Mutianyu Great Wall in Autumn (Tips, Photos & Map)

Plan your Beijing tour in autumn? If you are interested in the fall foliage in Beijing, the best time to visit Beijing falls on between October 15 and November 15 each year when the autumn leaves are at their best – yellow, orange, pink, and red.

For more information on the Mutianyu Great Wall, check out my another article How to Visit Mu t ianyu Great Wall.

Mutianyu Great Wall 75km north of downtown Beijing (Google Map)

There are plentiful places around Beijing for leaf peepers including Mutianyu Great Wall, about 75km north of Beijing.

Mutianyu Great Wall is well known for its densely vegetation – smoke trees, persimmon, hawthorn, gingko, torch trees, birch, aspen, hickories, chestnut, walnut, sawtooth oak, jujube and more to beautify Beijing in autumn.

Mutianyu Great Wall Tourist Map （Image Credit: **www.mutianyugreatwall.com**）

There are totally 23 watch towers on Mutianyu Great Wall snaking from the east Watch Tower No.01 up to the west Watch Tower No.23.

You have three ways to reach the Great Wall:

1)Hike up either to Watch Tower No.7 or 8;

2)Take a chairlift up to the Tower No.06 ( or a slide down from the tower No.06 afterwards);

3)Take a cable car up to the Watch Tower No.14.

Once you are on the wall, you either hike up to the west direction or down to the east direction. Most travellers would choose to climb up to the west for the highest tower – Watch Tower No.23.

Hike up the Mutianyu Great Wall

Hike up to the Mutianyu Great Wall along the mountain trails and reach either Watch Tower 7 or 8. Once you get to the Wall, you either continue to climb up the Wall to the direction of the highest tower – Tower 23, or walk down to the Tower No.01 – the lowest tower.

Hike up the Wall along the mountain trails (40 minutes’ Walk)

Hike up either to Watch Tower No.7 or 8 at the Mutianyu Great Wall

Take a chairlift up or slide down at Tower No.06

If you don’t have strong legs or you want to experience different views of the Wall, you may take the chairlift up to the Watch Tower No.06 at the Mutianyu Great Wall ( or take the chairlift or slide down after your visit to the Wall).

Take a cable car up to the Tower 14

Lastly, many travellers prefer to take a cable car up to a wide and open platform abutting the Watch Tower No.14.

We choose to walk and now we are approaching the Watch Tower 8 at the Mutianyu Great Wall along the stone step trail after over an half hour’s hike.

We are approaching the Tower 8 at the Mutianyu Great Wall.

Each year the time between October 15 and November 15 is the most ideal period for leaf peeping at Mutianyu Great Wall. Just get your mobile camera or digital camera ready for tons of photos you will never stop to take!