Bukhansan Archives | In Some Places

Starting Point: Gupabal Station

Distance: 25-35 km

Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult

Bukhansan Dulegil (Bukhansan Perimeter Road) is a beautiful mixture of trail and road that runs from Northwest Seoul to Northeast Seoul. The terrain isn’t too difficult, but at times it can be hilly and challenging. It isn’t necessary to run the entire thing in one go. There are several points where the trail enters the city. You can always head to the nearest main road and catch a bus to a subway station (as I had to do my first time trying to take on the whole thing), or you can take on a bit at a time and then backtrack out. There are also several trails that branch off from Bukhansan Dulegil. If you’re lucky enough to live nearby, you could spend all year exploring all that this trail system has to offer.

To get to a good starting point, I recommend going to Gupabal Station in Northwest Seoul. The beginning is a bit tricky, so read closely. Come out exit 1. Immediately make a U-turn and walk toward the bus stops. Continue straight and cross the first street. Before you hit the second street, you will see a couple of signs near a stream (pictured below). Take a left toward Bukhansan Dulegil to go down the ramp onto the stream, where you will start seeing signs for Seoul Trail. Please see the pictures below.

Just to the left of the above signs, the trail begins on the stream below.

From the stream, it is fairly well-marked. Eventually, you will come up a short hill that branches off onto trails right before this temple. A Seoul Trail sign will point you up the stairs to the right. Follow the stairs for 500m or so until you reach a fork. The Seoul Trail signs will become very infrequent, and you will begin to see signs in many forms (like the ones below) for Bukhansan Dullegil.

Turn right at the first fork, and from there keep following the Bukhansan Dullegil signs. They come in many forms, but the trail is well-marked. Especially when in the city, keep your eyes open. I missed a few signs and ended up adding some extra kilometers and extra hills onto my run. However, this was because of my own neglect, and not because the trail was poorly marked. As a general rule, if you go more than 300m in the city without seeing a sign, you could very well have lost the trail. If you’re uncertain, just follow you’re route back to the last sign you saw.

This route will take you on mountain trails, over one summit, through ecological parks, on some back streets, past an extremely lavish and beautiful mountainside neighborhood, past a few quiet temples, and give you amazing views.

It is difficult to chronicle all of the twists and turns, all of the places that you will come out, and everything to expect (it wouldn’t be a good trail run, anyway, if you always knew what was coming). I will simply say that it is a great run. Beginners can definitely take on the first few kilometers before backtracking or catching a bus out when the trail hits a road after about 5km. More experienced runners can see some new sides to Seoul and get a good 5 hour run in. For those going for the big run, the trail directly passes Dobongsan Station in Northeast Seoul.

I know the distance is long, but trust me, there are several chances to duck off the trail. This trail is well worth checking out. Make sure you pack a good amount of water (I brought 76 oz., though due to all of the convenience stores on the way, that’s not necessary) and a few snacks.

If you want to get a more detailed look at the route of the run, then here is a link to Naver Maps simply paste this: 서울둘래길. This will show all of Seoul trail. Find Gupabal Station in Northwest Seoul, and follow it east until Dobongsan Station. Feel free to comment with any questions.

With just a few months left in Seoul, I wanted to find some good trail runs that I haven’t done yet. Surprisingly, I found basically no information on trail runs in Seoul. There’s already plenty of information out there about all the popular runs along the Han, around Namsan, and about the several other popular city runs (those new to Seoul wanting to find some of these city runs and run with good people should check out Runsploring Seoul).

Before I jump in, a word to the wise: If possible, start your trail run by 9:30 a.m. Hiking is a very popular activity with the older generation in Korea. Trails can get annoyingly crowded on any given day on any trail. Luckily, things in Korea don’t really get going until about 10 a.m., so I’ve found if you get out early enough you can sometimes find yourself alone on the trail.

For a city of 11 million people, Seoul actually boasts some pretty great trails. So, for any trail running junkies, here are my top 4 in Seoul.

4. Bukhansan National Park- Moderate/Difficult

Bukhansan National Park boasts a huge array or trails. I have always taken the Subway to Gupabal Station and then bus 704 to the mountain, but you can also start on the opposite side at Gireum Station. This is one of the most popular places to hike around Seoul, so go early or be prepared to spend your day walking in a line.

Most of the runs are extremely challenging and steep. Almost every trail leads to a summit, some require handrails to climb, and some are definitely too steep to run. Overall, the runs are not mellow enough to really hit a groove. However, if you can pack a lunch and a CamelBack, it can be a good all day hiking/running adventure due to the size of the park, and the views from the summits are amazing.

