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Gwanaksan Hiking Guide 관악산

Gwanaksan (관악산) is a 632 m mountain in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is one of Korea’s 100 Famous Mountains chosen by the Korea Forest Service. Best known for royal azaleas, valleys and waterfalls, sea views, rocky ridges.

Gwanaksan mountain, Korea — Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 1 (attribution)

632 mHeight

ModerateDifficulty (approx.)

3 h 30 minShortest trail

−3.8°CSummit vs. base

🧭 Seoul Hiking Tourism Center: Seoul runs a center for foreign hikers near the Gwanaksan trailhead — hiking gear and clothing rental, lockers, changing rooms and trail information in English. Check the opening hours before you go.

🚇 Getting there by subway

Seoul Nat'l Univ. Station (서울대입구역) — about 4.2 km to the summit (straight line) · mentioned in the official access guide
Bongcheon Station (봉천역) — about 4.6 km to the summit (straight line) · mentioned in the official access guide

Distances are straight-line from the station to the summit; the walk to the trailhead is longer. Search the station name plus the mountain name in Naver Map or KakaoMap for walking directions — they work much better than Google Maps in Korea.

🥾 Gwanaksan hiking trails

Seouldae Entrance Bangmyeon Ticket Office (서울대입구 방면 매표소) → Je1gwangjang (제1광장) → Je4yayeongjang (제4야영장) → Kkalttak Pass (깔딱고개) → Summit → Yeonjuam (연주암) → Gwacheonhyanggyo (과천향교) 3 h 30 min
Sadangdong Daehakchon (사당동 대학촌) → 333bong (333봉) → 414bong (414봉) → 559bong (559봉) → Yeonjuam (연주암) → Summit → Janggunbawi (장군바위) → Janggunbawigol (장군바위골) → Gwacheon Gongeopjinheungcheong (과천 공업진흥청) 3 h 40 min
Anyangyuwonji (안양유원지) → So Park (소공원) → Bulseongsa (불성사) → Summit → Yeonjuam (연주암) → Je4yayeongjang (제4야영장) → Je1gwangjang (제1광장) → Seouldae Entrance (서울대 입구) 4 h 10 min
Hoamsa (호암사) → Janggunbong (장군봉) → Samseongsan (삼성산) → Sammaksa (삼막사) → Mangworam (망월암) → So Park (소공원) → Bulseongsa (불성사) → Gwacheon Gongeopjinheungcheong (과천 공업진흥청) 4 h 30 min

Times are from the Korea Forest Service and include short breaks. If you are new to hiking, plan for 1.3–1.5× longer. Korean names are in brackets so you can match them to trail signs.

🗓️ Best time to visit Gwanaksan

What	Usual peak (estimate)
🌺 Royal azaleas	early–mid May

Estimated from Korea Meteorological Administration long-term averages, adjusted for the mountain’s latitude and height. Actual dates can shift 1–2 weeks each year.

🌅 Sunrise & sunset by month

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sunrise	07:45	07:23	06:45	05:59	05:24	05:10	05:22	05:48	06:13	06:39	07:11	07:39
Sunset	17:36	18:10	18:39	19:06	19:33	19:54	19:54	19:26	18:42	17:57	17:23	17:15

Around the 15th of each month, Korea Standard Time. Be off the mountain at least an hour before sunset.

🗺️ Maps

Naver Map · KakaoMap · Google Maps

⛰️ Other mountains nearby

Seocho-gu, Seoul · 873 mCheonggyesan 청계산

Gangnam-gu, Seoul · 293 mDaemosan 대모산

Jongno-gu, Seoul · 342 mBugaksan 북악산

Gangbuk-gu, Seoul · 836 mBukhansan 북한산

Nowon-gu, Seoul · 510 mBuramsan 불암산

554 m

Gwanak-gu, Seoul · 554 mSamseongsan 삼성산

🙇 Hiking etiquette in Korea

Greet other hikers with a short “annyeonghaseyo” — it’s common on the trail.
Keep to the marked trail; many areas are closed for nature protection (fines apply in national parks).
Cooking, smoking and drinking are banned in national parks. Take your trash home.
Read more: Hiking etiquette in Korea

🇰🇷 한국어로 보기 (관악산 등산코스)

Data: Korea Forest Service (data.go.kr) · 100 Famous Mountains: Korea Forest Service · Locations: © OpenStreetMap contributors