. A popular combination is riding the enclosed cable car up to Tower 14, climbing to Tower 20 and back, and then walking steadily downhill along the ridge from Tower 14 to Tower 6 to ride the toboggan down.

Getting to Mutianyu from Beijing

Direct scenic shuttle buses from Qianmen or Dongzhimen run daily, or book a car via DiDi to arrive early. Compare with wilder Jinshanling for a longer hike.