Every autumn, hordes of eager tourists descend upon Fragrant Hills (Xiangshan) Park to take in the blushing maple, smoke, and sweet gum trees. Take heart: there’s plenty to see in the park’s 395 acres besides Incense Burner Peak (Xianglu Feng), named for two rocky outcroppings that (very) vaguely resemble incense burners. Lace up your hiking shoes and head to the northwest of Beijing to explore the various temples, pavilions, and lakes. For a more rewarding experience, drop in on a weekday to avoid the swarms of visitors.

Kick start your day by heading to the Fragrant Hills branch of Sculpting in Time Cafe (1). This airy coffeehouse offers soups, sandwiches, pastas,
salads, breakfast, and coffee. The blonde wood accents, billowing white drapes, and roaming cats come straight out of a vacation postcard. Take your cup of joe to the second floor patio for an expansive view of the mountains.

Enter through the East Gate (2) of Fragrant Hills Park. There, a path branches out into two major routes: north and south. The southern path, which snakes through the park, is more challenging as it ends in a two-hour hike to the peak, Xianglu Feng. Along the way, visitors can see Shuangqing Villa (Mao Zedong’s former residence) and the ruins of Fragrant Hills Temple.

The northern path leads to the Chairlift Station (3) and is better suited to families with strollers or small children. There’s a Chinese restaurant called Songling Canting on the way up; otherwise, the park’s numerous food stalls sell the usual fangbian mian and soft drinks. Zhao Miao, or Bright Temple, the park’s Tibetan-style lamasery, is currently closed for repairs.

Be forewarned: the RMB 50 price tag is good for one way up the chairlift only. Once you ascend the 557m to Xianglu Feng, you’ll either have to fork out another 50 kuai or walk down. That said, the views from the chairlift are breathtaking. On a clear day, you can see all across Fragrant Hills’ western slope and beyond to Beijing’s skyline.

Here is more about what to expect.

Photos: Sijia Chen

Pick the leaves or take great photos at one of these out of town locations this fall before it gets any colder. This is part two of a two-part series. Check here for part one.

Mangshan National Forest Park 蟒山国家森林公园
Located near the Ming Tombs Reservoir in Changing District and standing at 8,200 hectares, this is the largest forest park in Beijing. The park contains the largest stone-carved Buddha in northern China. You can be sure to get a workout in this place because of the 3,666 steps it takes to get to the highest peak. The park has over 170 trees and flowers.

RMB 20 (adults), RMB 10 (students and seniors). Daily 8am-5pm. 2 Mangshan Lu, Changping District (6071 1866) www.msforestpark.com/lianxi.asp 昌平区蟒山路2号

Beigong National Forest Park 北宫国家森林公园
A favorite spot for bird-watching, the 1,800 hectare park has a section called “100 Species of Bird” and is a worthy option for viewing the changing season. The park features a lake, a fruit orchard, a 240m-high viewing platform, and several scenic spots.

RMB 10. Daily 6.30am-8pm (Apr 1-Nov 30), 7am-5pm (Dec 1-Mar 31). 55 Dahuiguang Donglu, Changxindian Town, Fengtai District (8384 0830) 丰台区长辛店镇大灰厂东路55号

Badaling National Forest Park 八达岭森林公园
This park has over 50,000 maple trees over 56 hectares that attracts droves of people attend the Red Festival each fall. This park is located fairly close to the Badaling Great Wall section. Be sure to go when there are less people, early morning (which might be colder so dress warmly) or late afternoon.

RMB 35. Mon-Fri 7am-5pm, Sat-Sun 8.30am-5.30pm (summer), daily 9am-4pm (winter). South across the highway from Badaling Great Wall Center, Yanqing County (6912 1842/2591) 延庆县八达岭长城南

Baiwangshan 百望山
This area is filled with imported maple trees from the US and Holland. The two areas that are most important to get a good view of the area are: the Friendship Pavilion and Langfeng Pavilion. To gain access to the Friendship Pavilion, one has to walk though a flat path that’s surrounded by trees. The Lanfeng Pavilion offers a panoramic view from the top of the mountain.

RMB 6. Daily 8am-5pm. 19 Heihu Beikou, Haidian District (6288 4508, 6287 7730) 海淀区黑山扈北口19号（近颐和园）

Mutianyu Great Wall 慕田峪长城
The better alternative to the super crowded Badaling Great Wall section, Mutianyu provides a peaceful setting to soak in the different colors of the changing leaves. The area is home to over 280,000 different species of tress and the panoramic view is breathtaking. The Brickyard Inn and Resort offers comfortable accommodations and activities making this place a great weekend getaway spot.

RMB 45/adult, RMB 25/child 12 and under. Daily 7.30am-5.30pm (Nov-Mar), 7am-6pm (Apr-Oct). Mutianyu Village, Bohai Town, Huairou District  (6162 6505, 6162 6022) 怀柔区渤海镇慕田峪村

Hongluo Temple 红螺寺
You will find northern China’s largest Buddhist temples located here. Hongluo offers tree-lined paths leading up the mountain or a panoramic view from the peak via the cable car to Guanyin Temple.

