Best Winter Hike In Seoul: The Seoul Fortress Wall on Bugaksan Mountain

Huge flakes of snow were falling from the sky and to most it would have seemed an inopportune time to head out to hike along the Seoul Fortress Wall on Bugaksan Mountain (북악산), but plans had been made and the hiking club members, no strangers to adverse hiking conditions, suited up to head out into the cold. If you’re looking for one of the best hikes in Seoul no matter the weather, this is it. Snow keeps many people away from the mountains, but for those that do make it out, it can be an extra special time to hike in the quiet after the snow and the calm surroundings with few people on the trails.

Get ready to hike in the winter at Bugaksan Mountain in Seoul:

• How To Get There
• What You Need To Know
• What To Know About The Hike
• What To See Along the Seoul Fortress Wall Bugaksan Section
• Tips For Your Hike

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.)

How To Get There

You can start on either the western end of this hike or the eastern end of this hike. My hiking club always starts on the eastern side and works over the mountain from that direction so I’ll put the directions for how to start the way we do.

To Start: Head to Anguk Station, exit 2. Just outside the exit there is a bus stop, hop on bus #2 and get off at Seongdae Rear Gate/Waryong Park Stop (성대후문/와룡공원). This is the second to last stop on the route so if you miss it, you’ll be able to walk back up to it as the bus driver will stop at the end for a little break. But, if you don’t miss it, from this stop, you’ll want to head up. The bus keeps going and ends up going down a bit, don’t follow the bus. Go to the road leading up the mountain. Walk past Waryog Park, don’t go through the tunnel next to it, but act like you’re going to the park and you’ll spot the fortress wall and know where to start. Follow the wall and you’ll come to the checkpoint to sign in and have them check your ID.

To End: When you come down, you’ll deposit your ID tag you got from the check point at the checkpoint near Changuimun Gate. You can of course keep following the wall from here, but this is also a good spot to come down and end as this hike can take you around 2 hours. So if you decide to come down here, follow the road from Changuimun Gate to the main road and cross the street. There’s a bus stop and all of the buses will take you down to Gyeongbokgung Station so you can eat around there or hop on the subway to head home.

What You Need To Know

Admission: Free, but bring a passport, or a Korean resident ID card. It is necessary and you won’t be able to hike along this section of the wall without it.

Days: Open everyday except Mondays. If Monday is a holiday, then it’s closed Tuesdays.

Hours: March – October 9AM – 4PM; November – February 10AM – 3PM.

How Long Does The Hike Take: Takes 1-2 hours to walk between the security checkpoints.

Bathrooms/Water: No bathrooms or water stations are along this trail, so come prepared. There are bathrooms and water available at the security checkpoints though.

What To Know About The Hike

The Seoul Fortress Wall is more steps than anything, so it’s not so much hiking as it is partaking in discussions of history while meandering over cobbled stones. Don’t meander too far though, as this part of the wall is heavily guarded and the servicemen on duty will be sure to keep you in line. This part of the wall follows the mountain that sits just behind Gyeongbukgung Palace and the Blue House, where the president resides.

Bugaksan is the guardian mountain of the palace, and now the president, and reaches 342 meters high. The men on duty along this ridge keep a watchful eye on all hikers in the area and are sure to stop anyone from taking photos in a certain direction, that being the Blue House. Photos in any other direction are completely allowed though.

Another duty of the men on guard also seems to be snow blowing the trails, interestingly, so don’t be worried about snow and ice making the trail completely inaccessible. We followed behind one snow blowing gentlemen for about 10 minutes as he cleared the way. We were happy to wait.

This part of the path had been closed to visitors for 38 years after an assassination attempt on the then president by North Koreans but was opened once again in 2006. In order to keep an even tighter reign on visitors, everyone is asked to sign in and receive an ID badge with an assigned number to be worn while following the trail. Each person fills out a piece of paper with their passport number for foreigners, or their resident number for nationals, name and address and then inside workers collect the paper and look at passports and IDs and input the information into a computer before handing over a numbered badge. It’s easy and doesn’t cost a thing, just be sure to bring all proper identification along or you will be denied entry. If you do forget, you can hike along the northern side of the wall instead. You just can’t hike on the wall or on the southern side that is closest to the President’s house.

What To See Along the Seoul Fortress Wall Bugaksan Section

Sukjeongmun Gate is the first major gate seen past the security checkpoint. It is the northernmost of the four main gates of the fortress and was originally built in 1396 a bit more to the west than where it now stands. Learn more about the 8 gates of the Seoul Fortress Wall and the path here. In 1504 this gate was rebuilt where it now sits.

Since this gate was built just to the north and behind the royal palace, it was rarely used except on formal occasions. According to the traditional ideas of Yin and Yang and the five elements, the north gate represents water thus it was left open and the south gate would be closed during times of drought during the Joseon Dynasty. Along with this idea of Yin and Yang is another idea being passed down concerning this gate. According to the scholar Hong Seok-mo, “If women were to visit Sukjeongmun three times before the first full moon, then all the misfortune of the year could be avoided.” However, scholar Lee Gyu-gyeong states that, “If Sukjeongmun were left open, the women within the fortress became lustful and the gate was ordered to be closed all the time,” because of this. The gate is currently left open at all times…

While walking along the wall, it easy to notice major differences in the size and color of the stones as different kinds of stones were used during different periods of construction. The original parts of the wall built in 1396 use the smallest stones to be found along the wall and they are not uniform in shape. Later parts of the wall constructed in 1422 have a more uniform rectangular shape with some small stones placed in the cracks. Still later, the parts of the wall erected in 1704 have stones trimmed down to 60cmX60cm and required four sturdy men to lift each.

This is a perfectly reasonable trail to hike in the winter as well as any other season, so don’t neglect it just because of the snow and ice.

Tips For Your Hike

• Pack The Essentials: Take at least a bottle of water and a snack for the top. For this hike, again, you’ll need a passport or your ARC as well. I have a small backpack that I take that also has room for tissues, wet wipes, and my wallet.
• Dress Appropriately: For a winter hike, you need layers. I start with Uniqlo Heattech and then a fleece top, hiking pants, wool hiking socks and hiking shoes.
• Keep An Eye on Air Pollution: Air pollution is a big issue in Korea and when it’s bad, it is really bad. You’ll need a mask at the very least, but if it’s really bad, definitely postpone your hike.
• Start Early: Koreans don’t really tend to be early morning people in general. The earlier you start, the easier to avoid any crowds.

Did you like this post? Pin It!