Visiting a Nearby Treasure: Silver Mountain Pagoda Forest

[Update: This park may be closed due to weather. Please be sure to call ahead before visiting.]

Can’t leave Beijing due to the latest COVID-19 restrictions? Afraid of opening your health kit and seeing red? Luck for you, a multitude of beautiful and unique locations exist within Beijing’s city limits. Make the most of summer and explore Beijing’s backyard!

The Silver Mountain Pagoda Forest (银山塔林 Yín shān tǎlín) has something for everyone, with a perfect mix of history, culture, and nature. Located about 1.5 hours north of the city center in Changping District, the Silver Mountain Pagoda Forest is a key cultural heritage site as well as a national-level scenic spot located within Beijing’s city limits. At the forest park, visitors can enjoy a hike up to the peak of the silver mountain, while wandering through the ruins of the Fahua Temple.

The temple site is believed to date back to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), with the remaining pagodas added to the site in the 1400s. The namesake of the modern-day nature park is attributed to the ancient silver bells of the pagodas that used to ring in the breeze. The impressive pagodas are accompanied by ruins of structures and stupas throughout the park, which were destroyed in the Second World War.

There are two ways to approach the hike depending on your fitness level and overall sense of adventure. If opting for the easy and most compliant hiking route, drive directly to the entrance of the park in Xihu Village and purchase a 20 RMB entry ticket to the park. Ample parking is available in the town and directly South of the park entrance. The hike to the top viewing platform and throughout the park should take most physically fit hikers between 1-2 hours.

For the more adventurous explorers, catch a ride to Changping’s Longevity Village (长寿村 Chángshòu cūn) and ask locals to point you in the right direction of the hiking route. The steep and rugged climb you will take up mountains behind the village will lead you on natural and rocky paths past fields of flowers. Eventually, the path will take you directly up a mountain to the paved pathway leading to the top of the viewing platform inside the park. This hike will take you roughly 2-3 hours if you are in good shape and save you 20 RMB. Score!

If you are leaving out of the main park exit and heading through Xihu village, make a stop by the main local restaurant and guest house in town 桃花岛山庄 Táohuā dǎo shānzhuāng for some delicious countryside cooking and cold Yanjing beer. You might even be able to swim in the guesthouse’s massive pool if you call ahead to make sure it is filled up and ready to go. For guests not staying the night, access to the pool RMB 50 per person.

READ: Believe It or Not, Beijing Is a Fine City for Digital Nomads

Images: Allison Lapehn