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Achasan Mountain & Yongmasan Mountain
아차산 & 용마산
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Free
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Gwangnaru Station (line 5, exit 1). 15 mins walk. see map.
Achasan Mountain is a relatively safe and easy mountain to hike for beginners at a low altitude of 295.7m. It is easily accessible within walking distance from Seoul subway stations as well.
Three Mountains (Achasan, Yongmasan & Mangusan) connected via Seoul Trail
Hiking trail connects Achasan Mountain (295.7m) to Yongmasan Mountain (348m) and onward to Mangusan Mountain (281.7m). In Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), the three mountains were collectively referred as Achasan.
💡 san (산) in Korean refers to 'mountain'.
▶ Across Seoul and Gyeonggi-do
Achasan Mountain: stretches from Gwangjin-gu in Seoul to Guri in Gyeonggi-do province.
Yongmasan Mountain: Jungnang-gu, Seoul.
Mangusan Mountain: across Gwangjin-gu, Seoul and Guri, Gyeonggi-do.
▶ Seoul Trail
As part of the 157km long Seoul Trail course surrounding Seoul, the complete section through Yongmasan and Achasan is 12.6km long and takes about 5 hrs.
▸Gwangnaru Station (exit 1) ▸Achasan Mountain ▸Yongmasan Mountain ▸Mangusan Mountain ▸Yangwon Station ▸Mukdongcheon ▸Hwarangdae Station (exit 4)
💡 During the hike, often, you will get to see direction signs 'Seoul Trail (Gwangnaru Station)' or 'Seoul Trail (Yangwon Station)', indicating the two opposite ends of Seoul Trail section across the mountains.
Seoul Trail Directional Signs:
Recommended Achasan & Yongmasan Hiking Course (6.5km, 2.5 hrs)
This hiking course, vastly popular with the locals starts on a gradual ascend from:
► Gwangnaru Station (exit 1) ► Achasan Administrative Office (Hiking Trail Entrance) ► Achasan Mountain Summit ► Yongmasan Mountain Summit ► Yongmasan Station (exit 2).
💡 The reverse course from Yongmasan Station starts on a more difficult hike, ascending all the way to Yongmasan Mountain Peak at 348m.
💡 Yongmasan Station sits between Gwangnaru Station and Yangwon Station.
1. Achasan Administrative Office (Hiking Trail Entrance)
This is probably the best entrance to start your hike to Achasan and Yongmasan Mountains. Many hiking trails starting from here. Also, there are good directional signs, trail maps and facilities (toilets, mineral spring water, etc) at Achasan Administrative Office.
An interesting thing to do at Achasan Administrative Office is to get the Seoul Trail Map and Stamp Booklet from the office and have the booklet stamped at the red mailbox.
💡 There are a total of 28 stamping locations on Seoul Trail (157km). After you have collected all 28 stamp impressions on your stamp booklet, you can get the Seoul Trail Completion Certificate🏅 from Seoul Trail Information Center.
Walk along the road in front of Achasan Administrative Office and enjoy the serene nature surrounding.
2. Man-made Waterfall
If you are not returning to Achasan Administrative Office on your hike, it may be worthwhile to do a slight detour up the wooden deck on your left to a nearby waterfall.
3. Two Course Options to Achasan Mountain Summit
Back to the main path after visiting the made-made waterfall, there are 2 parallel paths leading to Achasan Summit. These 2 paths will merge near Goguryeojeong Pavilion, before Achasan Summit.
You can cross over to either path near the mineral spring water stop or after the air-gun (for blowing away dust from shoes) station.
a) Course Option 1 - Rock Wall (side trail)
The parallel path that runs on the LEFT leads to the Rock Wall ascending right up to Goguryeojeong Pavilion. This is the more popular hiking course due to its interesting rock wall formation and a shorter route to Achasan Mountain summit.
💡 When taking this route, proper footwear👟 with good grip is recommended as the rock wall can get slippery especially after rain or snow.
b) Course Option 2 - Seoul Trail (main trail)
The parallel path that runs on the RIGHT goes on an easy gradual ascend to Achasan Mountain on primarily stairways. Compared to the Rock Wall trail, this is a longer hiking route on a well-paved trail under the shade of the forest.
