Jirisan Dulle-gil | OFF MAP KOREA Issue 06 — Not the summit. The circle around it.


















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Suraksan Hiking Guide: The Entrance Locals Keep Quiet

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Why Most Foreigners Get Suraksan Wrong From the Start Every foreign hiker I have driven to Suraksan has asked me the same question on the way there: 'Is it really that crowded?' The honest answer depends entirely on which entrance you use. Pick the wrong one and you are shuffling up a concrete path behind a column of weekend warriors in matching visors. Pick the right one and you will spend most of the morning alone on a granite ridge with a view over the Han River basin that almost nobody in Seoul knows about. Suraksan sits in the northeastern corner of Seoul, straddling the boundary between Nowon-gu and Jungnang-gu, and it tops out at 638 metres. It is not the tallest mountain in the city, but the summit ridge is sharper and more exposed than Bukhansan, and the rock scrambling near the top is genuinely satisfying. The problem is that most people — Korean weekend hikers and foreign visitors alike — funnel in through the Sanggye-dong trailhead near Danggogae Station, which ...
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Inwangsan is one of the easier mountains to reach in Seoul, which is exactly why most foreigners end up on the same crowded section near the old fortress wall. There is a quieter ridge — the one I take repeat clients to — that requires almost no Korean at all, but you have to know where to get off the bus. This is the route, step by step. Why Skip the Standard Tourist Approach The "famous" approach to Inwangsan starts near Gyeongbokgung Palace and walks up through Changuimun gate along the city wall. It is fine. It is also packed with tour groups, especially on weekends and any day the cherry blossoms are in. You will spend more time waiting for people to move out of your photos than actually walking. The route I am about to describe gets you to the same ridge from the other side, but you will have it largely to yourself for the first hour. I have driven this route at least forty times for clients. It works in any season, requires no special gear beyond decent shoes, ...
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