5 Best Hikes Near Seoul

Dobongsan occupies the northern third of Bukhansan National Park and gives the Seoul hiking trails their most technical day out. Jaunbong, the high point, stands at 739.5 m, ringed by the granite towers of Shinseondae (730 m), Manjangbong (718 m) and Seoninbong (708 m). Those walls turned Dobongsan into the rock climbing centre of South Korea, and Seoninbong alone carries 37 established routes. From Dobongsan Station the out-and-back to Jaunbong runs about 8 km with 675 m of elevation gain over 4 to 5 hours. Difficulty: strenuous.

Most of the climb is sustained work on rock steps and steel staircases through pine forest, past Cheonchuksa and Mangwolsa temples. Near the top it turns to hand railings, chains and short ladders on granite blocks. The optional Obong ridge traverse beyond Jaunbong is genuine scrambling with real exposure and narrow gaps, and it jams solid on weekends when hikers queue at each railing. Park entry is free. Skip the ridge entirely if the rock is wet.

Pro Tip: Dobongsan Station sits on both Line 1 and Line 7, so check which line puts you at Exit 1 with fewer transfers - from Gangnam, Line 7 direct beats Line 1 via Cheongnyangni. Wear grippy gloves for the chain sections; the food street between the station and the park gate sells them for around 3,000 won.

Bugaksan, also written Baegaksan, is the 342 m peak standing directly behind Cheongwadae, and it carries the strangest access history of any hike in South Korea. After a North Korean commando raid crossed this ridge in January 1968, the mountain was sealed as a military zone and stayed shut until 2007. It then reopened under a regime of identity checks and numbered badges worn on a lanyard, which is why older guidebooks tell you to bring a passport. Identity documents stopped being required in April 2019. In March 2026 the Presidential Security Service confirmed the mountain remains open 24 hours a day even after the presidential office moved back into Cheongwadae in December 2025.

The Seoul City Wall route from Changuimun Gate to Hyehwamun Gate covers 4.7 km with roughly 300 m of elevation gain and takes about 3 hours, almost all of it climbing restored Joseon fortress wall on stone and timber staircases. Difficulty: moderate. Six visitor information centres operate 09:00 to 18:00 daily. One southwestern spur toward Cheongun-dong is still restricted, and a new 1.32 km section is due to open in the second half of 2026. Bullet scars from the 1968 firefight are still visible on a pine near Sukjeongmun Gate.

Pro Tip: Walk it north to south from Changuimun Gate to Hyehwamun Gate and finish at Hansung University Station (Line 4, Exit 6) - that way the 1,100-odd steps are a climb rather than a knee-punishing descent, and you end in Seongbuk-dong rather than on a bus back over the pass.

Inwangsan is 338 m of exposed granite on the western edge of the old walled city, and no other hike in Seoul returns this much view for this little effort. The official Inwangsan Mountain Trail along the Seoul City Wall measures 4.0 km and takes about 2 hours 30 minutes, with roughly 250 m of elevation gain from the Dongnimmun side. Difficulty: easy to moderate. There are no cables and no scrambling, but long flights of rock steps and a few slabby sections along the ridge make this a genuine climb rather than a park stroll, and the granite gets treacherous in the wet.

The trailhead sits beside Guksadang, the shamanist shrine moved here from Namsan under Japanese rule, and the path passes Seonbawi (Zen Rock) where people still leave rice and candles. From the summit ridge the whole city reads as a map: Gyeongbokgung and Cheongwadae below, Namsan and N Seoul Tower opposite, Bukhansan filling the northern skyline. The ridge is open 24 hours in 2026 and free, and the wall section connects onward to Bugaksan at Changuimun Gate if you want to link two of these hikes into one day.

Pro Tip: Go up for sunset rather than sunrise - Inwangsan faces east over the city, so the light lands on the skyline while you stand in shade. Bring a phone torch for the descent, because the rock steps below Guksadang are unlit and the stone is polished smooth.

Achasan is only 295.7 m and that is precisely the appeal. This is the hike for your first jet-lagged morning in Seoul, or for the day after Baegundae when your legs are finished. From the Achasan Administrative Office trailhead the out-and-back to the summit and the Achasanseong fortress ruins covers about 4 km with 230 m of elevation gain in 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. Difficulty: easy. Continue north along the ridge over Yongmasan (348 m) and descend to Yongmasan Station and you have a 6.5 km, 2 hour 30 minute traverse that never once feels hard.

The ridge looks straight down the Han River toward Guri and Hanam, which is why Achasan is the city's default sunrise mountain and why the summit deck is busy at 05:30 in summer. Achasanseong was a Baekje-era fortress, and low stone footings still run along the crest. Mid-route you choose between a short rock wall with good hand-holds or the graded Seoul Trail path through the trees. The Administrative Office has trail maps, toilets, a spring-water tap and a Seoul Trail stamp station.

Pro Tip: Achasan Station (Line 5, Exit 2) puts you at the trailhead, but finish at Yongmasan Station instead of doubling back - it is also on Line 5, so one T-money tap covers the whole loop with no extra fare. The first train on Line 5 runs from around 05:30, which is tight for a summer sunrise; on those mornings take the last train the night before and stay in Gwangjin-gu.