Things to Do In Korea: Bukhan Mountain National Park

Seoul is a city that is literally surrounded by mountains that provide many great outdoor opportunities for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle of modern, urbanized Korea. The most popular destination for Seoulites looking to get away from the city and reconnect with nature for a little while is a day trip to Bukhansan (Pukhansan) National Park that towers over the northwestern landscape of Seoul. So many people visit this park that it is actually the most popular national park in all of Korea. On some days its popularity with the locals leaves you wondering if you have actually left the city or not when you are surrounded with visor wearing ajummas and ajushis dressed as if they are about to undertake a Himalayan expedition.

To escape the crowds, you have to get away from the lower reaches of the park where visitors congregate around the restaurants and soju bars and find your own piece of solitude on one of the upper peaks of the park. There are a number of entrances into the park that you can take to hike to the upper peaks of the park. The most popular entrance is the Bukhansanseong entrance which serves as the main entrance to the park. If you forgot to bring anything you can find it here at the park entrance. They sell all manner of hiking supplies and provisions at the various shops lining the walk way near the entrance. You want to look cool and hang an ice axe from your back pack even though it is the middle of the summer you can find an axe in one of these shops.

This national park was first established in 1983 and encompasses nearly 80 squared kilometers of land. There are three main peaks on the mountain, Baekundae (836.5m), Insubong (810.5m) and Mangnyeongdae (799.5m). This travelog will focus on the route up to the highest peak Baekundae. Below is a map of the park with the route I took up to the summit of the mountain highlighted:

Baekundae peak is pictured to the top left of the picture below:

As you start going up the trail makes sure to take a look around and admire the great scenery that surrounds the trail before you enter the thick foliage that blankets the mountain:

The trail once it enters the foliage runs parallel to a rushing mountain stream:

It is tempting to drink the water, but I recommend you don’t. As you ascend up the trail you will see this stream is quite popular with locals who like to wade in the various pools of the stream. I have even seen hikers cleaning their socks and clothes in the stream before. Unless you want a taste of adjushi foot fungus in your water then I recommend you don’t try to drink the water. However, if you are looking to hang out in the water, I would recommend not doing it on a weekend because the stream is too packed with locals. Weekdays are the best time to visit if you are looking to relax in the water and avoid the massive crowds the weekends bring:

As the trail breaks away from the stream you will begin to gain altitude and begin to see signs of the Buddhist heritage that permeates this mountain:

Not to far up the mountain you will come upon the Daeseomun Gate:

This gate is part of the much larger Bukhansanseong fortress complex. The fortress was first built in 132 A.D. during the Korean Baekje Dynasty as the main line of defense against the possible invasion of Seoul. The original fortress could not stop the Mongol invaders in 1232 who captured the entire country except for Kangwha Island to the west of Seoul where the royalty had been evacuated to. The fortress would ultimately be left in ruins after the Hideyoshi Invasion of Korea in 1592 and the follow on invasion of Manchu China in 1636. Due to these conflicts the Chosun Dynasty King Sukjong in 1711 reconstructed and expanded the fortress. He had its walls extended to its current length of 12.7 kilometers that surrounded 12 Buddhist temples. One of these temples Chunghungsa housed a garrison of warrior monks.

There may not be any warrior monks in the fortress today but there is plenty more hiking stores, restaurants, and soju bars to stock up on supplies at if you forgot to buy anything at the park entrance. Once you get past the fortress the crowds actually start to die down and only the serious hikers proceed up the trail from here. With the fortress being home to 12 Buddhist temples you will have the option to take a number of side trails to see these various temples such as the one pictured below:

On the eastern slope of the mountain you can see this impressive stone Buddha rising over the surrounding tree tops:

Most of the temples appear to be quite old, but some of them like this one pictured below appeared to be quite new:

Some of these temples are so new in fact that they come equipped with satellite TV:

The monks don’t have to go very far to find a telephone either with pay phones right outside their temples:

The trail will eventually reach a high ridge line on the mountain where you will reach the back side of the fortress walls:

Follow the trail and the signs to Baekundae Peak to the left and admire the views to the north as you ascend up the mountain:

On a clear day you can actually make out the flag pole from the North Korean Propaganda Village at Panmunjom, but as most people who live in the Seoul area know, there are not many clear days due to the pollution in Seoul. However, the Bukhan Mountain peaks make for plenty of spectacular scenery themselves:

As you climb up towards the summit of Baekundae you will be able to see rock climbers that look like nothing more than ants climbing up the steep granite rock face of 810 meter high Insubong Peak:

Allegedly this peak is supposed to offer some of the best technical rock climbing in Asia. I don’t know about that, but it is without a doubt popular with local climbers.

To reach the summit of Baekundae you don’t need climbing ropes because there are side rails drilled into the rock to help climbers reach the top of the mountain:

From the top of the mountain you really do get a top of the world feeling, but be warned you don’t want to stay on the summit to long because it gets crowded due to all the sun visor wearing ajummas and ice axe wielding ajushis looking to reach the summit as well. It is best to find a peak of your own to lounge on, which there plenty to go around, and enjoy some lunch, perhaps some soju, and the vistas from there:

To easiest way to reach Bukhansan Mountain is to take the Seoul subway to Gupabal Station and take bus No. 704 to Bukhansanseong Station which is the main park entrance. If you are coming from Uijongbu you can catch a bus to the park entrance from the main bus terminal, or even catch a cab there as the ride to Pukhansan isn’t that far from Uijongbu. You can find out how to reach the park from other areas in Seoul by clicking here. The fee to get into the park is cheap, about 2000 won.