3. Namhansanseong (7-9 km round trip)- Short, but Moderate/Difficult

A bit of home neighborhood bias here. When I moved to my first apartment in Seoul, this was the closest mountain. Namhansanseong is in Southeast Seoul, and is best accessed from Macheon Station at the end of the purple line. From the station, it is about a half kilometer or so to the station. Go out exit 2 and run to the end of the road (toward the looming mountain). Turn right when it hits a dead end. When the road takes a hard left, continue straight into a narrow street or restaurants, vendors, and hiking shops.

There are a few routes up the mountain, and even a trail that branches off for some nice rollers at one point. My favorite way to go starts just past all the shops and restaurants you see before starting up the mountain. Stay to the left when that road branches, and just past the uphill, you will see a gap in the fence on the left.

Continue on the main trail, and when it splits, always stay to the left to avoid the extremely steep stuff and a lot of stairs, and then keep cruising up to the top. This is a short but intense run (maybe 5km of mostly uphill).

seoul from ahigh

A photo posted by Brittany (@insomeplaces) on Mar 6, 2014 at 8:33pm PST

A photo posted by Brittany (@insomeplaces) on Oct 14, 2013 at 9:52pm PDT

It’s very beautiful, not too crowded, and you’re rewarded with a cool fortress at the top, and there are always people selling snacks and makgeoli at the summit.

2. Seoul Trail- Starting from Yangjae Citizen’s Forest Station: 8-10 km Easy/Moderate

The Seoul Trail makes for the best running in Seoul. While you can summit some mountains across it, summits are not the main goal of this 157 km trail. This means it is less crowded, and the trails are easier to find a groove on than those that shoot straight to summits.

This part is a continuation from #1. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can try for both in one day, or more ambitious yet, add on Gwanaksan when you get to the end of this section.

This section can be accessed from Yangjae Citizen’s Forest Station. Go out exit 5 and cross the street into the Citizen’s Forest heading north. These blue and orange signs will direct you through the park.

When you come to the white shed at the end of the park, beware of the misleading sign. It appears to tell you to go down the ramp to your right. Save yourself the extra 10km I wandered on that stream. Do not go down that ramp. If you find yourself running along a stream after the park, stop, turn around, and go back up the ramp. Look left to see these orange ribbons hanging from the rails and trees. Continue to follow the orange ribbons through the city for about 1 km until you reach the trail.

From the trailhead it is easy to navigate. The trail is clearly marked throughout the run, and there are several branching off trails to explore if you’d like. Enjoy some great views of the city and some (usually) quiet trails before you reach the end at this box.

Follow the Seoul Trail signs down through the back streets and you’ll come out at a main road. Cross the street at the crosswalk on the left for the next section of the trail starting at Gwanaksan (again, signs and ribbons point the way), or go right to get to Sadang Station.

Biting into my second Melon Pop after an all-morning run ^^

1. Seoul Trail – Starting from Suseo Station: 10-14 km Moderate

Definitely my personal favorite. This trail was my refuge and home trail while I trained for the Seoul International Marathon. You can hit some summits on the way if you want, but following Seoul Trail contours the mountain and rolls through the hills. It is one of the few places in Seoul I have truly been alone. There are a ton of side trails and secret paths to explore (where I’ve spotted a deer and stumbled across a hidden temple), and it really isn’t too crowded, especially in winter and in the mornings. Best of all, the nice rolling path allows you to get into a steady groove while throwing in just a 3-4 monster hills to add some spice.

To get there, go to Suseo Station, exit 6. Walk straight for about 100 meters and you will see the trailhead on your right. Start with the big uphill that will make you question my claim that this is the best trail run in Seoul, and then enjoy when it levels off for a couple kilometers of smooth trails.

Stay on the main trail, and after about 10 minutes you’ll come to a junction where you can take on another huge hill straight in front of you that leads to Daemosan, or head off to the right for a slight downhill. This sign will point the way to Seoul trail.

These orange ribbons mean you’re still on Seoul Trail.

As I said, all of the trails around are worth exploring (the trail straight ahead can lead you to the summit of Daemosan), but here I’ll chronicle what happens if you branch to the right. You’ll start seeing blue and orange signs for Seoul Trail along the path. Stick on Seoul Trail, which is clearly the main path, and eventually you’ll hit this nice little Buddhist temple (about 5 km in).

Keep running straight past it, and when you pass the exercise equipment, head left up the hill. This will keep you on Seoul Trail, and give you an extra 5-7 km of beautiful trails to run. If you run an out and back, then you can go for about 2 hours, all on trails.

Eventually, you will hit this exit in some back alley. You can either turn around, or keep following the signs and ribbons for Seoul Trail for 2-3 km, which will bring you to Yangjae Citizen’s Forest Station and Run #2 on this list.