2-Week Hike in North China Ending at Jiankou Great Wall – Route Advice Needed

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a hiking project in North China and would really value input from people who know the terrain well.

Here’s the idea:

I’ll start my trip in Tai’an (Mount Tai area), but I’m totally fine taking a train somewhere else to begin the main hike. From there, I want to spend about 2 weeks hiking continuously, ideally through varied and interesting landscapes - mountains, rural villages, some raw or industrial areas are fine too. I actually like contrast and don’t need a pure alpine route.

My goal is to arrive on foot in Huairou and from there get to the Great Wall (Jiankou area). That’s the narrative climax of the project.

What I’m trying to figure out:

• If you had ~14 days,
• Wanted maximum landscape diversity,
• Preferred real rural China over tourist trails,
• And needed to finish near Majiazi,

Where would you start?

I’ve been considering areas like:

• Southern Taihang (Shanxi side)
• Western / Northern Hebei
• Chengde region
• Anywhere in the broader Taihang–Yanshan corridor

But I’m unsure which direction or starting zone makes the most sense in terms of:

• Scenic quality
• Walkability (village density, water, not too many dead-end ridges)
• Avoiding massive industrial dead zones
• Still feeling remote and meaningful

I’m comfortable with:

• 20–30 km per day
• Mixed terrain (dirt roads, trails, village paths, occasional asphalt)
• Some navigation challenges

I’m not looking for a famous marked trail. It can be anything :)

If you were designing this route..where would you begin, and why?

Appreciate any serious insight :)