Lingshan Mountain: The highest of Beijing's heights

Mountains fade into the distance at Lingshan's summit.[Photo/CRIENGLISH.com]

A woman had come up with her husband and four-year-old daughter, completing the trip in about an hour. "We didn't hike up. We took the chairlift and the horses. Today is our day to relax," she explained unnecessarily. "It's pretty nice because this is the highest mountain in the region. I appreciate the open vistas."

The hike down is certainly easier than the way up, and one can also continue the trend of taking it easy by taking horses to clod down to the base, providing riders heightened points of view.