Haituo Mountain (海坨山)

Haituo Mountain is about 18 km away from the seat of Yanqing district and about 130 km away from downtown Beijing. The highest peak of the mountain is 2,241 meters, the second highest peak in Beijing.

Haituo Mountain embraces three peaks, namely, the First, Second and Third Haituo. The mountaintop is nearly 10km long and 500m wide, with the narrowest place featuring gentle meadow that measures less than 100m in width. The terrain is precipitous on the south side. This scenic spot is often shrouded in white clouds and mists. In summer, brash often falls on the mountaintop with rainwater splashing in the air. Such wonder was known as “Flying Rain at Haituo” (or “Tun Qi Tu Xiu” in Chinese), which is one of eight scenes in Guichuan (Yanqing nowadays). Sunrise at Haituo Mountain is pretty splendid and bears an incomparable earthshaking force.

In summer, this area is about 10℃ cooler than the seat of Yanqing district and about 1,700 meters higher than the district seat, which has formed the various species of the plants all over the mountain. Areas above 1,800 meters are places where you can find high plateau grasslands. This is another reason why this is the perfect place for outdoor camping. In summer, parts of the mountain rain a lot and so the beautiful rain scenery can appear if you have the will to climb the mountain.

Every year, a large number of mountaineers enjoy camping here, eager to witness the stunning wonder at dawn. However, year-around average temperature of Haituo Mountain is about 13 °C lower than that of downtown Beijing. Therefore you’re suggested to take enough warm clothes along. Haituo Mountain is hailed as a “hiking paradise” by local backpackers. From June to October each year, many backpackers from Beijing and surrounding regions encamp here on weekends, enjoying the fascinating sceneries of Haituo Mountain.