Dobongsan Mountain

Dobongsan is the northern block of Bukhansan National Park, and its skyline is three bare granite peaks - Jaunbong at 740 metres, Manjangbong and Seoninbong - rising out of forest in sheer domes and slabs. Seoninbong is one of the best-known rock climbing faces in the country, with routes bolted since the 1930s, and on a fine weekend there are ropes on it all day. Walkers take the trails to Jaunbong or the ridge below the spires, with the last stretch involving fixed cables and steel steps on rock. Lower down are Cheonchuksa and Mangwolsa, old temples in wooded valleys, and the approach from the station passes a long strip of hiking shops, makgeolli bars and pajeon restaurants that is as much a part of the ritual as the mountain. Bukhansan is reputedly the most-visited national park per unit area in the world, and Dobongsan on a Saturday makes that easy to believe.

What you actually see

• The granite spires - Jaunbong, Manjangbong and Seoninbong.
• The climbers - ropes on Seoninbong's faces at weekends.
• The cable sections - fixed steel on the upper rock.
• The temples - Cheonchuksa and Mangwolsa in the valleys.

When to go

April to June and September to November; autumn colour is the peak season and the trails are packed. Weekday mornings are far quieter.

Honest expectations

Upper sections are steep rock with cables - not for anyone uneasy with exposure, and genuinely hazardous in ice. Weekend crowds mean queuing at bottlenecks. Winter requires crampons.

Nearby

Bukhansan's main massif is south; the Dobongsan station strip has the post-hike food.