Monday's quake was reported to have levelled the county, decimating much of its population of 160,000. Damaged roads and police checks made Beichuan, about 190km north-east of Chengdu city, difficult to reach.
I set out on Wednesday at 8am in a taxi. After close to four hours on the road, just 16km from Beichuan's border, I hit a police roadblock. All non-authorised cars were turned back.
The cab driver suggested we try another route. Speeding back the way we came, we reached Hanwang town after another two hours - only to find the road from Hanwang to Beichuan was badly damaged.
We circled until almost 6pm. I was about to give up and head back to Chengdu when a soldier waved us down. He needed a lift to a neighbouring city.
In the cab, we chatted. He was 21, from north-eastern Hebei province and had been stationed in Sichuan for a year. He had spent the past day doing rescue work in Beichuan county, but was in town to run errands.
I told him I had spent all day trying to get to Beichuan, with no luck.
'I'm heading back there after I collect my things. You could come with me if you want,' he offered. I nodded vigorously.
We hitchhiked our way back, getting a lift from an authorised vehicle delivering medical supplies to the stricken county.
We hit at least three police roadblocks along the way. Each time, I held my breath. Each time, they waved us through.