When a running friend plans a tour on foot – you go, right? Kent and I were delighted to be invited to join a running tour in Busan late last year. A friend of ours invited us to come and experience her local trails – and we loved that idea!
As we discovered, her local trails were awesome! Together with two new friends, we ran around Geumjeongsanseong fortress and up to the summit of Geumjeongsan (금정산)!
Although we’d visited Busan previously, we’d never experienced it like this before. This visit really changed our impression of the city. Our eyes newly opened to the multitude of mountains in the city; when we left, it was with plans to return and explore more one day.
We’d actually passed on a job opportunity in Busan in 2015. We’d lived in the big city before, and we were looking for a bit of a change of pace – so we chose a smaller, lesser known town. But meeting friends there who share our passion opened a wormhole into what might have been. In another timeline, Geumjeongsan might have been our home turf, too!
The group assembled at the subway station. When everyone was ready, we took off down one of the city’s busy streets. Just a few minutes of stop-and-go urban running brought us to a trailhead. And then, for a while, we were alone in the forest! The gentle dirt trails were easily runnable, so despite an ongoing conversation, we set a pretty good pace.
This run was different than our other mountain explorations. Although we stopped for plenty of pictures, our focus was on getting to know one another better. I felt a little less like a journalist, documenting a new place, and more like part of a running club. Consequently, this outing was less serious – and more just plain fun.
But it was also an opportunity for discovery. We’d just learned about the 100 summits challenge, and we were intrigued. This outing would be a chance to check out the kinds of mountains that were on the list. Of course, we were already pretty sure that this was something we wanted to do, but we hadn’t committed – yet. Geumjeongsan would be the last of our accidental adventures before we officially started our second mountain mission.
Fueled by ginger shot bloks, our group reached the broad plateau beneath the summit. There, we ran along the fortress walls. Geumjeongsan was beautiful in that stark, late-fall way: leafless branches revealing the shape of the rocky slopes. We also had great views over Busan, sprawled out to the south and east. On top, there were a few hikers, but the flat and open trails ensured we kept our momentum.
We finally encountered some crowds when we began our climb up to the summit. The terrain got tougher, and there were staircases over the bare rock. The weather also changed; from relatively mild to cold and blustery! Although we didn’t climb very high, a thick cloud hung heavy over the summit. I felt chilled to the bone as we waited in line for an obligatory summit stele photo!
The chill gave us some motivation to zip down. We chased one another over big boulders as we scrambled down back into fairer weather. We left the crowds behind again. Our group zipped down through the forest and arrived at our final destination: Beomeosa temple. After a little look around, we ducked inside a nearby restaurant for some lunch.
This was a light, fun and friendly adventure! For once, we’d kind of done things the Korean way: we’d traveled over the mountain together, as an excuse to be social. Thanks to our friends, we didn’t have to plan or research anything. We simply got to run Geumjeongsan, and it was lovely.
Know and Go! Geumjeongsan
Transportation
The second biggest city in South Korea needs no introduction. Chances are, you’ve been here before – or know something about it. Much like Seoul in the north, Busan is very well connected to other cities and towns across the country. You can reach Busan by plane, train or bus.
Once you’re in Busan, getting to Geumjeongsan is easy: just take the subway north! Multiple subway stops on both the green line (to the west of the mountain) and the orange line (to the east) feature trailheads, restaurants and accommodation options. The subway stop closest to the main peak is Hopo, to the northwest. But there are a greater density of trails leading up from the east side.
Hike & Run
With so many trails on this mountain, you are only limited by your imagination! Drawing a point-to-point line on the map is always fun – or, if you have lots of time, see how much of the fortress wall you can find and follow! Hikers will want to bag the summit, while trail runners will appreciate the runnable trails. You could take on the summit in a couple of hours, but it would be equally easy to spend half a day picnicking and exploring.
And you can go far, really far! Consider running north to beautiful Cheonseongsan!
My apologies for the lack of a map in this section: I actually didn’t see a single map during our entire run! Have a look at Daum or Naver maps to plan your adventure.
Stay & Eat
This was really easy for us, because we were visiting friends! They took us out to eat and fed me lots of yummy plants.
Even if you’re visiting on your own or for the first time, fear not – it will be easy for you too. This is Busan – there’s a lot to see and do in this city! Whatever you like to eat, and whatever your budget it for sleeping – you can find it here. Make a weekend of it and explore some local temples and the coast!
However, with the extensive Korean transportation network, there’s no reason to stay unless you want to. Geumjeongsan could certainly work as a day trip too.
Other Notes
Geumjeongsan is on both mountain lists: it’s on the Korea Forest Service 100 noted mountains list, available here, and the Black Yak 100 mountains list, online here.
Kent and I joined friends for a run of just over 13k on Geumjeongsan in December 2017. We ran a point-to-point route beginning at Oncheonjang station and ending at Beomeosa temple!
The highest point of Geumjeongsan is Godangbong, standing 801m above sea level. But that’s not the only highlight: there are several other peaks as well as fun scenery along the fortress wall!
Visit Korea has this short write-up about the peaks and hiking in Geumjeongsan, and this one about Geumjeongsanseong – the fortress atop the mountain!
Want more of Korea’s marvelous mountains? Head back to the 120 summits main page, or check out nearby Cheonseongsan!