Seoul Trail Section 6 – 7: Home run

For our Seoul Trail finale, we decided we’d better go big. And go home. You see, our first home in Korea was located at the junction between Seoul Trail sections 6 and 7!

An action shot of Kent, the author's husband, climbing up a set of wooden stairs built into the side of a mountain. An official Seoul Trail sign points the way near the bottom of the steps, and Kent is nearly at the top.

A week after our previous Seoul Trail adventures, we hit the city again. This time, we had big plans: we were going to wrap up the Seoul trail by running the two remaining courses. It would be the perfect ending to our little Seoul quest – as well as great training for our March races (Dalat and Luang Prabang)!

So this time, instead of running late at night or hot on the heels of another run, we arrived in Seoul early. This was going to be a day trip! We took everything we needed on our backs, and set off.

The author poses behind a cartoon cutout of a forest ranger in this image. Her face appears small in the large ranger's head, and there's a cartoon woodpecker resting on the cartoon ranger's shoulder. Behind is a huge photographic poster of the rocky peaks of Bukhansan.
Dream job practice at Gupabal Station

We returned to the Bukhansan area to get started. Yep, to mix things up more, we’d decided to run in reverse again. So we began where we started our Seoul Trail mission on a chilly January night six weeks before – below beautiful Bukhansan!

A rare selfie of the author in front of a color Seoul Trail map and one of the red stamp booths along the trail. She's wearing a cap and mask, so only her eyes are visible!
Ready for action!

Instead of running around the mountain, though, this time we headed away from it. Luckily, there were new mountains to discover along Seoul Trail section 7! Our trail took us up, and soon we were running in the forests of Aengbongsan,

It was a warm, spring-like day – but we still needed our masks. If you hike up to a peak and find your views obscured, you might feel annoyed (or some other variation of not-delighted). But the Seoul Trail, much like Jeju Olle, is about focusing on the what’s near and now. Which is not to say there aren’t great viewpoints on the Seoul Trail. But the Seoul Trail meanders through dense forest and neighborhood alleys, inviting contemplation of everyday beauty that’s close at hand.

A still-life of an unusual bench along Seoul Trail section 7. It's between two protruding sections that form a heart shape, with views through the trees over the city. The bench itself consists of a dark brown wooden slab perched atop clay bricks on one side and stacked sandbags on the other.
Like this thoughtfully positioned bench made of re-purposed materials…
A close-up portrait of Kent. He's wearing a grey t-shirt over a black long-sleeve top, and his blue running vest over that. He's also wearing a camouflage trucker hat and a mask. He peers out from between the two somewhat suspiciously at the camera.
…or the best view of all!

From Aengbongsan, we continued running through the forest onto Bongsan. This mountain is topped by an old signal fire tower and a scenic gazebo! We stopped for a photo and recalled the days when our backpacks would have been full of Pocari Sweat and PB and J sandwiches. This place makes a tempting picnic spot!

In this vertical image, the author stands in front of Bongsanjeong, the gazebo at the top of Bongsan mountain. She's got her mask off for the moment and one fist raised in the air. You can't see this, but she very nearly vomited after stopping suddenly from a hard uphill interval!
Bongsan’s top, begging for a picnic
In this old photograph from the author's collection, she sits on a rock alongside the trail to drink from a 1.5 liter bottle of Pocari Sweat. It's her favorite sports drink, originating in Japan, but widely available all over Asia. Her purple backpack sits off to the side, and this forest is green, in contrast to the other images in this post.
Half-day hike essential? Huge Pocari. All you need. (2014)
In this other old photograph, the author takes a bite out of a peanut butter and jam sandwich on top of a mountain. The angle is unusual, so only the tops of rocks and trees can be seen below the sky. The author's sister-in-law stands to the left, taking a photograph. The author's best friend and her sister-in-law's best friend are both on the rocks to the right.
But also…sandwiches! (2012) Okay, okay, I’ll stop with the oldies.

On the other side of the mountain, we found the mid-point stamp for Seoul Trail section 7, and we returned to familiar territory. We ran past World Cup Stadium and turned west.

Next we ran between the Han River and World Cup Park. We spent many a lovely day in 2012 biking alongside the river below and running in the park above – but we’d never before been on this tree-lined trail in the middle! Despite our many years of history in Seoul, there’s always something new to discover.

A vertical action shot, capturing the author running towards the camera on a dirt trail between two very straight rows of tall trees. She's dressed like a running ninja once again: all in black, except for her pink face mask! The scenery is brown, because it is late winter.
These majestic Metasequoias, in this case!
A view from another time and another season. Here we see the Han and Gayang Bridge from above, surrounded by the verdant greens of a hot Korean summer. There is a wooden staircase leading down to a landscaped park beside the river. On the opposite side, skyscrapers and distant mountains reach towards the clouds.
View of Gayang Bridge from World Cup Park (2012)
In this photograph, a small-sized and distant Kent perches on top of some sort of circular, grass-filled sculpture in World Cup Park. He is wearing bike shorts and an inscrutable expression.
Kent in World Cup Park (2012)

While the Gayang bridge crossing is nothing spectacular visually (especially during the daytime – and on a grey day like this one!), it holds special memories for me. My first view of the Han was on the night I arrived. I thought the shining water was a lake! But I was soon running over it on this very bridge as part of my daily routine.