💡 This section from Achasan Administrative Office follows the same course as Achasanseong (fortress) Trail and Seoul Trail up the mountain before splitting at a T-junction, with direction signs.
💡 Turning left at the T-junction will continue on Seoul Trail (Yangwon Station) / Top of Mt. Achasan. After which, there is a fork road with signs on your right that points to Goguryeojeong Pavilion, just a short distance away on your left.
💡 Turing right at the T-junction will lead to Achasanseong (fortress) Trail.
4. Goguryeojeong Pavilion
The upper deck of Goguryeojeong Pavilion offers magnificent aerial view of Seoul and the expanse of rock wall.
Hikers often take a break at the rock wall, immersing in the view and enjoy photo-taking with the brightly-coloured pavilion as their background.
💡 Please take off your shoes before getting on the stairs up the pavilion.
From Goguryeojeong Pavilion, walk to the main trail, Seoul Trail (Yangwon Station) and follow the signs to the 'Top of Mt. Achasan'.
5. Sunrise Square
After Goguryeojeong Pavilion, the trail will lead you to Sunrise Square, another good break stop to take in the magnificent view of Seoul presenting in front of you from its observatory.
💡 Interestingly, there is a Solar Energy Mobile Phone Charger at Sunrise Square that you can use to charge your phone too!
6. Snack Stops & More Observatories along the Trail
From Sunrise Square, there are more scenic observatories and snack stops along the mountain trail before heading towards Achasan Ridge and Achasan Mountain Peak.
💡 Look out for the orange ribbons tied to the trees, guiding hikers along Seoul Trail course.
7. Achasan Ridge & Achasan Mountain Summit (Altitude of 295.7m)
As a relatively low mountain to hike, the trail to its summit at 295.7m is equally safe with a plain looking wood block, marking your achievement of reaching a Seoul's mountain peak.
💡 From the Achasan Mountain Summit, you can decide if you wish to continue on the hike to the next mountain, Yongmasan or return back to Achasan Administrative Office and perhaps have a leisure stroll at the nearby Achasan Ecological Park.
8. Views from Achasan Mountain
From Achasan Mountain, one can enjoy different views of the city, from the famous Han River, Lotte World Tower (@Jamsil) to N Seoul Tower (@Namsan Mountain).
9. Achasan Fort No. 4
From Achasan Mountain Summit, most hikers will continue on the trail to the nearby Yongmasan Mountain and its summit, passing by Achasan Fort No. 4 on the way.
💡 Do not miss getting to the top of Achasan Fort No. 4 before continue on your trail to Yongmasan Mountain Peak.
10. Trail to Yongmasan Mountain
Follow the signs to 'Top of Mt. Yongmasan'. You will be going up and down the stairs in the forest before reaching Yongmasan Mountain Peak.
At a fork road, follow the sign to 'Yongmasan Station / Seoul Trail (Yongmabong (Peak))'.
💡 The sign, 'Yongmabong (Peak) 용마봉' refers to the summit of Yongmasan Mountain.
11. Yongmasan Mountain Summit (Altitude of 348m)
Yongmasan Mountain Summit is slightly higher than Achasan's at 348m.
At this peak, it certainly give hikers a better sense of accomplishment with a proper stone monument engraved with the mountain name in Korean (+Chinese) and its highest altitude.
Does the city view looks nicer from Yongmasan Mountain Summit?😉
12. Decend to Yongmasan Station 용마산역
From Yongmasan Mountain Summit, you can continue on Yongmasan (Summit) Trail and follow the sign to descend to Yongmasan Station.
💡 From the base of the mountain, use Naver Map or Kakao Map apps to walk from your current location to Yongmasan Station (8 mins) or the nearest station.
💡 If you walk back to Seoul Trail (Yangwon Station), the trail will continue onward to Mangusan Mountain (281.7m) and Manguri Cemetery before arriving at Yangwon Station (Gyeongui-Jungang Line, exit 2) in Guri (2-2.5 hrs).
Attraction nearby - Achasan Ecological Park 아차산생태공원
Next to Achasan Administrative Office is the charming Anhasan Ecological Park with a big pond, fountain and beautiful seasonal flowers.
Map of Walking Path from Gwangnaru Station (exit 1) to Achasan Administrative Office
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