Gwanaksan hike info

Gwanaksan is a 632 m rock mountain standing like a screen along Seoul's southern edge. Sheer cliffs drop from the summit, Yeonjudae, and a tiny tiled hall called Eungjinjeon clings to them. Walk south and the Palbong ridge strings eight rocky knobs toward Samsungsan; turn around and Seoul's dense neighbourhoods fill the plain. The mountain was thought to carry fire, and the stone haetae guardians placed before Gyeongbokgung palace are said to be there to keep it in check.

In autumn the colour begins in the lower valleys, and in winter snow turns the ridges into ink drawings. More than ten trails climb it. The one from Seoul National University is the shortest and well stepped, so it is a common first hike. The Gwacheon side follows a stream past Yeonjuam temple to the top.

The summit is all rock and often windy, so pack for 3-5 C colder than the city. On weekends there is a queue for the marker photo, and the rocky sections are slick in rain or ice.

From Seoul (SUB)

From Busan, Daegu and elsewhere (SUB)

To the trailhead (LOC)