Hike the Chenjiapu Great Wall

This is a really nice section of the Great Wall that is much less known than many other parts. You are likely to hike here and find yourself the only one on the wall. Some parts are completely overgrown, you have to bushwack through the growth on top of the wall to go ahead and stairs are dangerously crumbling, other parts have been fully restored.

Practically, if you want to do it entirely on your own, the only way to get here is to drive or hire a driver to Beijing. See the map for the exact location of where to park your car. It's anywhere from a 3-5 hour drive from Beijing depending on traffic, which can be very bad on the weekends. Once you get to the gravel lot on the map (look at satellite view) there is a clear sign and trail leading up to the Great Wall. Once on the wall, going left leads you back towards the village, going right leads you over some very steep hills and towards a restored section of the wall. 

My recommendation is to stay with this local village family and take a train out to Yanqing where they will pick you up and let you stay at their house for 40RMB/night which includes breakfast. The food is very good, and they can also recommend you more hikes to do around the area and help drop you off/pick you up so you can do a point to point and not an out and back route. Camping on this section of the wall is superb, and it's a very refreshing getaway from Beijing city.