Gwanaksan Mountain

Gwanaksan reaches 632 metres on the line between Seoul and Gwacheon, and it is the hardest of the city's regular hiking mountains - the upper third is granite scrambling with fixed ropes and steel steps in places, and the ridges are exposed. Several routes converge at the top: from Seoul National University on the north side, from Gwacheon on the south, and along the long Sadang ridge, which is the classic and the busiest. Just below the summit, built onto a cliff face reached by a steep flight of steps, is Yeonjudae, a hermitage founded in the Silla period and rebuilt many times, with a small hall standing on a platform over a considerable drop. Nearby is Yeonjuam. At the top itself is a weather station and a scatter of boulders where hikers eat lunch. The mountain is busy every weekend of the year and the trails show it.

What you actually see

• Yeonjudae hermitage - the cliff-built hall below the summit.
• The granite ridges - rope and step sections on the upper mountain.
• The Sadang ridge - the long classic approach from the north-east.
• The city view - Seoul on one side, Gwacheon and Anyang on the other.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Weekdays if you can - weekend queues form at the rope sections and at the summit rocks.

Honest expectations

This is a real climb with scrambling and exposure, not a park walk - proper shoes matter and the granite is dangerous when wet or icy. Winter needs crampons on the upper sections.

Nearby

Seoul National University and Nakseongdae are on the northern side; Gwacheon and Seoul Grand Park are south.