A selfie of Kent and Carrie, taken on Gayang Bridge. It's a grey day, offering little in the way of scenery: the sky is grey, the water is grey, the buildings are grey - even the cars on the motorway are grey!
This was our bridge!

We’ve been back to visit the neighborhood where we first met only a couple of times. It’s not especially lovely, it doesn’t have any hip restaurants or cool cafes, and it’s not close to any mountains. It’s pretty stark, actually, especially without the benefit of foliage! Still, it’s hosts many memories – and the school that brought us together!

A vertical snapshot of Carrie and Kent, taken using a mirror on the Han River bike path. Kent has his arm around Carrie, who holds up her red phone to take this image.
Old-school selfie

It’s also host to the Seoul Trail stamps for the end of section 7 and the start of section 6. For all the time we spent biking from one red booth to another, we somehow never noticed this little red mailbox for another classic Korean stamp tour!

A still of the scenery in Gayang neighborhood. Stairs lead down into a pleasantly landscaped park. At the confluence of several paths is the familiar red stamp booth for the Seoul Trail!
Spot the stamp!

The remainder of our run was spent reminiscing as we continued to tour our old neighborhood. This was the bit along the Han that we ran regularly, and here was the turn onto the Anyangcheon where we liked to bike!

A Han River scene found on Seoul Trail section 7. A wooden observation platform hovers over the Han. A bicycle is parked near the railing, and its rider naps on a nearby bench. A distant bridge is visible through the haze beyond.

The pedestrian path along the Han in this area has the advantage of being right along the water, so you can spot fish and birds easily. But it has the disadvantage of being nearly all-concrete, and along a motorway. So turning onto the Anyangcheon offers a nice change of scenery. Although this stream is smaller than the mighty, winding Han, it’s set in the middle of a park. There are trees and grass everywhere – and flowers too, in the right season.

A selfie of the author and her husband at the final red booth of their Seoul Trail stamp tour. Both grin widely at the camera, face masks off. It's not a particularly scenic spot (only the city beyond a motorway), but it's a moment worth celebrating! The author holds up her stamp book with both hands.
Stamp happy!

The flat pedestrian path was a good place to pick up the pace. So, as much as I enjoyed this urban run, it was soon done! Full disclosure: our end point was at the middle stamp. We had a celebratory feast to eat before the last bus home!

The author, poised to feast on a huge bowl of salad! The pair are at their favorite restaurant in Seoul to celebrate the completion of their Seoul Trail mission! She's wearing a jacket and woolen hat to protect against post-workout chill.

Know and Go! Seoul Trail Section 6 & 7

Although we ran Seoul Trail section 7 and then 6, I’ll describe the trails in numerical order.

Seoul Trail section 6 is 18 kilometers long and is rated easy. It’s a flat course that’s entirely along the riverside. There are 3 stamps to collect: Seoksu station, Guil station and Gayang station. The start/end points are Seoksu station (dark blue line 1, exit 1) and Gayang station (light brown line 9, exit 4).

Seoul Trail section 7 is 16.6 kilometers of undulating mountain terrain. It’s rated normal. Collect all three stamps: Gayang station, Jeungsan sports park and Gupabal station. Start your journey either at Gayang station (light brown line 9, exit 4) or at Gupabal station (orange line 3, exit 3).

Afterward

Traveling around on foot is the perfect way to explore the capital. Whether in one big go or bit-by-bit, it’s an unforgettable way to experience Seoul. Our nostalgic runs were the perfect way to re-experience the city where we fell in love: with each other, and with Korea. Resident or tourist: the Seoul Trail really has something to offer everyone.

For us, it was the perfect final addition to a portfolio of Korean adventures. The 4 Rivers bike trails took us out of Seoul for the first time in 2012; setting us on a path of further adventures! In 2015, Jeju Olle had us circling Korea’s semi-tropical paradise on foot. What started as a national parks mission in 2016 bloomed into a 120 mountain quest by 2018. And just before we moved away in 2019, we ran the Seoul Trail. (We liked it so much we returned, later the same year, to run it again during Seoul100k!)

Here the author poses with her Seoul Trail completion certificate. She's wearing a black top and has her hair down. He head is tilted to the side and she's smiling gently.

Fun fact: we got certified for completing this mission! We finally tracked down the correct office on our stopover in Seoul in May. And while we were there, we realized that the Seoul City Wall is also a stamp tour that we couldn’t resist… (post coming soon). The Seoul City Wall offers an inner city experience. Compared to Seoul Trail, it’s a much smaller loop that’s equally scenic if not quite as diverse.

I hope you too enjoy pretty runs and/or great hikes on the Seoul Trail. Happy trails, friends!

(Wondering about Seoul Trail section 8? We did the sections out of order – but you can find it here! Or head back to the Seoul Trail main page for other sections!)

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