Seoul Gwanaksan in Korea- Yeonjudae Course - Hike

1.     Date and Time : May 19, 2018 09:30~15:30 (6 hours including break one hours).

2.     Location : Gwachun at Seoul City in Korea.

3. Distance and Course : About 15.7km. Course is to start Gwaneumsa Temple => Hippo Rock => Yard Rock => Gwanaksan Summit (629m Altitude) => Yeonjudae => Yeonjuam Temple => Gwachun Hyeangkyo.

4.     Access :

There are various ways connecting to the Dangsan Subway Station at Line No 2 or 4 where you are supposed to get off and exit Gate No.4. You should walk about 18 minutes for 1.22 km to Gwaneumsa Temple where you will start to climb the Gwanaksan Mountain today. When you exit the Gate 4, you would find Seoul City Bus Stop just near to Gate No.4 and find junction tuning to right after 10 ~ 15 m ahead. Thereafter you simply follow the village road referring to the map of “Walking from Sadang Station, Subway Line No.2 or 4 to Gwaneumsa Temple”. You could from there start to climb Gwanaksan Mountain. On your way back from the mountain, you should reach Gwachun Hyeangkyo at almost finish line of climb course today where you could start to move to Subway Station of Gwachun Government Complex. It would take about 16 minutes walking for 1.04km to the Station. Please refer to the map of “Walking from Gwachun Hyeangkyo to Gwachun Government Complex Station”.

4.     Overall Remarks.

There are five major hard and difficult climb mountains in Gyeonggi Province which are Wunaksan, Gamaksan, Hwaaksan, Gwanaksan and Songaksan. The Songaksan is unfortunately located at North Korea where we could not visit at present. This mountain, Gwanaksan is listed at the top five ranking which means climb to Gwanaksan is not so simple and easy but hard and difficult. When touch down the Gwanaksan Summit as well as Yeonjudae, you could find beautiful scenery around the Yeonjudae peak which I believe you would be sufficiently satisfied with these scenery against your hard effort or struggling works.  

Gwanaksan Mountain means shape of mountain looks like officer’s hat in old days which indicate grade of each person or officer depending on decoration or shape at the hat. Many poets or painters or scalars praised Gwanaksan as outstanding beauty for deep valley or stream or strange rocks on the way. This course is easiest access from Seoul downtown though convenient transportation likes subway or city connecting bus line. That is a main reason why about 7 million people annually climbed the mountain.

5.     Detailed Course Information

When you reach the Gwaneumsa Temple, you should see junction landmark saying as Yeonjudae 3.8km and Seoul Trail 2.6km to Nakseongdae.  Gwaneumsa Temple is not big but not small which keeps so neat, cute beauty. I shortly looked around the temple and left beautiful scenery at the photo. I took a right direction at the junction and sometime walking up and found beautiful transmission Tower Peak at right and keep moving up the hill and reached junction saying as 3.1km to Yeonjudae Summit (629m altitude) about 20 minutes walking. As I climbed on Transmission Tower Hill, I saw one more beautiful Toggibong (Rabbit) Peak at slightly right at front and so steep stairs slightly left at front which I should climb over as soon as I finish downhill. I continued to walk up on the rocky hill and steep stairs for about 50 minutes and met Hippo Rock looks where I saw Yard Rock sitting at next hill. As I climbed about 5 minutes more, I reached Yard Rock which is bigger flat rock which some people could conveniently take rest. I found visibility was so nice and good that I could see remotely sitting mountains like Bukhansan and Dobongsa which is about 30 to 40 km from Gwanaksan. I took a picture at mobile phone camera which adjustable focus function includes and successfully left a nice photo. When I saw Yeonjudae from the Yard Rock, I was some remote distance to the Summit and tried to take nice photo with adjustable focus with mobile phone and succeeded to keep so nice picture at the mobile phone camera. I passed rock gate on the way up to the summit and left photo as well. I continuously kept going up for about 40 minutes from the Yard Rock through last so steep steel and wooden stairs and neighboring peak to the summit and finally touch down to the Gwanaksan Summit (629m altitude) after about total 3 and half an hours struggling works. When I started to downhill for about 10 minutes from the summit, I came to observation point where I could succeed to take so nice photo of Yeonjudae as attached herein. I continued to walk down about 15 minutes and reached Yeonjuam Temple which was so nicely decorated for Buddha’s Birthday Celebration on May 22, 2018, after three days. I should walk down on downhill through curved and rocky or some time stairs along with Gwanaksan Valley and stream. You could see video file for typical example of valley stream attached herein. I found some people went down to the stream with family and enjoyed so cooled and clean water at the valley. As I walked down this road about one hour and ten minutes from Yeonjuam, I met junction saying 690m to Gwachun Hyeangkyo where I could start to move to the Subway Station as Gwachun Government Complex Station. You can reach to the station referring to the explanation at Article 4.