Going up! The best places for rock climbing in Beijing

Sometimes the only way to escape the endless sprawl of Beijing is to go vertical. Whether that means mile high bars or rock climbing is up to you. These places all offer climbing facilities for both beginner and experienced climbers and they're cheap – 20 RMB for unlimited climbing time at most of them; free at the ones out in nature. Is the only carabineer you have attached to you a keychain? No worries, some climbing walls will rent you gear and some will even let you use it for free. Here, we take a look at some of the best places for rock climbing in Beijing.

1) Ritan Park Rock

Climbing Area Ritan Park (日坛公园) is home to an outdoor rock climbing area that takes up over 400 square meters and has two separate courses. The line course cliff is 15 meters high and 50 meters wide. There are a total of nine passages up the cliff making it suitable for rock climbers of varying levels. The stone hugging area was designed in accordance with international rock climbing standards; this section is far more difficult than the line course. Ritan Park has relatively good tree coverage keeping it cool even during the summer. You can rent mountain climbing shoes on site.

Add: Ritan Park, 6 Ritan Beilu, Chaoyangmen Wai, Chaoyang District, Beijing

地址：朝阳区朝阳门外日坛北路6号日坛公园内 

Tel: 010 8562 6352Price: 25 RMB (one time), 60 RMB (unlimited times)

Opening hours: 10:00-21:30

Getting there: take bus 639 or 640 to Ritan Park stop (日坛公园站)

2) Baihe Natural Rock

Climbing Cliff Baihe Natural Rock Climbing Cliff (白河自然岩壁攀岩) is one of the best places in Beijing to go rock climbing on natural cliffs. Both sides of the Baihe River Valley are steep and ideal for climbing. With names like Good Morning and Cool Day, sections of the cliff just seem made to be climbed. The cliffs facing east are best for the summer because they are relatively clear and few people climb there.

The cliffs are free of falling rocks and the area is a fairly safe place to climb. Baihe Valley has enough cliffs to make a climber of any skill level satisfied. The bottom of the valley is also a great place for camping because of the wonderfully soft patches of green grass. You can camp in the valley near the river, but be careful because in the summer there are frequent flash floods and weather can change quickly.

Add: Baihe Scenic Area, North Miyun County, Beijing (70km from Beijing city) 

地址：北京市密云县城北,白河风景区,距北京市70公里 

Price: 30 RMB plus 10 RMB insurance per person. The children's area is 30 RMB. Safety harnesses and ropes are free. Climbing shoes can be rented for 10 RMB. A membership card costs 350 RMB/15 visits – the card does not include insurance costs, and must be used within four months, but can be used for up to five people at a time. The card cannot be refunded.

Opening hours: 9:00-18:00 (Sat-Sun and holidays), during the week, groups of ten or more can make reservations three or more days in advance

Getting there: take a long-distance bus from Dongzhimen (东直门) to Miyun (密云) (10 RMB) and then take a minibus (30-40) to Dashitou (大石头). If you're going by car, you can take National Road 111 to the Tanghe Exit. Head toward to the Baihebao Reservoir (白河保税库). You can take the Jingchang Highway back to Beijing