1. Introduction
Hello:) These days, Korea is gradually getting colder. Until last week, it was strangely warm for November, but now it suddenly became chilly. It’s so cool in the mornings and evenings that we need to stay warm. Before the weather gets colder, I thought I’d introduce one of my favorite Bukhansan hiking courses.
Do you like hiking?! You might know, Korea has a lot of mountains. I don’t hike often, but I do enjoy it.
Among the famous mountains in Korea, I’ve hiked Hallasan in Jeju Island, Bukhansan, and Cheonggyesan. As a form of exercise, I sometimes go to the small mountain behind my neighborhood.
Internationally, I’ve explored the Annapurna region of the Himalayas, including Annapurna, Poon Hill trek, and the Daramsala trek in India. As for the Alps, I’ve only done walks rather than hikes. I love mountain scenery, so if there’s a chance to go, I’d love to visit.
Anyway, I’m a trekking person.
And among the famous mountains in Korea, there’s Bukhansan(북한산) in Seoul. I’d like to introduce a convenient Bukhansan hiking course that you can reach by bus.
It’s relatively close to the Seoul city center, and you can reach the entrance of the hiking trail with just one bus ride from the Jongno area!
Even within Seoul, there are many mountains, and the one I’m introducing today, Bukhansan, is designated as a national park. Within Bukhansan, the trail I’m introducing today is the Bibong Course. It leads to the peak called Bibong, and it’s a beautiful trekking route with intermittent valleys. Among the Bukhansan trails I’ve explored, it’s the least daunting and most scenic, so I highly recommend it.
Moreover, you can visit Seunggasa Temple(승가사), which is a historically significant temple, while hiking. It would be a truly wonderful course to visit Seunggasa Temple while hiking in Bukhansan! The view of Bukhansan from Seunggasa is truly beautiful, so I highly recommend checking it out.
Bukhansan is large, and it offers a variety of hiking courses. There are many rocky areas, and some trails involve climbing over rocks. Personally, I find such places quite scary. If you’re not comfortable with that, be cautious, as there are trails where you might find yourself crying on the way down. Haha. However, the course I mentioned earlier doesn’t involve climbing on rocks; it’s generally a relatively easy hiking trail.
Still, let’s make sure to prepare and wear hiking shoes.
2. The way to the Bibong hiking trail
First, to get to the beginning of the hiking trail, you can take a bus. Get off at the Gugi Tunnel entrance bus stop.
If you’re coming from Jongno toward Gugi Tunnel, you can take buses 7022 or 7212.
After getting off at the bus stop, you can go left, leaning against the red building on the left side. There’s a convenience store and a kimbap restaurant on the left, so it’s a good idea to pick up drinks and snacks for the hike here before starting the actual climb.
As you can see in the left photo, you need to cross to the other side, and there’s also a restroom in front of the crosswalk.
Please follow the arrow signs closely.
Now, you just need to follow the hiking trail. Enjoy the scenery and the valleys while slowly starting your mountain hike.
After hiking for about an hour, you’ll come to a fork in the trail that leads to Seunggasa Temple and Bibong Peak. It doesn’t matter which one you choose first, but I personally finished the hike first and then visited the temple.
The left path at the fork has stairs leading to Bibong, and the right set of stairs leads to Seunggasa Temple
After ascending for about 30 more minutes, you’ll arrive at Bibong Peak.
When you see this sign, going left leads to Bibong, and going right leads to Daenammun. Daenammun requires a longer hike, so I decided to pass on it this time.
Bibong Peak, we made it! Personally, I’m too scared to climb high rocks without proper equipment, but I was amazed to see many people ascending the peak without any gear. They are truly impressive!
The descent is simply retracing the same path you took. Since there are many trails in Bukhansan, and it’s easy to get lost, make sure to remember the way back by retracing the same path.
Unfortunately, taking photos is prohibited at Seunggasa temple, so I can’t share pictures on my blog. I’ll just leave one photo at the entrance of Seunggasa.
Still, there’s a beautiful pagoda and a historically significant Buddha statue inside the temple. I highly recommend taking a look and enjoying the view of Bukhansan from the Daewoongjeon at Seunggasa temple. You won’t regret it!
And just a friendly reminder that when hiking, it’s important to wear several layers of thin clothing and pay attention to maintaining body temperature.
I hope the post I shared helps you remember and enjoy Korea!
