Mudeungsan hike info

Mudeungsan is the mountain behind Gwangju, reached by city bus. Step off at the stop and you are on a forest path within ten minutes. It stands 1,187 m, but what people remember are the stone columns lined up beneath the summit. At Ipseokdae and Seoseokdae, hexagonal and pentagonal rock pillars stand like a folding screen, split as old lava cooled. The mountain became a national park in 2013 and sits inside a geopark.

The top has three peaks: Cheonwangbong, Jiwangbong and Inwangbong. The highest area holds a military base and stayed shut for decades. Inwangbong opened year-round only in autumn 2023. So most hikers look down over Gwangju from the Seoseokdae viewpoint and walk on toward Inwangbong. The ridges at Jungmeorijae and Jangbuljae are rounded and easy, and in autumn the silver grass lies flat in the wind.

Two routes are common. The Jeungsimsa side is closest to town and the busiest. The Wonhyosa side follows an old path and is the shortest line to Seoseokdae. Up top the wind is strong and it runs 5-10 C colder than the city, so pack a layer.

From Seoul (TRN)

From Busan, Daegu and elsewhere (BUS)

To the trailhead (LOC)