Gwanaksan: Our “Novice” Hike into Korea’s National Sport 🥾🇰🇷

We decided to finally take up Korea’s national sport and embark on our first hike. Novice trail, they said — Gwanaksan, here we come! It’s one of Seoul’s beloved mountains, and what an adventure it turned out to be.

Our taxi driver told us that “san” means mountain and “ak” suggests difficult — which, we quickly learned, was no exaggeration.

The hike starts near Seoul National University and takes you up to the peak of the mountain and the Yeonjudae Temple. All the Koreans seemed to have the same idea… or perhaps we’d just intruded on their national treasure of a pastime. It was quite busy — people breathing down your back, so you feel the pressure to keep moving. You snooze, you lose! It became a friendly, patient yet competitive dance over which rock to step on next — first come, first serve, with determination, smiles, and the occasional slip or slide (even by the professionals), saved just in the nick of time.

Parts of the trail were pure rock — staircases formed by time and people, smooth and flat in some places, sharp and sticky in others. At certain points, wooden boardwalks and steps appeared like a gift, giving our legs a short break from the endless rocks before the climb continued upward again.

We took the Yeonjudae Trail, reaching the peak at 629 meters. It’s supposed to be around 2 km up, but by the time we made it down, my watch showed 7.15 km — and 1,661 calories burned! No wonder our legs were shaking by the end. It took us about four hours round trip, with plenty of breaks for water, cheering, and catching our breath, and beautiful views.

At the summit, the Korean flag waved proudly in the wind, and the views were breathtaking — the Han River glimmering below, Seoul’s skyscrapers stretching endlessly, and even Namsan Tower looking tiny from above. At the Yeonjudae Temple, a monk was chanting and praying, his voice echoing through the forest.

Hiking is practically a national sport in Korea. We met cheerful locals who told us they hike every weekend. Our daughters were quite the celebrities — especially our seven-year-old — cheered on by strangers as they climbed like little champions. We may not have had the right gear (just trainers and optimism!), but we definitely had spirit.

We saw all kinds of hikers — young people, a handful of children, and so many older Koreans making their way up steadily. It’s amazing how active and determined they are.

Koreans take hiking seriously — full gear, walking poles, and even gimbap or hot ramyeon lunches packed in flasks. My girls were very jealous watching steaming noodles appear halfway up the mountain!

We even saw one man hauling an enormous backpack full of water bottles up the rocky steps — someone said it weighed 120 kg! He reminded me of the porters we met years ago on the Inca Trail in Peru, moving steadily and tirelessly, step by step, wearing only sandals. Despite carrying tents, cooking gear, and everyone’s belongings, they seemed light on their feet, moving with the grace of mountain goats.

There were no stalls along the way, except one man selling water near the top — no easy job carrying supplies up there. The day was warm and golden, unusually so for mid-November. While most hikers wore jackets and hiking pants, we were in shorts and t-shirts, sunbathing like lizards on the rocks before heading down into the cooler evening breeze.

Before we started, my husband told me this trail was “suitable for novices.” I’m still not sure what was worse — the burn in my quads and being constantly out of breath going up, or the shaky calves and screaming ankles going down!

We ended our adventure the best way possible — with an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ buffet, piling our plates with grilled meat, japchae, fried chicken, dumplings, and all the delicious trimmings.

There are so many mountains around Seoul to explore — no surprise, since about 70% of Korea is mountainous! Gwanaksan was just the beginning for us, and hopefully we’ll tackle a few more in time — maybe Bukhansan, Dobongsan, or Suraksan next.

What a perfect sunny Sunday — full of sweat, laughter, and stunning views. Next time, though, I’m definitely investing in hiking boots. My ankles will thank me later.