RMB 54. Cable car RMB 60 (roundtrip), RMB 40 (one-way). Daily 8am-5.30pm (summer), 8am-4.30pm (winter). 2 Hongluo Donglu, Hongluoshan, Yanxi Town, Huairou District (6068 1175) www.hongluosi.com 怀柔区雁栖镇红螺山下红螺东路2号

Miaofeng Mountian 妙峰山
The home of goddesses, Miaofeng Mountain is home to ancient temples, summer roses, and the rock formations that have made this area famous. Look out for deep valleys, breathtaking views of the hills, and dramatic rock outcroppings.

RMB 30. Daily 7am-6pm (summer), 8am-5pm (winter). Miaofengshan Township, Mentougou District (6188 2936) 门头沟区妙峰山镇

Photo: Chinadaily.com.cn

Fall is the season of choice for many in Beijing. There’s so much to see and do before the winter cold confines most people indoors. In recent days, the air quality index (AQI) recordings have been high, which has resulted in many people limiting their time outdoors. Also, Beijing is expected to experience it’s coldest winter according to a report by the Beijinger.

Before we hit mid-November, when the leaves become dry or completely fall down, one must visit these 13 spots to snap family photos with beautiful, scenic views for your Beijing memory photo album book. This is part one, check out part two tomorrow. These locations are both close to and far from the city, thus providing more options for magnificent views:

Peking and Tsinghua University Campuses
These two universities might fight for bragging rights on which is the best in the middle kingdom but one commonality they share is that both are quiet locations where families can head over to see the fall foliage on the weekends (weekdays are busier due to class).

Peking University (Beida) 北京大学
Free. 8am-9pm. 5 Yiheyuan Lu, Haidian District (6275 1230/1) www.pku.edu.cn 海淀区颐和园路5号

Tsinghua University 清华大学
Free. 8am-9am. Chengfu Lu, Haidian District (6278 9437, 8286 3785) www.tsinghua.edu.cn 海淀区成府路

Fragrant Hills Park  (香山公园)
The annual Fragrant Hills Red Leaves Festival is best visited mid-week or early in the day to avoid the crowds. This festival is a tourist magnet that’s best avoided during the weekend or peak times. Years ago, the government planted maple tress that blanket the area with the warm colors of red, orange, and gold. Pick the leaves and head home to do some crafts. If you have time then check out Jingcui Lake, Heshun Gate, Fragrant Hill Temple, and Yuhua Villa.

RMB 5 (Nov 1 to Mar 31), RMB 10 (Apr 1 to Oct 31). Daily 6am-6.30pm. 40 Maimaijie, Haidian District, Beijing (6259 1155) www.xiangshanpark.com 北京市海淀区买卖街40号

Ditan Park 地坛公园
This well known Temple Fair location is a hidden gem of golden leaves because of the many ginkgo trees. The park has spacious paths, which are aligned with trees big enough to push a stroller and snap some really nice family photos. The area is an entertaining section for kids. To make a day out of it, head over to Gulou area to see the hutong shops and restaurants.

RMB 2, RMB 1 (students). Daily 6am-9pm. A2 Andingmenwai Dajie, Dongcheng District (6421 4657) www.dtpark.com 东城区安定门外大街甲2号

Yuyuantan Park 玉渊潭公园
The park boasts nearly 1,000 ginkgo trees that blanket the area with stunning golds and yellows. This area is rich in history as it was a favorite spot for the royals and now hosts heads of states and other high level foreign dignitaries at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. Local families like the two play areas within the park. Head to the Military Museum after visiting the park.

RMB 2, RMB 1 (students). Daily 6am-9.30pm (summer), daily 6.30am-7pm (winter). 10 Xisanhuan Zhonglu, Haidian District (8865 3800) www.yytpark.com
 海淀区西三环中路10号

Jinhai Lake 金海湖水上公园
The area claims to be home to Asia’s largest peach orchard. Jinghai Lake is located two hours from the CBD and surrounded by lush hills that have pavilions, caves, rock formations and a good hiking trail, fishing spot, and adventurous activities such as kayaking. The paths are lined with trees and you can see the different leaves discoloration. This area is a hot favorite for the native Beijing ren.

RMB 28 for adults, RMB 14 for students, PLA officers, and seniors over the age of 60, free for journalists and retirees. Daily 8am-5.30pm. Haizi Reservoir, Pinggu District (6999 1356/3943) 平谷区海子水库

Badachu Park 八大处公园 (also known as Eight Great Temples)
Badachu is well known for its eight ancient temples and is also known as Eight Great Temples. The park is located two hours in the mountain area south of the Xishan scenic spot. Since it’s renovation this tourist hot spot is popular with tour company’s during the seasonal changes with the leaves changing in fall and cherry blossoms in spring. The hiking trail has shrines and temples and a cable car (RMB 60) is available if the family is too tired.

RMB 10. Daily 6am-7pm (summer), 6am-6pm (winter). Badachu Lu,Shijingshan District (8896 4661) www.badachu.com.cn 石景山区八大处路

Photo: thebeijinger.com