Yongmunsan Backside Trail: Skip the Temple Crowd
Most People Never See This Side of Yongmunsan
On any given autumn weekend, around 3,000 people pass through Yongmunsa temple on their way up Yongmunsan. That one figure tells you everything about the standard route. The temple approach is well-signed, heavily trafficked, and funnelled through a toll gate that charges ₩3,000 per adult just to walk to the base of the trail. It is perfectly fine. It is also, on a Saturday in October, the closest thing to a Seoul subway car that you will find on a Korean mountainside.
There is another way up — from the north, through the Ojin valley — and in several years of driving clients to trailheads across Gyeonggi Province, I have rarely encountered another foreigner on it. The route is longer, quieter, and it deposits you near the famous 1,100-year-old ginkgo tree at Yongmunsa as a finale rather than a preamble. That reversal of sequence changes the entire feel of the day.
Why the North Approach Stays Empty
The short answer is public transport. The standard Yongmunsa route is reachable by bus from Yongmun station on Gyeonggi Railway Line G (formerly Gyeonggang Line). Weekends bring a shuttle bus that runs almost continuously. The north trailhead has no such link. There is no bus stop within practical walking distance of the Ojin valley entrance, and a taxi from Yongmun station would cost somewhere in the ₩15,000–20,000 range one way — assuming you can find one waiting, which on a weekday morning is not a given.
That transport gap is precisely the reason Off Map Korea exists. When I drop a group at the north trailhead parking area, the car park is usually empty except for a handful of local weekend walkers. The trail register box sometimes has not been touched since the previous day. That kind of solitude, within 90 minutes of central Seoul, is remarkably rare.
The Drive from Seoul
From central Seoul (let's call it Gwanghwamun) the drive to the north trailhead runs roughly 80 km and takes 80–100 minutes depending on expressway traffic. You take the Jungang Expressway (Route 55) east, exit at Yangpyeong IC, then head north-east on local roads through Okcheon-myeon toward the Ojin valley road. The last few kilometres are a narrow single-lane mountain road — entirely manageable in a standard vehicle but not something you would want to navigate while also checking your phone for trail information.
The trailhead itself sits near a small information board and a seasonal toilet block. There is informal parking for perhaps eight to ten cars on a gravel shoulder. Arrive before 9 a.m. on a weekend and you will almost certainly have it to yourself.
The North Route: What the Trail Actually Feels Like
Total distance from the north trailhead to the summit of Yongmunsan and back down to Yongmunsa is approximately 13–14 km with around 900 m of cumulative elevation gain. Allow five to six hours moving time for an averagely fit group, a little less if your party is strong. Bring more water than you think you need — the north-side streams are present but their potability is not guaranteed, and there are no refreshment stalls until you reach the temple precinct on the descent.
Lower Ojin Valley: The First Hour
The trail begins gently, following a boulder-strewn stream up through mixed oak and maple forest. In spring the understorey is thick with wild azalea; in autumn the maples on this north-facing slope hold their colour a week or two later than the south face, which is a useful planning note if you are timing a foliage visit. The path is marked with orange paint blazes on rocks and occasional wooden posts, but it is not the manicured staircase you find on the temple route. Wear proper trail shoes — the stream crossings involve a little boulder-hopping even in dry weather.
After roughly 40 minutes the valley narrows and the gradient increases noticeably. You will pass a small rock overhang that locals use as a rest spot — there is usually a faded inscription on the rock face above it, though I have never been able to identify its age with any confidence. This is a good place for a snack break before the steeper upper section.
The Ridge and the Summit
Above the valley, the trail joins the main Yongmunsan ridge at a junction marked with a green metal signboard. Turn right (south-east) and you have approximately 30–40 minutes of ridge walking to the summit. The ridge is exposed in places and the views open up dramatically to the south — on a clear day you can pick out the Han River plain and, further west, the edges of greater Seoul. The summit itself has a small stone marker, a wind shelter, and, on weekends, a surprisingly busy atmosphere because this is where the temple-route hikers arrive from the south.
The contrast is striking. You have spent three hours in near-solitude. You arrive at the top to find 50 people eating kimbap. This is not a complaint — it is almost funny, and it underlines just how completely the two approaches occupy different experiential worlds.
The Ginkgo Tree: Saving the Best for Last
Descend from the summit on the standard south-facing route toward Yongmunsa. The path here is wide, stone-stepped in places, and busy — but the descent takes only about an hour and a half, and what you are walking toward earns the foot traffic.
The ginkgo tree at Yongmunsa is registered as Natural Monument No. 30. It stands approximately 42 metres tall with a trunk circumference of around 14 metres at its base. The temple claims it was planted in the year 913 CE by the monk Gyeomil, which would make it well over 1,100 years old, though the dating rests on tradition rather than verified scientific measurement. Regardless of the exact figure, standing beneath it is a profoundly arresting experience. In late October and early November the fan-shaped leaves turn a flat, almost luminous yellow and drop in waves when the wind moves through the upper branches.
Because you have come down from the summit rather than up from the car park, you arrive at the tree after the physical effort of the day rather than before it. That sequence matters. You are more attentive, more grateful for stillness, and you have the psychological satisfaction of having already earned the distance. The temple-route hikers who drove in, paid the gate fee, photographed the tree, and turned back never quite get that feeling.
After the Descent: Logistics at the Temple
The temple precinct has a small cluster of snack stalls and a seated rest area near the car park. You can get doenjang jjigae and makgeolli at [insert name of stall/restaurant the operator recommends — verify before publishing] for a very reasonable [insert current price]. The gate fee (₩3,000 per adult as of the last time I checked — verify current rate) applies to visitors entering from this side, but since you are exiting rather than entering, staff have generally waved our groups through without charge. I would not count on that, but it is worth knowing.
The driver picks up the group here at the south-side car park, which is the logical meeting point after a through-hike. The drive back to Seoul from this side runs through Yangpyeong town — a reasonable place to stop for a proper meal before the expressway.
Planning Notes at a Glance
- Total trail distance: approx. 13–14 km (north trailhead to Yongmunsa), one-way through-hike
- Elevation gain: approx. 900 m cumulative
- Moving time: 5–6 hours for an averagely fit group
- Difficulty: moderate-strenuous; no technical sections but sustained climb on the north side
- Best seasons: late April to early June (azalea, fresh growth); mid-October to early November (foliage, ginkgo)
- What to bring: 2 litres of water minimum, trail shoes, poles helpful on descent
- Temple gate fee: ₩3,000 per adult (verify current rate)
- Public transport to north trailhead: not practical — this is the whole point
One more practical note on timing: avoid the north trailhead on the first Sunday of autumn foliage peak season. Even the quiet side gets a brief surge of traffic in that single weekend window. Come the Saturday before or the weekend after and you will likely have the valley entirely to yourself.
A Personal Note
I have driven clients to Yongmunsan a good number of times on the standard temple route, and I will keep doing it — the ginkgo tree alone justifies the trip. But the first time I scouted the Ojin valley approach on a grey Tuesday in November, walking up through a forest with no one else in it and no sound except the stream, I understood that these were effectively two different mountains sharing one summit. The north side felt like something found rather than visited. That distinction is exactly what Off Map Korea is built around.
Private vehicle + English-speaking driver + printed guidebook + GPS app included.
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