In autumn, you can not only enjoy the enchanting scenery, but climb mountains to feel the irresistible charms of forests in nature and feel the healthy life. So let’s head for suburbs to climb and hike in the refreshing and bracing days.
Bailongtan Scenic Area
Hidden in the Longtan Mountain, 30km northeastward from Miyun District, Bailongtan Scenic Area is located at a gorge zone between the mountains in north and south, and visitors would travel 100km from downtown Beijing to get there. With high mountains, dense forests as well as rivers and streams everywhere, autumn here is exhilarating and pleasant.
Bailongtan Scenic Area prides itself on varieties of red leaves from the end of October to the middle of November, the best time for appreciating whirling leaves in this scenic spot. Maples, cotinus coggygrias, rhus typhina and oaks are ready here to display their best gorgeous colors in succession. Rhus typhina is earliest to be painted in red by autumn. Its brilliant red leaves cover the whole mountain, dotted with evergreen and luxuriant cypresses and pines. Along the stone steps upward, the red leaves already cover the stone steps, on both sides of which, maples set each other off, with red shadow gently shaking under the sunlight and forming an extremely beautiful picture.
Ticket: 30 yuan per person
Opening Hours: 8:00-17:00 (peak season); 8:00-17:00 (slack season)
Phone: 010-69038558
Address: Longtangou Village, Taishitun Town, Miyun District, Beijing 北京市密云区太师屯镇龙潭沟村
Traffic Guide: Drive down Beijing-Chengde Expressway at the 18th exit (Shuixin Road), drive for 12km along China National Highway 101 toward the direction of Chengde, and then turn right at the guidepost.
Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area
Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area is situated in the beautiful Liuke Valley, Shicheng Town, Miyun District, Beijing, about 80km far from Dongzhimen of Beijing. It is a geological park featuring magnificent granite landscape and unique metamorphic core complexes. There are creeks, ponds, caves, rocks of various shapes and original secondary forest in the park.
Formed some 120 million years ago, the main feature “Tianmen Cave” (also known as “Biandanyan”) reaches an elevation of more than 800m, with a height of about 60m and a width of around 40m. Tianmen Cave is said to be the shoulder-pole that Erlang God used to shoulder mountains to fill in seas. With the lights of sun and moon passing through Tianmen Cave, two unique celestial landscapes – “Sun Rising from Tianmen” and “Moon Hanging on Tianmen” – have appeared. Boasting the only wild dense maples in Beijing, Tianmen Cave witnesses streams and rivers flowing through four seasons constantly.
Above “Tianmen”, you may embrace an open landscape in “Tiantai”. Looking up from where you stand, your eyes may capture the stretching mountains clustering round Lupiguan Great Wall which is like a giant dragon hidden in clouds and mists. In the distance, the rolling Miyun Reservoir is like a dazzling pearl embedded in Yan Mountains. Baihe Valley is unfolding like a jade belt, embracing boundless clouds and fogs.
Ticket: 32 yuan/person
Opening Hours: 8:00-17:30
Phone: 010-69016228/69016673
Address: Liuke Valley, Shicheng Town, Miyun District, Beijing 北京市密云石城镇柳棵峪
Traffic Guide: Turn off Beijing-Chengde Expressway at the intersection with Shunmi Road and go in the direction toward the reservoir scenic spot. Go straight to the archway of the No. 1 Waterfall in Beijing, pass through the archway and walk 500m to the scenic spot.
Yunfeng Mountain Scenic Area
Yunfeng Mountain Scenic Area is located between two major scenic areas in east and west of Miyun District, 60km far from Miyun District and 3km northward from Yanluo Village, Bulaotun Town, Miyun District, Beijing. It neighbors Gubeikou Great Wall, Simatai Great Wall and Mount Wuling Scenic Area in the east, and is adjacent to Yunmeng Mountain Scenic Area in the west. On the mountain, you can overlook Miyun Reservoir as a whole, appreciating the wavy, spectacular and poetic landscape.
Besides the grand mountains and breathtaking reservoir, there are numerous historical and cultural relics. Yunfeng Mountain is well-known for the thousand-year-old morning bell and evening drum, and the temple here is visited by the endless flow of tourists. In addition, the thousand-year-old Chaosheng Temple and the largest-scale cliff inscriptions in Beijing make Yunfeng Mountain Scenic Area even more unique. In the Yunfeng Hall on the mountain, there are 13 cliff inscriptions around the cliff of eastern mountain and Yuxianshi region.
Ticket: 35 yuan per person
Opening Hours: 8:00-17:00
Phone: 010-81098688
Address: Yanluo Village, Bulaotun Town, Miyun District, Beijing 北京市密云区不老屯镇燕落村
Traffic Guide: Drive down Beijing-Chengde Expressway at the 16th exit (Miyun Exit)--Miguan Road--Xiwengzhuang Town--Shicheng Town--New Daguanqiao--turn right at the intersection of Shifo Road (toward the direction of Bulaotun Town)--Huangtukan Village--Yanluo Village, Bulaotun Town--turn north from the entrance of the scenic area--Yunfeng Mountain Scenic Area
Baiwangshan Forest Park
Located three kilometers north of the Summer Palace, Baiwangshan Forest Park was dubbed as National 2A Grade Scenic Area in 2001. Now, this park distinguishes itself from its kind by blooming flowers in spring, pleasant cool in summer, red leaves in autumn and green lushness in winter. Especially, its red leaves are most popular. In this park, a vast pure forest of red leaves has developed. Following the first frost, thousands upon thousands mu of red leaves vie to come into full bloom, spreading all over the mountain, making itself a best place for red leaves scenery sightseeing and photos.
Ticket: 6 yuan per person
Parking: Paid parking
Opening Hours: 6:00 -19:00
Tel.: 010-62884508
Address: No. 19 at the north exit of Heishanhu, Haidian District, Beijing 北京市海淀区黑山扈北口19号
Bus Routes: take bus No. 330, 716, 718, 722, 752, 903, 933, Te 4, Te 6, temporary urban railway No. 9, Yuntong 112 and so on and get off at Baiwanshan Station or Heishanhu Beikou Station.
Self-guided Routes: Drive westward along Xiaoying Round and Shangdi Round and arrive at the destination.
