Baegundae (배군대)
On the last day of April, Bukhansan National Park (북한산국립공원) was the setting for our secret little escape. It was an escape from the city below and from a surprisingly busy social schedule. We escaped to Baegundae (배군대) for a few early morning hours and found just the adventure we needed.
We hadn’t been to a national park in four months. Instead, we’d been training like crazy for our first ultra marathon, with the help of our local mountain Bonghwasan. And after the ultra, we’d taken a full week off to recover and prepare for the arrival of some guests. Now, we were raring to go, and very much in need of a mountain adventure! So, early one morning, before we were due to meet Kent’s sister and her friends in Seoul, we decided to run Bukhansan.
Although we had been to Bukhansan National Park before, everything seemed completely new to us. Our first visit had been a brief and snowy hike in the winter of 2012. We had never been to Baegundae (the summit), nor had we seen the ancient city wall in this part of Seoul, so it was a fresh adventure! And, for the first time, we were running a mountain mission.
Maybe because it rises above the metropolis, Bukhansan felt massive. Its rocky peaks were especially dramatic, set in contrast to a backdrop of skyscrapers. A brisk wind made for unusually good air quality, and the prominence of the mountain afforded us some great views as we looked back and down. As we emerged onto the bald rocks near the peak, the wind truly nearly blew us away! We had our peek at the city wall – our ascent went right through it!
On the steep summit at Baegundae, the wind whipped the words from our mouths and the air from our lungs. I felt the elemental forces of nature: the strength and endurance of the rocks jutting out sharply above the city, and the wind that whistled through cracks and rustled all the needles of the trees. I embraced it, feeling completely at home inside myself on the top of a mountain again. It was difficult to leave the moment and the mountain. But time constraints dictated that we must, so we raced down the way we’d come up.
Our first experiment with combining our running prowess with our national parks mission was a great success! It was a good way to reach the summit quickly, and we made sure to pause and take our time in the scenic spots. We even made it back down with more than enough time to eat an incredibly spicy breakfast of bimimbap to refuel. It was the perfect way to start the day, and the perfect way return to our mountain mission.
Know and Go! Bukhansan – Baegundae
Transportation
Bukhansan National Park ought to win an award for easy access. Thanks to the excellent public transit networks in Seoul, almost every trail on Bukhansan is a cinch to get to. Buses and trains completely encircle the mountain, which makes planning the perfect hike super simple. Of course, the location and easy accessibility of this park make it extremely popular: it is, by far, the most visited park in the country. So while it is a beautiful place with many must-do hikes, expect to share your experience with lots of local and international hikers. This park’s popularity is well-deserved.
Many hikers aiming for Baegundae head to Gupabal Station on line 3. Outside exit 1, buses 34, 704 and 8774 drive right to the main entrance of the park. At virtually any time, there will be hoards of other hikers to reassure you that you’re in the right place. Pre-dawn and before regularly scheduled public transit, you can take a ten-minute taxi ride relatively cheaply (and possibly beat the majority of the crowds too).
Elsewhere I’ve written about how to access the excellent trail running loop in the foothills that is the Bukhansan Dullegil, and about the great trails on the Dobongsan in the northern part of the park.
Hike & Run
This park has a truly incredible network of trails, so you won’t lack for options. And, again, because of public transportation, you can easily hike from one side of the mountain to the other and get home in a single day. Having a look at a trail map, you can see the true wealth of trails. However, only some of these trails may be accessible at a given time, as Bukhansan National Park regularly closes some trails for natural restoration.
Another thing to note is that this park is divided into two main areas by a mountain road (accessible with prior permission arranged through the park rangers, and part of the Bukhansan Dullegil). The southern part contains Bukhansanseong, the gates and walls of a historical fortress, as well as the highest peak. In the north, Dobongsan has excellent views from steep peaks, relatively quieter trails and should not be missed.
Hiking to Baegundae, the summit, is a windy, wonderful and worthwhile adventure, probably best accessed from the west side near Gupabal station. There are a network of trails leading up to this peak from the main park entrance.
If you live in Seoul or have time to visit more than once, you really should. This is a playground of a park, with so much to explore!
Stay & Eat
Set right within one of the world’s biggest cities, there’s a huge variety of options for sleeping and eating. The most accessible options are in the southern end of the park, but really, exist throughout the park. The main entrance has a larger than usual array of hiking supply stores, cafes and restaurants. Cafes and marts circle the mountain so dullegil adventurers are never far from a resupply point. You can use the metro location to your advantage: you can pack a snack, or stop to refuel with your favorite Korean or western food.
If you are planning to overnight near the mountain, Yeonsinnae, the stop before Gupabal on line 3, has good options for motels. We actually spent a couple of weeks living near the foot of Bukhansan at Bulgwang station at another point in time, and loved it.
Other Notes
Baegundae is the highest peak in Bukhansan National Park, standing at a steep and dramatic 863m. Naturally, it’s on both of South Korea’s 100 summits lists: find it on Black Yak‘s list here and the Korea Forest Service list here.
Kent and I first visited Bukhansan National Park in April 2016. This was the 11th national park we visited during our mountain mission year. We did an 8.4k out-and-back run to Baegundae from the main entrance.
Head back to the Bukhansan main page to check out other great runs and hikes in this great national park! Or research your Bukhansan hiking options using the Korea National Park Service website here.
Alternatively, return to the 120 summits main page, or explore more national parks!
Thanks for reading, and enjoy your adventure on Baegundae and beyond!
Great blog! Is there any motel you could recommend that’s closest for a 4am hike up near this beginner trail?
Hey friend! Thanks for stopping by. Alas, there are no motels in the area directly surrounding Gupabal station (the closest metro stop below Bukhansan). But just one stop south is Yeonsinnae, which does have options I can’t recall exactly which motels we’ve used there, but there are a cluster of them down Tongil-ro 80-gil, a right turn from exit 1. Alternatively, two subway stops south at Bulgwang, we stayed at the Ritz – literally 리츠모텔 – one street north of exit 2. It’s poorly rated but cheap, and decent for what you’re paying for. I’m not sure your experience with the Korean motel scene, but there are other, slightly more upscale options in both neighborhoods as well. Both are a short bus ride (or extremely short taxi ride) from the main Bukhansan entrance at Gupabal. Happy hiking! 🙂