This hiking route is comparatively more difficult to hike because of its craggy and unrepaired condition. It requires average fitness to complete, very suitable for hikers of previous mountain climbing experience. As for children, parents should decide whether or not to take them based on children’s physical situation.
The part from Xizhazi Village at mountain foot to Zhengbeilou Watch Tower takes almost one hour of tough climbing. The mountain is craggy with no fixed paths. The only way is to walk through the jungle and keep staring at your destination (Zhengbeilou Watch Tower) on top of the mountain in order not to get lost.
The real hiking starts after climbing up to Zhengbeilou. The majority parts of Jiankou Great Wall are heavily weathered with no steps. Its slippery and steep slopes (almost 90 degrees) are also full of ripraps. As you leave behind Jiankou and enter Mutianyu Great Wall, which is fully repaired, you’ll feel suddenly entering into an open space where the roads are smoother and your views panoramic.