Gwanaksan Full Ridge Traverse: 11 Flag Peaks, 20km Course from Sadang Station
Cycling · Published 1/25/2023 ·
This is Gwanaksan, the most popular of the mountains in and around Seoul.
A lot of people seem to just tag Yeonjudae and head back down, but there’s actually a much longer route you can take to traverse the whole ridge — so I’m posting this as a record.
Total: 19.54km, 8 hours 35 minutes of moving time, 14 hours recommended including breaks.
Over those 14 hours you’ll need to eat at least two meals. Make sure you bring plenty of trail snacks and water. In summer aim for 3 liters of water, and even in winter carry around 2 liters. Pack at least 2,000 kcal of food, meals included. The Samseongsan section drains your energy more than you’d expect, so be careful there. And there are plenty of stretches where even bailing out partway takes around two hours. Pace yourself well.
The start point is Sadang Station, which is really easy to get to.
[Sadang Station start point
939 Gwacheon-daero, Gwanak-gu, Seoul
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Come out of Exit 4, walk a little way up through the hilly neighborhood, and you’ll find a path on your right leading to the trailhead. If you set off early in the morning, you’ll spot a few people dressed in similar — shall we say — gear. Just follow them.
Most people make it as far as Yeonjudae, but the course beyond that is really good too, and it ends at Gwanaksan Station on the Sillim Line, so getting home is super convenient.
[Gwanaksan Station
Gwanaksan Rest Area, 23 Sillim-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul
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The route climbs hard early on, then around the five-hour mark it feels like you descend and start climbing all over again. Your pace really drops off in that section. Your energy too. But once you get past it, there aren’t many tough stretches left.
It’s about 20km — a course for when you want a proper, grueling ridge-traverse feel close to Seoul.
Here’s the Gwanaksan 11-flag-peak traverse course plotted on Google Maps.
Attachment
Gwanaksan_11_flag_peaks_traverse.gpx
This is hiking and trekking we do for our health and to unwind. If you push too hard and get hurt, that defeats the whole purpose. Always pace yourself, bring trail snacks, and in winter pack things like a thermos of hot water. Once it drops below -5°C, plastic water bottles freeze up easily, so a thermos really helps. It adds a bit of weight, but think of it as your lifeline and bring it along. In winter your phone battery also drains far faster than it would at room temperature. Between taking photos and listening to music, an ordinary phone might not last the full 14 hours. Be sure to bring a power bank, keep it charged, and stay prepared for any unexpected trouble.
Thank you.
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Contact: bumseok.view [at] gmail [dot] com
