Go Hiking in the Highest Mountain around Beijing — Lingshan

Lingshan（靈山）， the highest mountain in Beijing， is a perfect hiking site to escape from the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan Beijing.

About 122km northwest of the downtown， the Lingshan Mountain Scenic Area takes an area of 15 square kilometers with its peak 2302 meters high.

As a natural protection zone and a natural tourist attraction， it is famous for its high peaks， lush woods， alpine meadows， rich resources of animals， and beautiful flowers and plants. And， there is a piece of grass land at the peak for people to have a camping.

Unique landscape

The picturesque mountain has an average temperature 12°c lower than downtown Beijing， making it an excellent summer retreat. During the sweltering summer， Lingshan Mountain enjoys springtime weather. At night tourists may camp on the soft meadow， enjoying peaceful sleep. A dark blue sky studded with shining stars may come as a bonus. Just remember to take some thick clothes to keep warm in the cool air and some mosquito-repellent to avoid bites.

Besides cool air， Lingshan is also known for its beautiful scenery. The vast alpine meadows resemble a green carpet covering the mountain top. There are 825 acres of woods and more than 800 varieties of plants. As the elevation of the mountain changes， the vegetations vary from Siberian cold area plants to warm temperature zone vegetations. Clove， azalea， wild rose， hazel and birch could be seen here. The flowers are in full bloom from June to September; wreath goldenrods grow luxuriantly， and wild poppy， lovely bristle grass， bright tropaeolum cover the mountain slope.

Lingshan is also an ideal home to wild animals. Over 700 kinds of animals harmoniously cohabit this natural environment. Tourists will easily find spot foxes， wild boars， flocks of berghaan， active squirrels， stirring hares， wild goats and many other animals， and some lucky tourists may see the rare brown-eared pheasants. The alpine meadow at an elevation of over 1，900 meters is the only farm in Beijing for yak， Xinjiang fine wool sheep， and Yili horse， a kind of sturdy horse.

Summer and early autumn are the peak tourist season. Due to the low temperature in the high mountain， even in summer， tourists need to wear long-sleeved shirts， with rain gear. For the rest of the season， thick padded garments are needed.

Ski resort

The mountain is also an ideal ski place in winter. From mid-December to the following late-February every year， alpine skiing festival is held in Lingshan Ski Resort. It has ski runs for both professional skiers and skiing amateurs with complete facilities. The primary ski run is only 15 meters wide and 215 meters long. Tourists can get to the mountaintop by ropeway. The ski resort is equipped with a variety of skiing recreational equipments and activities， including snowmobile， snow biking， snow tubing， alpine skiing and sleds. After skiing， you can stay in the training center and taste roasted full sheep， or find lodging in farmer’s house and eat country meals.

Tibetan folklore festival

In July and August， a special Tibetan folklore festival is held to fully display Tibetan life. During this period， tourists can enjoy the Tibetan-style songs and dances， campfires， shooting， tug-and-wars， yak races and other sports. And they can taste the original sasanqua， tsamba， milk tea， barbecue and other Tibetan foods， and buy Tibetan traditional craftworks and precious medicine materials like aweto.

How to get there?

Take Subway Line 1， get off at Ping Guo Yuan Station (蘋果園)， and take Bus 892 to Shuang Tang Jian (雙塘澗)， which takes about 3 hours. After that， take a taxi to Lingshan Mountain Natural Area (靈山自然風景區，líng shān zì rán fēng j ng qū). It is about 16 kilometers， taking about half an hour.

Or drive along the National Highway G109， which takes about 2 hours and a half from the downtown to the Lingshan. It’s easy to find the way to the destination since there are several placards pointing the direction.

It’s advisable to arrive in the evening at one of the Lingshan hotels and start hiking the next morning. The hiking would take about 4 hours.

You can also take the 20-minute cable car to 1900m and hike for an hour to the top.

There are villages at the entrance and center of the scenic area， where meals are available.