GREAT WALL AT JIANKOU Skip Mutianyu and Jinshanling. Those parts of the Great Wall are nice to visit, but camping options there are scarce. Instead, choose the section at Jiankou, about 73 kilometers due north of Wangjing. This is “wild wall,” unrestored, crumbling and authentic. Help preserve the Wall: camp near it, not on it.
photos: foreigner, green team america, james lindesay, beijing youth travel service, map by crystal liu
MIYUN RESERVOIR Even out of town, Beijing lacks a major body of water. The Miyun Reservoir has served as a hub for semi-aquatic recreation for decades, and while many areas are closed to campers, a designated site in the White River area is also popular with rock climbers. Swimming in the reservoir is … well, better ask first.
GET KITTED OUT FOR CAMPING (sanfo.com) Beijing’s most established retailer of camping and outdoor equipment with locations around the city. They have a large selection of imported and domestically-manufactured equipment and is generally specialized – no beach balls here.
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(decathlon.com.cn) The name may be more familiar to Western consumers, and is better-suited for equipping the occasional outdoors person, not someone with dreams of climbing mountains or week-long backcountry treks.
August 2014