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PAINANI · RUN / LOCAL

70 · Seoul and Gyeonggi, South Korea

Bukhansan Baegundae

Subway Line 3 and a bus to Bukhansanseong, then 3.4 km of road, valley path and steep stone through a fortress gate to Baegundae, 836.5 m.

Trail runningPoint to point
3.4 kmDistanceModerateSite gradeSeoulNearest base

Site grade

ModerateFeatured

3.4 km to an 836.5 m summit. The park service says the course starts as a gentle paved road and turns into steep stone path in its second half; the 500 m from the old Yaksuam site to Baegunbongammun gate is, in its words, the hardest climb on the course. It rates the course 중, the middle of its three grades.

The experience

3.4 km one way to 836.5 m. The start is paved road; the second half is steep stone path, steepest over the 500 m below Baegunbongammun gate. The park service gives walkers 2 h 40 min. A runner can run the road and the valley; the stone climb is walking ground.

The park service calls Bukhansan a natural park inside a city that is rare anywhere in the world, and says it was listed by Guinness World Records as the national park with the most visitors per unit of area. Its own count was 8.65 million visitors a year in 2009.

Bukhansanseong is a mountain fortress, and the course runs through its main gate. The park service says the Bukhandong valley below Baegundae was lived in for more than 300 years, from the reign of King Sukjong, and that its residents were resettled when the park cleared the district; the village is now a history hall. It counts about a hundred temples and hermitages in the park, and lists a March 1st Movement rock inscription among the sights of this course.

Where the sources disagreeThe last 0.3 km, from Baegunbongammun gate to the summit, is closed from 28 September to 2 October 2026 for repairs, and the park says the closure may be extended; check the notice before you go. Races are banned: the park office has barred holding or entering mountain marathons and similar events anywhere in Bukhansan from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2030, with a fine of up to ₩2,000,000. The park office told OhmyNews that running alone or with a club is still allowed. So run it on your own, not in an event. Entry on this route opens at 04:00 and closes at 16:00 in winter and 17:00 in summer, but the park's own table is inconsistent about which months count as winter; in November, assume 16:00. The park's fee schedule treats 1 October to 15 November as peak season. It marks this course as a wild-boar trail, and in winter the upper section ices and it tells you to wear crampons.

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Trail path

The line
you follow.

StartBukhansanseong Park Information Center (bus stop Bukhansanseong Entrance)FinishBaegundae summit, 836.5 mDirectionWest side up, by the Bukhansanseong valley. Come down the same way, or descend east on the 1.9 km Baegundae Course to Baegundae Park Information Center.
  1. 01Bukhansanseong Park Information Center
  2. 02Daeseomun gate
  3. 03Bukhandong history hall
  4. 04Borisa temple
  5. 05Yaksuam site
  6. 06Baegunbongammun gate
  7. 07Baegundae summit

Route sections

01 · The Front GateBukhansanseong Park Information Center to Daeseomun gate
Past the toilets and the outdoor shops, up a road to Daeseomun, the west gate and main entrance of the Bukhansanseong fortress. The park service puts the gate on low ground about 150 m above sea level.02 · The Emptied VillageDaeseomun gate to Borisa temple
The flat ground of Bukhandong, where people lived along the fortress valley for more than 300 years, until a relocation and redevelopment project turned the district into a history hall, now a volunteer centre. Keep left at the endangered-plant garden for Baegundae.03 · The Granite TaxBorisa temple to Baegundae summit
The real climb starts beside Borisa. From the site of Yaksuam, a hermitage lost to fire, a steep 500 m of stone runs to Baegunbongammun gate, then 300 m more to the summit, where the park says a national flag flies all year.

Weather profile

What the sky
is likely to do.

Four seasons, with Seoul's weather at the bottom and bare rock at the top. The park service warns of falls and lightning around Baegundae and of ice on the upper course in winter.

Season & timing

Managed seasonNo closed season, but set entry hours: 04:00 to 16:00 in winter and 04:00 to 17:00 in summer on the Bukhansanseong entrance to Wimun route. The park's fee schedule counts 1 October to 15 November as peak season. Sections close for repairs, fire risk and weather; check the park's control-information page.Best windowOctober, on a weekday, starting when the gate opens at 04:00 so the summit rock is not a queue. Wait until the 28 September to 2 October closure has lifted.SurfacePaved road for the first stretch to Daeseomun gate, then valley path, then steep stone path for the second half of the climbDirectionWest side up, by the Bukhansanseong valley. Come down the same way, or descend east on the 1.9 km Baegundae Course to Baegundae Park Information Center.

Signature moments

What you will
remember afterwards.

01

Daeseomun, the fortress's west gate, 0.8 km in

02

The flat ground of Bukhandong after the gate

03

The stone climb from the Yaksuam site

04

Baegunbongammun gate between Baegundae and Mangyeongdae

05

The flag on the summit at 836.5 m

NO RACES UNTIL

2031

Bukhansan has banned trail races through 2030

Notice 2025-51 from the Bukhansan National Park Office, dated 5 December 2025, bars holding or entering mountain marathons and similar events anywhere in the park from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2030, to protect the park and prevent accidents. The mountain is open to runners; it is closed to events.

Access & logistics

AccessSubway Line 3 to Gupabal station, then bus 704 or Yangju 37 to the Bukhansanseong Entrance stop, as the park service directs. The Bukhansanseong Park Information Center is at the top of the entrance road. If you descend the Baegundae Course, you finish at Baegundae Park Information Center on the east side.PermitsNone to run it on your own. Entering or holding a mountain marathon or similar event in the park is banned until 31 December 2030.BookingsNone. Bukhansanseong car parks 1 and 2 charge ₩1,100 for the first hour on the park's published tariff, with higher rates at weekends and in peak season.FoodThe park service describes outdoor shops along the approach at the Bukhansanseong Park Information Center, with toilets beside the centre. Carry what you need for the climb.DurationKorea National Park Service standard time: 2 h 40 min one way, walking.

Key hazards

  • ▲Steep stone path on the second half of the climb
  • ▲Fall and lightning risk on the summit rock, which the park states
  • ▲Ice on the upper course in winter; the park says crampons are required
  • ▲Wild boar; the park marks this course as a boar-warning trail
  • ▲Summit section closed 28 September to 2 October 2026, possibly longer
  • ▲Races and race participation banned in the park until 31 December 2030, fine up to ₩2,000,000
  • ▲Peak-season crowds from 1 October to 15 November

SafetyOrientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance. Stay on the signed trail around Baegundae; the park says the closed ground there carries a high risk of falls and of lightning strikes.

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Official sources

Last verified 2026-09-28 · Record CETC-RUN-070 · Orientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance.

Photograph: Symtux · CC BY-SA 4.0