Towards the Gray World: Driving to far North of Huairou

Beijing, the capital of China, is a large city with a north-south span of more than 200 km. In addition to having a large population, the city is home to a lot of stunning natural scenarios throughout its area, such as the mountains, lakes, and forests; especially Huairou District in the northern part of the city is really a place of natural heavenly beauty. I am so lucky to live in such a great place far from the bustling area of the city center. Despite being about 65 kilometers north of the city center, Huairou is a very big district that stretches another 100 kilometers north to the outside of Beijing's city center. In the spring, Huairou City starts to change into a natural paradise with green lashes-covered peaks and deep blue lakes and rivers in the mountain valleys. I am really fortunate to explore nature at various times of the year and in various seasons.

At this weekend, I had my plan to visit the mountainous area of the Huairou District, which is far north of the Huairou urban area. My destination was theYougu Shentan Scenic Area, which is a beautiful scenic spot with a 'AAA' rating by the Chinese Tourism Authority. Though it is not a good-rated one like the Great Wall or the Forbidden Kingdom, this one is more scenic in perspective of the natural beauty in the mountains region of the Huairou district. It is around 30 km north of the Huairou City center, and when I visited this area last time for a drifting session in 2022, which is farther 15 km north from this point, I found everything was green and green in these mountain areas. But as the winter has come already, I found no green today.

Huairou City is large enough to allow me to visit the natural scenic areas throughout the year, and still, I have a long list of unpaid visits. The main reason is that the language barrier and many pieces of information are not so available on the mainstream websites that we usually use. However, with a little knowledge of Chinese maps and some other travel-related apps, I will continue my journey here.

I know many travel destinations are closed during this winter period, and most of them are in this mountain area as snow will cover everything, making the long hike difficult without more safety measures. Just like my today's destination was closed. But I got to visit the surrounding area, which is also free to enter, such as the riverside walkway, mountain villages, and some great spots on the highway bridges from where the greater looks of the area were perfectly explorable.

Today was also a sunny day, which is like a gem in the winter season. On a sunny winter's day, the Huairou roads are more attractive than on other days, with both side's natural beauty. As you go, you will be surrounded by breathtaking views as far as you can see. As it is winter now, the mountains are brown with occasional dried greenish patches and no leaves on most of the trees; the forests are covered with gray and brown foliage that make another kind of grey beauty.

As I moved into the center of this winter woods, I was enveloped by its profound quietness, which created a peaceful and pleasant feeling. I could not find a single person in the area except the vehicles on the roads. The harsh winter has made the area like an empty glass but the beauty of the glass is still noticeable. I found some workers working on some trees for some issues as Beijing Municipal is very active in making Beijing more greener and fresh.

The temperature was around 10 degrees in the area where I live, but here in the mountain area, the temperature decreased to 7/8 degrees, which was okay with my down jacket. It was more comfortable because there was no freezing northern wind in this area, which really hurt as the wind is usually very strong.

As I continued down the road, I was attracted by the sound's promise of life in the dead of winter and with the hope of the coming spring after four months. There was a canal from the water reservoir in the Qinglong mountains, but I found no water flowing here as it was winter. The sun shone brightly, and the sky was clear enough to enjoy the views there.

Though there was no green in the mountains of this area, their grey beauty will also attract you to spend some time with their different looks. Their sleeping time has just started, with the hope of shining themselves in April of next year. It is all about our life, like ups and downs, but there is no way to stop what I learned from the grey beauty today.

I hope you like my photos of the beauty of this gray world with mountains and brown forestry area with blue sky. It was an amazing experience to have experience with the winter nature in the north of Huairou, to discover different natural beauty, and to enjoy my Beijing life! If you have any queries, let me know in the comments, and I will try my best to answer them.

Thanks a lot for your time and attention. I will catch up with you at the next one.
Wish you a great weekend!