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| Namhansanseong |
Best time for hiking in Seoul
There are several good mountains to climb in Seoul! All seasons are absolutely best for hiking as the mountain shows different completely different beauties of nature in each season.
This week I went to Namhansanseong (남한산성) to enjoy an autumn mountain. The period between the end of October and the beginning of November is the best time for the autumn foliage.
So, I hurried not to miss this best season!
Namhansanseong (남한산성)
Among other famous mountains in Seoul, I chose Namhansan because it's not as tough as other mountains to climb even for beginners and it's easy to get from where I live! (I live in the southeast part of Seoul)
Namhansan is located on the border of Seoul and Gyounggi-do. "Seong(성)" actually means "castle" in Korean and "San" means a mountain so "Sanseong" literally means a castle on the mountain. Namhansansung functioned as a fortress during the Joseon Dynasty. (1392-1910) Now, it's preserved as a national park and UNESCO World Heritage.
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| Namhansanseong |
How to get to Namhansanseong
There are several ways to go up to Namhansanseong from Seoul or Gyonggi-do, Seongnam-si. I took the simplest route from Macheon-dong (마천동), Seoul.
1. Get off at Macheon Station (Subway Line 5)
Macheon station is the last station of Seoul Subway Line 5. Once you get off, get out through exit 1. You can see the information board on your left as below. We are not going to take the whole pink path on the map. I am going to take you to West Gate of the fortress (another name is Uingmoon 우익문)
It takes only an hour from the station to West Gate!
Let's start!!
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| Information board at Macheon station |
Go straight to the main street once you come out through Exit 1 and then turn left at 119. Then you can see the long street leading to the entrance of the mountain. It's pretty far! - walking for about 15 minutes.
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| On the way to the entrance to Namhansanseoung |
2. On the way to the entrance of the mountain
At the end of the street, there is a bus company on the left. And across that, there is a place for meeting with benches, called "만남의 장소". You can see a wooden post written 만남의 장소 in Korean. It is where people gather before hiking.
"만남 man-nam" means meeting and "장소 jang-so" means a place.
Take the road between the bus company and "the place for meeting". There are a lot of shops on either side of the road. Once you get through the road, take a road along a small stream called 학암천.
If you see a temple on your left, you're taking the right way. So, just keep walking. :)
There are apartment buildings under construction near the mountain. This area was conserved as a greenbelt zone, but as a solution to the housing shortage in Seoul, the place has been developed for citizens. Anyway, it would be so nice to live near this beautiful mountain!
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| Apartments under construction |
3. Entrance of Namhansanseong
After 30 minutes from leaving Macheon station, I reached the entrance of Namhansanseong. Actually, there's no exact starting point of the hiking. I would say the toilet is the starting point! You can see the toilets on your left.
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| Entrance of Namhansanseong |
4. Start hiking!
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| a sign to West Gate |
We are heading to 우익문(서문), which is also West Gate. There are a couple of paths to get to West Gate. We are taking Path 3 for climbing and Path 2 for descending.
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| Paths to West Gate |
Passing by the sign, you can see a long stair. Take the stair and pass by a shop which is on your left. Then you can see two ways. The left path is Path 2 and the right one is Path 3. Path 2 is easier as there are stairs leading to West Gate, while you can enjoy real hiking through Path 3. But Path 3 is also okay for me (although I still have muscle pain after four days. 😂)
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| Two paths to West Gate |
5. Taking Path 3: Enjoy the autumn leaves!
Gasping for breath, I was regretting taking the harder one. But that didn't last long, and I started to feel grateful that I was there. 😍Look!
(See the Youtube video at the end of this posting)
6. West Gate
At the end of this stair, you can finally reach West Gate of Namhansanseong! It took me roughly an hour and 20 minutes from the subway station, Macheon station. I stopped to take photos and videos. If you walk fast, it takes less than an hour. |
| stairs leading to West Gate |
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| Namhansamseong West Gate |
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| West Gate |
Unfortunately, the trail along the wall is currently blocked for repair until February 2021. But it's still worth climbing up here! Let's go to the observatory deck!
Take the left path from West Gate.
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| Way to the observatory deck |
7. Observatory deck
There is an observatory deck overlooking Seoul. I was so looking forward to seeing Seoul from Namhansan but...
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| Observatory deck at Namhansanseong |
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| Observatory deck at Namhansanseong |
I could hardly see Seoul because of the fine dust. 😭 When I look at the sky above, it's blue! But the city was captured in pollution. It got me thinking that we need to do something to preserve our city and nature.
I will climb up next time!
When the air is clean, you can see the whole city.
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| Seoul from Namhansanseong |
8. On the way down (Path 2)
On my way down, I took another way, Path 2, where wooden stairs are installed. It's safer and easier than other paths. It has different scenery but is also spectacular!
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